Away From The Ball

9 - 3 was the score as the Redbirds prevailed over the Phillies in 2:55 today at Busch Stadium. The Cards' starting pitcher was making his Major League debut and didn't make it out of the third inning. But he was in the game long enough that his mother, who was in the seats, gave our telecast it's best replays of the day and, in fact, the best live shots of the day. The live shots and replays showed happiness and anguish, anxiety and relief, all during the first 2 1/3 innings. In fact, the joy expressed when her son retired the first batter of the game was the only shot we used in our rollout. I believe the best shots and the best replays are those that don't follow the ball. I believe shots away from the ball are most effective because only the viewer at home sees them. The fans in the stands are following the ball and, therefore, don't see them.

Speed

It took 2:38 for the Redbirds to beat Philadelphia by the score of 5 - 2 at Busch Stadium tonight. The highlights from our game/telecast featured speed. I felt that our "real speed" replays were the most effective moments of our telecast. We captured a triple, a marvelous catch in right centerfield and a bang bang play at home plate on a ground ball with the infield playing in. These three plays were all committed by the same player. Capturing the speed of the game of baseball is very tricky. The only way to capture this speed is by real time replays. In fact, I believe there should be more replays of this type. Even on routine plays.

Chunked

The Cards beat the Phil's at Busch Stadium tonight by the score of 11 - 5. This 2:58 clunker was completely opposite of last night's game. There was absolutely no rhythm in this game. It was like every inning just chunked together. Is chunked a word? Well if it is, then this game defined it.

I Got Rhythm

The Phillies beat the Cardinals 4 - 1 tonight at Busch Stadium. This 2:32 affair is an example of my favorite games to direct. It was well pitched. Well pitched = well paced = good rhythm. I copied the great George Gershwin song from 1930 - "I Got Rhythm". Our telecast had rhythm tonight. It flowed. When there is rhythm to a telecast, it seems like the game takes 5 minutes to play. A very very fun game/telecast tonight.

2 Wins 2 Losses

The Cardinals defeated the Brewers in 3:01 tonight at Miller Park by the score of 5 - 3. Tonight's contest was eerily similar to last night's Redbirds win over the Brew Crew. Last night, the Cards lost their every day catcher and team leader, Yadier Molina, to injury from a foul tip off his knee. The good news was that this injury was considered "day to day". Tonight, the Cards team leader of the pitchers, Adam Wainwright, stumbled coming out of the box and was in obvious pain as he hobbled off the field. Not good. The Cardinals celebrated two wins and suffered two losses in two days at Milwaukee.

Their Season Is Over

This 3 - 0 Cardinals win over the Brewers took 2:42 to complete. While it is true that the Brew Crew are 3 - 14 in this young season, that is no excuse for the brand of baseball I witnessed tonight at Miller Park. The Brewers played like the date was September 24 and they were 29 games out of first place instead of April 24 where they are now 9 games out of first. This was one of the most pathetic performances I have ever witnessed in ANY sport at ANY level. This situation has gone from "something has to be done" to "something will be done". That being said, this 2015 Brewers Baseball Club is the first Major League Team to have ever been eliminated in April. They are done.

The Faster The Better

From a TV baseball director's standpoint, the faster the pace of the game the better. When the pace of the game is brisk, the director is able to get into a very comfortable rhythm. Today's game between the Cardinals and the Nationals was just one of those games. This 2:31 affair was won by the Redbirds by the score of 4 - 1. Starting pitching will dictate the quality of the speed of the game. I was very excited about this contest today because the starting pitchers were Michael Wacha and Max Scherzer. They fulfilled their promise as two of the finest pitchers in the game. Coupled with the truly talented DC TV crew and this was one of my most enjoyable days of my career.