Leaving LA.....

As we depart from Tinseltown, who knows when this hearty rivalry will be seen again - but we do leave having visited one of the oldest, most historic ballparks in the country. The interesting part with it being nestled in the side of a mountain is that we enter on the 9th floor, our trucks are located on the 7th floor, and of course the game is played on the 1st floor.... It really gives you that view looking down into the stadium when you look from our vantage point. The booth with the announcers is located on the 5th floor, giving them a prime spot behind home plate.

One of the difficulties of playing this past weekend was the fact that the temperature was so hot --- and dry... The temperatures on the field were over 100. Uncomfortable for the players true - but the camera operators hung in there as the heat rose - especially on our day game Sunday. Kudos to them for hanging in there!

And a quick note from this corner in that we lost one of our camera friends in the last month.....I would just say that Chris Jones was not only a terrific camera operator but a great guy to have on the crew. He was a true professional and will be missed by his friends in California and colleagues around the country.

It is a picturesque park nestled in a ravine...and the Tribe took 2 out of 3 there! It was a good visit....

Dodgertown.....

The Dodgers moved out this way in 1957....but there were many circumstances regarding their departure....



I have strung a few web pages together here that illustrate the move and even some of the money involved...It was a sad day for the folks in Brooklyn as their beloved Dodgers became the storied franchise of the West. The history of their move is a modern day tale of business, ownership, and the fans who grow up to love their teams. If you are into history - baseball history - this is a very interesting story - and one that has many sides.



Here are some of the sites....



Letter from Walter O'Malley and picture of the ballpark....



The Dodgers leave Brooklyn.......



Was Los Angeles the real destination?



New York Magazine weighs in....



A video history of their departure - outstanding documentary - "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush".

Heading for the Hills....Beverly Hills That Is.....

We are finishing our series with Colorado and will be tripping westward to the land of beaches, mountains, and freeways! Starting tomorrow, we have a weekend full of baseball from Los Angeles before heading home to tangle with the San Francisco Giants and our downstate rivals from the Queen City, the Cincinnati Reds.

But before we totally depart from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Coors Field, I have put together some scenes of the city and the ballpark itself....it is a beautiful area!

And as for the people...our folks at Progressive Field are always friendly, courteous, and good-humored with our work around the ballfield. But for all the cities that we visit, this park has made us feel the closest to being at home - and that says a lot!

It was great visiting here as part of interleague play and a highlight for sure of our summer on the road.......

Rocky Mountain High......

We have spent the last couple of days here in the Mile High City enjoying some nice summer type weather and some great views. There is nothing like the Rocky Mountain landscape that looms off the West and provides a backdrop for this western city.

There were times way back when we would travel to Kansas City and see a slew of Colorado license plates in the parking lot. Asking our local friends what that was about, lead me to really understand that after KC, there was no pro baseball franchise available until you hit the West coast. That answered that....

So now baseball is flourishing here with the Rockies coming off a banner year as National League Champions. Their progress is a little slow here in the first few months of the regular season, but it is a long season and there is plenty of time left in the 2008 campaign.

I will have some pics of Coors field coming here, but for now I would leave you with a view from the 18th floor here in downtown Denver. It is not hard to understand why the outdoors have brought a lot of folks out this way to enjoy the natural resources that this part of Colorado can provide!

Off The Road For A Week......

We survived the longest road trip of the season and made it back to ye olde homestead. The travel can be a bit of a pain, but we move right along with the team which makes our travel so much easier - even for some of the equipment we must carry!

So it is time to catch up once the week starts......making sure the house is still there, and avoiding the dog so he doesn't bite thinking I am an intruder! But it is always great to be back home and work until we must travel again.

There is nothing wrong with seeing the summer bring along the flora and fauna of the season either. It is a great time to sit out on the deck and enjoy - well, just nature itself...and not listen to the hustle and bustle that usually accompanies ----- any workload. For that, I leave you with some nice relaxing shots of the yard, and hopefully a little bit o' peace in your week!

End Of The Trip ---- Tigertown, USA

Here we are at the end of the 11 day road trip finishing up in Detroit against our central rivals. We started over a week ago in KC, blew through the winds of Dallas, and have run into the humidity here in Motown.

The last day here puts in the national spotlight with ESPN, FOX Detroit, and STO all televising. As seen before it can make for a crowded area but everyone gets along and there is a great deal of camaraderie.

Here are some pics of the setup here in town - and then it is back to Cleveland..... Hope the dog remembers who I am!

Proximity........

For our purposes, being close to a ballpark or arena or stadium means nice tight cable runs and a short cable to power for the remote unit. With most ballparks we travel to over the summer, we are pretty close to each of the buildings - except for Texas. Here we are actually located across a 4 lane road and tied into a docking area that is not that close to the actual park itself nor the press box. I am told that it is approximately 1/4 of a mile to travel to the press area here in Arlington.

With these structures, the cable runs can turn into a very expensive proposition. The cable runs here are longer than most and certainly added to the cost of the venue. You can tell by its size on television that not only the ballpark, but the complex itself is located on a large piece of land. On this site, you can also check out virtual seating in the park.) There are corporate offices located off of centerfield. At one time, they also produced their home television shows out of the building - that is always an expensive proposition. The equipment is used for 70-some games and then you have to find uses for it in the winter after investing in the gear to make those shows happen!

After our stint here, we continue up the road (slightly) to Comerica Park - another facility where we are across the road from the park. Once again, city space and building design meant parking the large TV trucks in a lot across the road. Neither represent a real hardship to our production, it is just another facet of how the show actually makes it to air.

Here are some pics of our area and proximity to the ballpark here in Arlington.......

Deep in the Heart of Texas....

As our longest road trip of the year moves forward, we head south for a set of 4 games here in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. If you look at the schedule, you really do not see a lot of day games as you would expect the weather from June through September can be rather warm. We are looking for some home run activity here.with a more lively ball in the heat!

So to accommodate the TV remote units, there is a roof that covers our parking area to keep some of that day sun off the trucks. I only point that out because there was a time when the roof did not exist. As you may imagine, the heat factor inside the units in the past has caused many an air conditioner to break down, which then caused plenty of issues inside the truck with all the equipment located inside.

At the stadium here, we are located right next to a major garbage bin for the entire complex. Let's see..... combined with warm air, it can be downright aromatic here at times! We seem to end up in spots like this on many occasions - but then again, where can these stadiums afford the space for us to put our rather large and bulky remote units?

Here are a few shots of where we are --- parked across the road from the park....not next to? Stay tuned.....