Not Maddening

Well the game started late again because of rain. It was only 31 minutes and the wait was worth it as the Cards beat the Bucs 5 - 1 in 2:42. Just a brilliant pitching performance by the Cardinals starter. A well-pitched game means a well-paced game means a quality telecast. We had that today. A great rhythm and a great telecast. Not maddening at all.

Maddening

The Pirates beat the Cards 7 - 5 in 3:21 tonight at Busch Stadium. This was a fairly calm telecast covering a fairly maddening game from a St. Louis perspective. Sometimes it is quite difficult to cover your team without getting emotionally involved. I believe that being emotionally involved during a victory can actually help the quality of the show. On the flip side, however, being emotional could possibly damage the show. Tonight was one of those games where the Cardinals TV team did become emotionally involved. The play of the Redbirds was indeed maddening. But, we maintained positive in our coverage even as we expressed a few colorful words.

Ho Hum

The Pirates 5 - 2 victory in 3:07 tonight at Busch Stadium was one of those run of the mill game/telecasts. There was no bad play on the field and there was no great play on the field. There wasn't any mistakes during the telecast and there wasn't anything memorable about the telecast. In fact, the best replay of the night was of a young female fan catching a foul ball. At least there was no rain. This blog is remarkably similar to the game/telecast - ho hum.

Rain Sucks

The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 4 - 2 today at Busch Stadium. This was a totally different game/telecast than the previous three games against the Brewers. The only similarity was the 1:26 rain delay to start the game. After yesterday's game from hell, this rain delay really soured my attitude and, thus, affected my game cut. I wasn't as aggressive as I usually am and I didn't change my cut until the bottom of the ninth inning when it looked like the Cards might tie the game. I wasn't being lazy. After these past 4 game/telecasts, I am a bit fried.

Day Game From Hell

Three hours and forty eight minutes was the time of the game. There was a rain delay of an hour and twenty minutes before the start of the game. There was a fourteen minute delay to fix up the field after a deluge hit while play was going on. There was a second rain delay of fifty five minutes. There were seventeen runs and twenty seven hits to go along with twelve walks. And that's not even the worst of it! The Cardinals entered the ninth inning with a 9 - 4 lead. The first two batters for the Brewers had hard hit singles. The third batter of the inning was hit by the pitch. Bases loaded - nobody out. A pitching change was made as the Cards brought in their closer. This pitcher rarely issues any walks. He walked in a run. Score: 9 - 5. Bases loaded and still nobody out. The next Brewer batter hit a ball that missed being a homerun by a foot. This resulted with two RBI's and runners on second and third. Score: 9 - 7 and still nobody out. The next batter struck out. The following batter hit a slow grounder to shortstop for the second out as a run scored. Score: 9 - 8, 2-outs, runner on second base. Now came the worst part of this awful day. It started raining again. As the rain fell, the next batter struck out - game over. Check that - the day game from hell was over.

Compelling TV

Today's game between the Brewers and the Cardinals at Busch Stadium began after a 1:32 rain delay. With rain threatening all day, the Redbirds beat the Brew Crew 3 - 0 in 2:40. This was a well-pitched, well-played game. The only real suspense was whether or not the rain would stay away. The Cards organization really wanted to get this game in because tomorrow's forecast calls for rain, rain and more rain. Milwaukee returns to Busch Stadium for a 4-game series in September. "A 6-game series in September is the last thing we want" is a quote from a member of the Cardinals front office. There was a very exciting moment in this game for Cards fans as one of the most popular players collected his 1,500 career hit. Other than that great moment, the most compelling shots of the day were of the head groundskeeper talking to the umpire crew chief. Now that's great baseball TV.

Home Sweet Home

At Busch Stadium tonight the Cards beat the Brewers 7 - 1 in 2:47. This was the first game/telecast at home for the Redbirds in a long time where a Cardinals victory was determined early. The team had lost 7 in a row. In fact, the last home victory came on June 5. Every sports TV crew loves televising home games. The comfort level is high and most teams are more successful at home. In fact, the Cardinals are the only team in baseball with a record over .500 and a home game record under .500. This was a nice change of pace. It is never a good feeling to leave the TV truck after a loss. Leaving the TV truck after a home loss is even worse.