Yesterday's telecast was one of the most memorable shows I have ever been involved with. I have been a part of over 2000 Major League baseball telecasts since 1984 and, in that time, I have never experienced a show like the one we had yesterday between the Phillies and the Cardinals.
Three things happened during our telecast that contributed to the uniqueness of this show: 1 – fifteen seconds before we returned from the commercial break to start the bottom of the third inning, the switcher crashed. The ONLY source of video that we were able to send out to the viewers was the tight center field camera (camera 6). The technical director (TD) and I both called for the engineer in charge (EIC) of the truck and alerted him of the problem.
Meanwhile, we are covering a Major League baseball game with one camera! This situation had never happened to me during any sporting event – ever. I instructed the camera operator to follow the ball. “You are game camera, Kenny!”
I asked our play by play announcer to tell our viewers about our “one camera” situation. He alerted the viewers and the first pitch of the inning was thrown.
Wouldn’t you know it - the first batter of the inning hit a home run.
In a normal situation, camera 6 has the responsibility to follow the batter around the bases. But, in this situation, a situation that was new to every member of the crew, camera six did an exceptional job of panning with the ball into the right field bleachers, then panning back towards the infield to watch the home run hitter round the bases and enter the dugout. The next batter singled. Camera six followed the ball and set up for the next pitch by including the runner at first base with the pitcher/batter shot. Remember, with the switcher down, we did not have the luxury of replays. We were on one camera and one camera only. During the following at bat, the EIC informed me that the mini router at my station was operable. So I began cutting cameras trying to follow the action. In this scenario, there are only “takes”, there are no dissolves. This wasn’t pretty, but it was better than one camera.
The next batter popped out for the first out of the inning.
During the next at bat, the EIC informed me that the switcher was nearly operable. The EIC asked, “What camera are you on with the router? I answered, “Four” as the batter struck out. The EIC set the switcher to camera four and we were good to go.
As the late, great Jack Buck once said, “I don’t believe what I just saw.” Well, I didn’t believe what I just saw as no sooner was the switcher up and working, the batter hit a home run! We did our first replay of the inning on the home run. Our lead EVS (replays) producer told me he had a package of the first home run of the inning ready to go and we replayed that as well. The EIC solved the problem in a timely fashion and the lead EVS operator was prepared when we were back to 100%. These two members of our crew should be commended for their great work.
I stated that there were three things that occurred during the telecast that made this show one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable of my career.
The second occurred in the top of the ninth inning. There was a horrific collision at home plate between a Phillies base runner and the Cardinals’ catcher. It was such a violent collision that the catcher lay prone on the plate for about fifteen minutes. Amazingly, he held on to the ball. He was put in a neck brace and carted off the field.
This moment was memorable because of the force of the collision, but collisions at home plate occasionally occur. It was what happened after the collision that caused this telecast to be the most memorable for me.
This was one of those moments during a telecast where the Producer and the Director can take the time to plan the next move. “Do we replay the collision? How many angles do we show? When is the proper time to replay the moment at home plate?
During this time, some of the most memorable shots I have ever had the opportunity to make occurred. While this popular player and team leader was on the ground, the look on the faces of his manager, teammates, fans, and opposing players told the story. The announcers were quiet obviously understanding and feeling the moment. While the video was very telling, it was the audio that created the third most memorable moment.
THERE WAS NO SOUND FROM THE FIELD.
The effects microphones were open and the announcers’ microphones were open.
There was just an eerie silence.
I will never forget that moment.

On a typical baseball telecast the Producer and the Director spend three hours making split second decisions. This aspect of our profession is what makes our jobs so exciting. Sometimes you get it right and capture the moment. Other times, you could have made a better decision and, thus, had a better result. Either way, a Producer and a Director are constantly “learning” during a baseball telecast.
The decision of replays and replay sequences is up to the discretion of the Producer.
The “live” cut of the cameras is up to the discretion of the Director. It is up to the discretion of the Producer/Director team in how to deliver to the viewer what is occurring or has occurred on the field. Most decisions are cut and dried. There is one instance in any sports telecast that causes some deliberation from the Producer/Director team in its decision making process.
