There were many positive aspects heading into yesterday’s telecast.
1 - We were the only television feed covering the game which meant we utilized our full complement of equipment for a road telecast – 6 cameras and 4 replay machines and a 2-channel Elvis, which is used for replays and building video packages.
2 – The opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers, is in first place and playing excellent baseball.
3 – The pitching match-up seemed to bode well for a well-pitched game.
4 – A sizable crowd was expected.
We were the only TV feed covering a game that included a hot ball team, a good pitching match-up, and a ballpark that had some atmosphere to it. This is a formula for a successful telecast.
Sometimes, however, the signs of a good telecast do not always come true.
The starting pitcher for the Brewers was hit in the leg by a line drive and left the game after the third inning.
The starting pitcher for the Cardinals pitched well, but not well enough, and the Redbirds lost 4-0.
The announced attendance of 23,299 was the largest crowd of the season in Milwaukee since opening day. The atmosphere in the ball park was not what we expected as about half the crowd rooted for the Cardinals and half were Brewers fans.
This was a game that included some controversial calls from the umpires and a bad-hop single that proved to be the pivotal point of the game. The camera work was good and provided some excellent replays covering these two moments of the game.
With so many positives pointing towards a rewarding telecast, why was this show so difficult to direct?
There was never a flow to the show. Each half inning seemed to be different from the previous half inning. There was never a point in the telecast/game that I could have stated, with confidence, what inning we were in. In fact, I remember checking the Fox Box, thinking we were in the 6th inning, and discovered that we were in the bottom of the 8th inning.
I do not believe this discovery occurred because of a lack of concentration on my part. Some shows, for whatever reason, are more difficult to direct than others and this was one of those telecasts.
Our telecast included good replays on disputed calls and sharp camera cuts in situations that do not regularly occur in a baseball game. (The step towards the runner at third base and the throw to first base actually happened in this game and was successful. This play also led to one of the controversial calls of the game. The live “cut” covered the moment and the replays captured the moment.)
All in all, the telecast was a fairly clean show with only a few minor mistakes.
This telecast was also the most trying and most difficult telecast to direct this season and I do not know why.
Thankfully, I have the weekend off.
I am going to need it.