MetfanBren
Mets & U2...
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Posts: 721
(6/3/03 4:59 am)
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 OOPS! YES! Misses Soriano Game-Winner!
***Now now fans. There's always those 20 or so "free," games on CBS. Or at least I think there are, aren't there? People think they can bitch and moan because three million fans missed 140 games last year, and now they want to see the entire game live? Sheesh, Yankee fans are merciless! Though I'm sure Robin appreciated the imrpomptu "Ode to whacky catches," highlight film.***
www.nydailynews.com/sport...0997c.html
YES merits rip for missing blast
Bob Raissman
Alfonso Soriano hits homer while YES is showing replay.
On Sunday, did you see YES' 17th-inning live shot of Alfonso Soriano's bat connecting with Steve Sparks' pitch, launching what turned out to be a home run to center that gave the Yankees a 9-8 lead over Detroit?
No?
Well, neither did anyone else. YES' crew botched this one badly, getting caught in a replay of - get this - an April 25 catch by Robin Ventura, who snatched a foul fly off the bat of Juan Gonzalez while standing on the rolled up tarpaulin in Texas before falling into the stands.
You had to "see" this one (not the replay of Ventura's April catch) to believe it. Ventura had ended the 16th by leaning over the railing, just past third base, to catch a foul pop off the bat of Tigers second baseman Ramon Santiago. YES replayed that catch twice before going to commercial break.
Coming out of commercial, YES replayed Ventura's April 25 Texas catch twice. As Ventura was seen falling into the stands into a woman's lap, Ken Singleton said: "Watch the lady. She gets to know Robin personally."
Then, the next thing viewers saw was a shot of Detroit's Alex Sanchez racing toward the center-field fence as play-by-play man Michael Kay said: "Soriano hits one deep to center ... way back is Sanchez ... leaping ... that ball is gone!"
After investing an entire afternoon watching this game, it was frustrating to miss the entire Soriano HR sequence live. And what did viewers miss it for? Pure icing, a gratuitous replay of an unusual April catch by Ventura in foul territory.
Was this necessary, especially considering the importance of every at-bat in a marathon extra-inning affair? Was it necessary to show us Ventura's skills when it comes to catching foul pops? In the context of what was happening - live - on the field it was meaningless.
YES did replay Soriano connecting with Sparks' pitch. Too little too late. Isn't the mission of the producers and directors of a sports telecast to show every bit of live action?
While the YES crew bungled the play, by no means is it alone when it comes to depriving viewers of live action from beginning to end.
With all the graphics and in-game promo logos cluttering the screen, with all the unnecessary replays and late returns from commercial, viewers have to deal with numerous distractions.
Live action? It has gone the way of the black-and-white TV.
Missing the story
In his Sunday column, which dealt with the verbal sniping between George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, and Don Zimmer, Newsday scribe Jon Heyman wrote: The Boss' claim that he's backing Torre "wouldn't ring true even if we hadn't heard that Steinbrenner got word to the YES Network that its announcers should be targeting Torre more."
Yesterday, on his ESPN-1050 show, Kay, the TV voice of the Yankees on YES, interviewed Heyman, who makes frequent appearances on the program.
Kay never asked the writer about his contention that Steinbrenner told YES voices to put a bulls-eye on Torre.
After the show, Kay, through ESPN-1050 executive producer Rob Astorino, told me he had not read Heyman's column. And if he did know about its contents he would have brought it up during the interview.
Okay. Now that Kay does know about the column perhaps he should address it on a future show. Or discuss it directly with Heyman on the air.
***Wasn't Kay the one who started all of the Sanchez, "haircut-gate nonsense, based solely on a "Close friend," of Mike Stanton? Without ever confirming the story with Stanton himself? I see Pullitzer in this man's future!***
Some more classic Yankee commentary from Lupica's Shooting From The Lip, Sunday:
By the way, I think Contreras might have gotten his birth certificate at the same place Danny Almonte got his.
There is way too much cheerleading on Yankee broadcasts, both radio and television.
There are too many nights when they all act as if Big Brother - Steinbrenner - is monitoring every single word they all say.
***Well, at least the Braves got rid of their pom-pom squad. In favor of a newer, younger, one.***
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"I love New York,I did a lot of things with the Hispanic community. You can help people emotionally and spiritually, not just economically. I was involved back there, and it hurt a lot when the Mets didn't bring me back." ~Fonzie |
at aziza. . . i thought you were over robin?? 
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