How do we cover an instance where an athlete is severely injured?
The game in San Diego last night provided our TV production team with this unique circumstance. What was so amazing is that two severe injuries occurred not once, but twice in the same inning!
The first incident occurred when a batted ball struck the pitcher in the face. Each member of the crew let out a gasp. As play stopped, I took a shot of the pitcher who was sitting up and facing centerfield. The tight centerfield camera showed blood pouring down the pitcher’s face. I got off the shot and decided that it was too graphic of a shot to repeat it. I concentrated on reaction shots from players and fans and concentrated on the player who hit the ball. This player was clearly shaken up by the incident. We decided that the high home angle would be the only angle we would replay. The camera is far enough away from the mound that while showing the ball hitting the pitcher, this angle was not too graphic as to offend viewers. The tight face shots of players, umpires, and fans told the story anyway.
A few moments later, during a collision at home plate, the catcher’s ankle was severely twisted. A responsibility of the high first base camera is to be fairly tight on the home plate when there is a play at the plate. This angle clearly showed the ankle twisting in a horrible position. Indeed, we felt that the ankle was surely broken. The irony of this incident is that it involved the same player whose batted ball had struck the pitcher moments earlier.
I took shots of the catcher writhing on the ground, the medical staff rushing onto the field, and players looking on at the catcher.
During this time, our Producer contemplated not showing the replay because of its graphic nature. After a discussion, we decided to replay the tight angle but only after our play by play announcer warned the viewers that what they were about to see was very graphic.
Thankfully, capturing images such as these does not happen very frequently. But, when they do occur, these instances are examples of the few times in a TV production unit during a game that the TV production team does not have to rely on split second decisions and can make decisions after some discussion.
We should be thankful that our most difficult decisions during a broadcast are the ones where we can think first, discuss, and then decide.

I like everything about San Diego.
I like the weather, the ballpark, the fish tacos, and the TV crew.
Last night’s game provided our telecast with some of the best moments of the season. There were two mammoth homeruns that the camera operators captured with shots that included reactions from “amazed” teammates on the bench.
The replay sequence of the first home run was great. Our viewers saw the location of the pitch, the concentration from the batter, the flight of the ball, and the icing on the cake – the reaction of the teammates.
The hard work of the camera operators is always greatly appreciated here in San Diego. It is just too bad that we were televising out of a SD truck instead of a HD truck. The EIC of this truck is great to work with. This person deserves a better truck than the “relic” he is in charge of.
I look forward to tonight’s telecast.
The weather will be perfect.
The ballpark will provide some great shots for our crew.
The fish tacos will be delicious.
The local TV crew will be a pleasure (as always) to work with.
The only thing missing from a total pleasurable TV experience is the lack of a high definition signal.
Oh well, I am over it.
After all, this is San Diego.

Sometimes in the TV baseball business the game is good and the production is bad, or sometimes the game is bad and the production is good. The worst case scenario is when the game AND the production are both bad. That leaves the best case scenario which is when both the game and the production are good.
The past two nights here in Denver have followed the best case scenario.
Both games were memorable contests that featured some remarkable athletics feats from some of the players.
Both telecasts were memorable because of some creative, hard working crew members who captured some of the best TV “moments” of the season.
Even though we were in the back end of a dual feed, our telecasts were about as good as they could be because of the total team effort of our crew. In the game “wrap up”, our analyst described the Cardinals’ win as a total team effort with many of the Cardinals players contributing to the victory.
This comment could also describe our telecast.
The camera operators were fantastic. They continually covered the action with crisp shots both during play and during commercial breaks. It is a tremendous feeling to be part of such a hard working and aggressive camera crew. Being in the back end of a dual feed, our production only has three cameras, but this crew made it seem like we had our full complement of eight cameras.
The audio mix was superb as well.
During both telecasts, our graphics Producer continually called up pertinent information that both informed and entertained the audience.
