Add this to the list of television broadcasting gimmicks: “Scuba Cam.”
When the Major League Baseball All-Star festivities begin Monday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN with the Home Run Derby, commentator Kenny Mayne will cover the slugfest at AT&T Park in San Francisco from a kayak. Mayne is expected to join dozens of other kayakers in McCovey Cove, the portion of the San Francisco Bay just beyond the right field section of the stadium where well-struck home runs balls often land.
And with some of the game?s most powerful hitters stepping into the batter?s box, Mayne will be armed with a hand-held camera and a fishing net, which he?ll use to try to pluck balls out of the water.
“I love covering the All-Star Game and this is most unique assignment that I have had since being at ESPN,” Mayne said. “I am not concerned about being in the water, I am from Seattle so I know the water is cold but I will have a wet suit on. I have my net so I hope to catch one or two balls hit into the cove.”
Mayne may be looking forward to this experience, but it may not translate well on television. How many times can a telecast focus on a bunch of people paddling frantically to snare a ball? Doesn?t SportsCenter show that enough during the season?
It?s a gimmick. ESPN believes it has found a niche that augments its coverage. If the event was in Baltimore, Mayne would probably cover the event from Eutaw Street, where a ball that sails over the right field fence creates instant pandemonium.
But ESPN is not alone, as FOX plans to use its version of the “Scuba Cam” when it telecasts Tuesday night?s All-Star game. This time, former Baltimore Oriole and current Arizona Diamondback Eric Byrnes will be stationed in a kayak with a guest … his pet bulldog, Bruin. The mission for Byrnes, the first active player to serve as an All-Star analyst: have Bruin, who can swim, get his paws on a ball.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on www.examiner.com.
