While manager Dusty Baker and Astros players adjust to a new game atmosphere as baseball resumes next month, television and radio broadcasters face changes as well, particularly for road games.
The Astros television crew of play by play announcer Todd Kalas, analyst Geoff Blum and reporter Julia Morales will call home games at Minute Maid Park but will not travel with the team. They will call road games off monitors from the AT&T SportsNet Southwest studios in downtown Houston.
Major League Baseball will allow radio broadcasters to travel with teams, but the Astros say they have not decided if Robert Ford and Steve Sparks will make West Coast road trips. They have been told to prepare for the possibility that they will work off monitors in Houston.
While both crews will be in their familiar locations for home games, MLB’s guidelines will severely restrict field access and face-to-face interviews with players and managers. Camera crews also will face some restrictions.
“We’re figuring things out as we go along,” Kalas said. “Games without fans will be different, and having to call road games off monitors is something that will be new to me.
“I would love to be at the games for so many reasons. Calling games live is better, and the relationships with players is enhanced when you’re on the road with them. We will miss that and having access to the guys.”
Both announce crews say they will miss the energy that a crowded stadium provides, presuming that fans are absent or that attendance is limited. The tradeoff is that listeners will enjoy new audio insights on the game.
“You’ll hear things like the third base coach yelling at the guy on second or guys yelling from the dugout to guys at the plate or in the on deck circle,” Sparks said.
Regarding the possibility of language that might not be suitable for family viewing or listening making air, Sparks added, “I don’t think the players will muzzle themselves. It will be up to the sound people to handle that end of it.”
MLB’s return to play plan specifies that all game telecasts will operate with a single video feed for both team’ regional sports networks. The visiting team network, however, will have access to two cameras at away games for their own use.
“Since the home broadcaster is producing a neutral World Feed, that feed must portray the home and away Clubs equally,” according to the MLB guidelines. “For example, the feed should provide roughly equal time to shots of the home and away dugouts.”
TV rightsholders can have up to 40 people, including announcers, at each game, plus 15 people who work in the production trucks but do not have access to the ballpark. Production personnel must wear masks, but announcers are not required to wear face coverings while on the air.
Field level cameras will be permitted, although plexiglass barriers may be required to separate camera operators adjacent to dugouts from team members. The guidelines also encourage the use of robotic cameras in areas that are near players.
As for interviews and field access, “No broadcast personnel are permitted on the field or areas proximate to Tier 1 Individuals, and broadcast interviews must be conducted remotely,” the guidelines state.
However, MLB has the right to all certain broadcasters field access for “certain, specific games.”
The unusual elements of empty stadiums and games being called off monitors will require some degree of flexibility and imagination.
The visiting team’s TV partner will have access to two cameras in addition to the main feed, which could provide access to the “all nine” and bullpen cameras cited by Kalas as valuable tools for announcers calling games off monitors.
Kalas said he has consulted with Carl Patterson, who produces Astros games for AT&T, about using the network’s road cameras for an overhead “all nine” shot so announcers can track defensive shifts. He also would like a bullpen camera, and Sparks is hoping for a camera trained on the pitcher at all times.
“I’d love to see if they could use that camera that flies above the field in the NFL,” Sparks said. “It would be great to see if they could run something from centerfield to the backstop. It sounds like they want to experiment with some things.”
Kalas said it has yet to be determined if AT&T will use piped-in background noise in ballparks without fans. Announcers generally play off the enthusiasm of crowds to fuel their calls and to determine when to speak and when to be silent, and that will require adjustments as well.
“I sometimes lay out for a pitch or to pitches and let the ambient noise take over, and now that won’t be available,” Kalas said. “I’m going to try not to talk too much, but the gaps (between comments) won’t be as wide.
“You like to ride the moment when the crowd gets into it, so celebrations probably will be more muted. The audio person is going to have a big impact on telecasts. I would think the sound will be more crisp and more pronounced, and there may be things you hear that you would want to avoid. It’s going to be a challenge and a new frontier.”
Morales’ role as field reporter perhaps may be most affected by the limited field access and rules against face-to-face player interviews with players and managers.
“Julia is the best at what she does, but part of her role will be altered, and we’re trying to figure out how to utilize her skills,” Kalas said. “Her being next to the dugout will be missing, but we will find out a way to use her.”
There will be other unknowns. Sparks, for example, is interested to see what players develop to replace the high-five salute, given social distancing requirements.
“I’m just looking forward to the competition of the games,” he said. “Hopefully everybody can stay healthy and we can provide some entertainment and help take everyone’s minds of things for awhile.”
david.barron@chron.com
twitter.com/dfbarron
"will" - Google News
June 27, 2020 at 10:00PM
https://ift.tt/31oirWE
Sounds and pictures of baseball will be different - Houston Chronicle
"will" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2xyU8J2
https://ift.tt/2zfWs7Z
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Sounds and pictures of baseball will be different - Houston Chronicle"
Post a Comment