Baseball gets dinged a lot…too slow, too quaint, caters to an older generation etc. etc.
The truth is baseball is doing just fine, and while there are always going to be issues in a game without a clock that tells you when things end, the human drama of the sport is why millions turn out.
There are also the changes that have come to baseball under Commissioner Rob Manfred, and while rules adjustments are always so key for the bigger picture, the access that the sport has worked on to get fans inside the game…in real time…is still a marvel.
We had one of those never seen moments during Game Five of the World Series which really exemplified how far MLB has come, and how high they set the bar for access.
With the New York Yankees leading the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the third inning of Wednesday’s Game 5, Fox’s Tom Verducci conducted a live interview with Yankees manager Aaron Boone from the dugout.
Verducci was asking Boone about Aaron Judge’s big home run earlier in the game … when they were suddenly interrupted by another monster dinger.
A real time dramatic response from the man leading the action on the field, perhaps never seen before. Quite amazing.
Now coaching access is not new…we see it during breaks in most sports these days. Usually, its pretty simple…coach what about this and that…and some provide insight, while many check the box. Still its an interesting slice of thought that we rarely saw years ago. However, because of the flow of baseball, and the large gaps of time, FOX and MLB give us the real time ability to capture moments while the game is in play that you can’t get probably in ANY other sport. Nick Nurse is not talking to a sideline reporter while he is calling a play, Andy Reid isn’t having to answer questions as a kickoff is going on etc. etc. We get great recorded sounds from the moments…but live? That’s a tough ask.
Baseball’s managers are not spur of the moment guys. The game is playing out in front of them with perhaps, the least amount of second by second interaction on the field. You also have the trust of ace storytellers like Verducci and Ken Rosenthal and their production teams that know when and where to enter the sanctum of the dugout. Reading the room is so key, as you can’t damage the credibility of the game or be a pointed distraction.
But if you time it right, have the trust, and enter into a moment, you capture magic.
Even though the game didn’t go the Bombers way, that moment, feeling what it was like in real time as Aaron Boone saw his star hit a homer, was an amazing slice of the game that is rare air, and very welcomed.
Kudos FOX, MLB and those on the field for letting us in. It was fun to watch and witness in a powerful moment during the broadcast.