Our lead “tape” Producer edited concise sequences of the action and produced some entertaining video pieces.
Memorable moments of the two games included the winning run scoring from second base on a routine ground ball to the second baseman in the top of the ninth inning of the first game. The second game included TWO plays where the centerfielder threw out base runners at third base. Both of the throws were from a great distance and, as our commentators debated on the air, these throws could be considered two of the greatest throws of all time.
We were fortunate in our telecast to capture these electric moments with concise “live” shots from the great camera crew and with excellent replays that elevated the quality of the play and the production.
Our camera crew also captured moments before and during the game that could not be seen from the fans at the ballpark. One notable example that our lead “tape” Producer noticed occurred in the bullpen while the Cardinals’ starting pitcher was warming up before the game. The Cardinals’ pitching coach noticed that the pitcher was “opening up”
his front shoulder too quickly during his delivery. The pitching coach motioned with his shoulder to the starting pitcher and, after the pitcher threw another warm up pitch, one could read the pitching coaches lips saying “much better”.
When this pitcher took the mound in the bottom of the first inning, our Producer had the tape room cue up this video from the bull pen. Not only did we air this piece then, but we revisited it later in the game when the starting pitcher was pitching brilliantly. Tonight, we are going to revisit this moment again when we get a sound bite from the pitching coach concerning this moment from the bull pen.
The two victories for the Cardinals were, indeed, two total team efforts.
The two successful and entertaining telecasts from our production crew were total team efforts as well.

The quality of our production yesterday rated mediocre to bad. There is a simple explanation for this evaluation – I was horrible.
I could never get into a flow and establish a rhythm. I tried slowing down the cut and I tried aggressively cutting.
I do not remember one time during the game/telecast where I knew where I was going to be in five cuts.
My timing of lower third batter fonts (graphics) never seemed to work. The graphic was either in too long or not long enough.
Many times I found myself going to the centerfield camera (camera 4) for the pitch way too early and there were a couple of instances where I went to camera 4 way too late.
I found myself being “all tied up” and therefore I had to waste shots just to get back to where I could (maybe) get a rhythm going.
I felt like a rookie and I made rookie mistakes.
I struggled during most of the game/telecast, yet I never gave up trying to get a flow going.
I noticed something during my struggle with the telecast yesterday that I have rarely noticed before. As the show/telecast went on, my struggle affected other members of our production team. There were mistakes made that we do not usually see on our show. The camera operators were affected as well. Shots usually taken were not there and some of the camera operators stopped being aggressive. I think these fine technicians were trying in their own way to help me with the struggles I was having.
Mistakes are made in every TV sports production.
It is the goal of every TV sports production team to capture the best shots, show the best replays, mix the best audio, and air the best graphic. Those moments are special to every telecast. This profession is so great because each and every time we go to work, we learn.
Yesterday, I saw and learned how much my struggles affected other members of our production team.
I can only hope that during tomorrow’s game/telecast my work in the TV truck will be of the quality that will elevate the quality of work from the rest of our production team.I brought them all down yesterday, tomorrow I hope to make them better.

Today’s telecast was the best show of the year.
An important goal of our production team is to televise an incident on the field that the fans in attendance do not, will not, or cannot see. In fact, two of our camera operators – camera 1 (left field corner) and camera 8 (super slo-mo camera @ mid first base) have no specific camera responsibilities. Their main responsibility is to “show the viewer something he/she has never seen before”.
Today’s telecast included some moments that I have rarely seen during a major league baseball game.
We followed the umpires from their umpire’s room, through the bowels of Busch Stadium, onto the field. Our camera operator stayed at the home plate position and captured the exchange of line-up cards between the two teams. We would like to thank the umpiring crew for allowing us to capture this rare footage. When I asked for the umpire crew’s permission, they were more than happy to accommodate us.
