I am writing this blog from 30,000 feet as we wing our way from Los Angeles to Detroit.
The game coverage of our telecast ended at 10:28 PM Pacific time. We completed our post-game show requirements with approximately thirty minutes remaining before the team bus left Dodger Stadium for LAX and our four hour flight to Detroit. We should arrive in Detroit about eight in the morning.
Oh the glamour!
There was a moment in the Tonight’s telecast that reminded me of how much “luck” plays into each show.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the third inning and were leading 3-1. The Redbirds have been scoring their runs in bunches quite a bit lately, so I asked our graphics Producer to look up information to verify this fact. This member of our production team did some extensive research and built an insightful graphic that validated the fact that the team had, indeed, been scoring their runs in bunches.
We aired the following graphic before the Cardinals came to bat in the top of the fifth inning. To set up the graphic, we came back from break with an inning by inning line score of the current game that showed the Cardinals scoring all their runs in one inning.

RUNS PER INNING
SINCE MAY 1ST
1 RUN 3
2 RUNS 4
3 or more 10

This was the point in the telecast where we almost got lucky.
After the first batter flew out, the next two Cardinals batters reached base. There were runners on first base and second base and the clean-up batter was coming to bat.
Here was the scenario:
We came back from commercial showing the Cardinals recent propensity for scoring runs in bunches. We set up the telling graphic with an inning by inning line score which, in and of itself, made the graphic even more telling.
Then, after setting up the scenario of big innings, the Cardinals get two runners on base with the meat of the order coming to the plate.
Obviously, this was going to be another “big” inning.
Unfortunately (and unluckily), the next two batters struck out and our chance of creating and enhancing a moment of the game never materialized.
To add insult to injury, the LA Dodgers scored three runs in the bottom of the inning and ended up winning the game by a score of 5-4.
Sometimes the TV baseball production team gets lucky and sometimes it doesn’t.
When luck falls our way, a memorable broadcast moment will occur.
Lady luck almost found us tonight.
Perhaps tomorrow’s telecast will be different.