Now, here's the problem.
An in-game interview with ESPN's Quique Hernandez on Sunday gave a preview of what the Los Angeles Dodgers will pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals on the broadcast.
The progress is as follows.
In the top of the third inning, with the Cardinals at bat, ESPN visited Hernandez for an in-game interview with broadcasters Karl Labec, David Cone and Eduardo Perez. Hernandez was playing third base during the interview.
Hernandez's Pitchcom is now available
Hernandez answered questions about his opponent and provided commentary on the game with Cardinals rookie speedster Victor Scott II at the plate. Scott reached first base on an infield hit, resulting in a double play, and Hernandez was alarmed at third base. Hernandez then turned up the volume on the Pitchcom speaker next to his ear. There was a problem.
“The pitch com needs to be higher,” Hernandez said. “You guys can't hear me.”
In this case, “you guys” meant the ESPN broadcaster he was also listening to.
“Can you hear me?”
Hernandez powered up his PitchCom device. Soon, a new voice joined the broadcast. It looked like he was saying, “Fastball, away.”
Hernandez asked, “Can you hear me?”
It's done. Ravetch replied, “I think they said fastball, away.”
Gavin Stone's next pitch was a 95 mph four-seam fastball.
This continued throughout the inning, and a mysterious voice was repeatedly heard announcing “changeup,” “fastball in,” and “fastball away.” Each time, the call matched the incoming pitch.
Meanwhile, Hernandez continued to answer questions about everything from the weather in Los Angeles to whether Rally Banana would return to Dodger Stadium.
None of it was particularly appealing to viewers. But it was clear that pitching was coming. The inning continued without any interruptions in interviews or pitching. The Cardinals had three men on base and scored one run on Paul Goldschmidt's RBI single. The Dodgers won 5-4.
It's unlikely the Cardinals could have taken advantage of this snafu. If the live-action broadcast is delayed, the information becomes useless. nevertheless. This is a problem that needs to be solved and will definitely be solved. If it weren't for the persistence of in-game interviews, from the All-Star Game to the most important games, this wouldn't be an issue in the first place.
It's a step in the evolution of broadcasts from dugout and sideline interviews that have little interest or impact for viewers at home — Sunday's interview with Hernandez was a particular exception.