During batting practice for the three games of this series, we captured and saved shots of Cardinals players working on fundamentals. Some of this footage included the starting catcher taking ground balls at third base, shortstop, and first base. There was also a shot of a rookie outfielder taking fly balls over his head to the wall, catching the ball, and throwing it to second base. This may seem to be pretty common footage, but the announce team in the booth really played up the fact that practice is very important to a major league ballplayer. The combination of commentary and video, in this instance, was extraordinary.
With a shutter in our tight centerfield camera (camera 6), we captured yet another example of something on the field that fans in the ballpark did not see.
We took two different pitches from the Houston Astros pitcher and froze each shot at the release point of the ball out of the pitcher’s hand. One shot showed a 2-seam grip and the other shot showed a 4-seam grip. The color analyst described each grip and explained the movement of the ball for each grip. Excellent use of the video with the “freeze” shot coupled with expert analysis made for a very rewarding moment on the telecast.
There was a bench clearing incident during the game.
There is nothing new about a bench clearing incident in a baseball game. We have all seen them and rarely are there punches thrown. Just like in today’s game, there were a few shoves and a few words but that was about it.
Where our broadcast team excelled in this “incident” was the fact that we were prepared for it. There was some bad blood brewing between these two clubs dating from the second week of the season and from yesterday’s game. The camera operators on our production team were right on during the fracas. We captured straight on face shots of the primary combatants of the incident during the incident – shots that captured the moment as good as possible. But the best was yet to come. The tight centerfield operator (camera 6) and the left field corner camera operator (camera 1) both stayed with the Astros’ pitcher in the dugout after the inning was over. He was very upset and kept yapping and yapping. We found out at the start of the following half inning that he was being replaced by a reliever. Because of the diligence of these camera operators, the viewers at home saw a moment during the game that the people present in the ball park did not see.
Capturing rare moments during a baseball game/telecast occur with good planning, hard work, and sometimes with a little luck.
We planned the umpire’s shot, our camera operators do not stop working between innings, our announce team’s comments on the importance of practice for major league baseball players really put a ribbon on our video package of these players working on fundamentals.
When a baseball TV production team plans ahead and works hard, it just proves you don’t have to be lucky to be good.

We just took off from Pittsburgh after a 2-city, 4-game road trip.
No more ground hog day from a game standpoint, but, being in the back end of a dual feed creates its own “groundhog day” effect.
The past four games were all different and all four telecasts had challenges. The first two games of the trip were in Milwaukee and the final two contests were in Pittsburgh. The dual feed crews in each town are a pleasure to work with. The Producer and the Director in each of these towns are very aware of the needs of the visiting TV crew and practically go out of their way to make our broadcast experience as painless as possible.
The four games of this trip were all different, yet, in the back end of the dual feed, each game telecast has the same feel. The limitations on the TV crew in the back end of a dual feed create an atmosphere of frustration because of these limitations.
Each game/telecast wore me out because I was very frustrated during the shows that our broadcast team, because of the dual feed, could not present the game to our viewers as crisply and succinctly, and with the quality that we expect. While I do understand the fiscal reasons for dual feeds, my pride is affected when I am part of a telecast that cannot be produced in the highest quality fashion.
The Cardinals split the four games of this road trip. Our presentation of these games could have and would have been more valuable to our viewers if our TV production crew did not have to rely on the “primary” feed for shots during the highest “impact” moments of each game.
The back end of a dual feed relies on the primary feed (home telecast) for coverage when the ball is in play. The home feed has a full complement of equipment and, therefore, is able to provide coverage of game action with better angles than the visiting dual feed which has three cameras. I was told that the reason for dual feeds is that all “ALL GAME ACTION IS CUT THE SAME BY EVERY DIRECTOR”. Obviously, this decision was made by a person who has never directed a baseball game. In fact, this mind set is a slap in the face to All TV baseball Directors.
Yes it is true that a baseball game can be presented in a dual feed situation where the visitors control three cameras and rely on the home telecast crew which controls 8, 9, or 10 cameras.
However, it is also true that in order for the highest quality TV baseball production, each broadcast entity MUST have complete control over their “product” or that product will suffer.
Quality or cost – take your pick.