This past Saturday had more than its share of dramatic moments. Here are the ones worthy of looking back on:
NBC » Washington’s 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in Game 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference semifinals.
Simeon Varlamov’s brilliant stick save of Sidney Crosby’s shot on goal was captured by three perfectly positioned replays. The defining shot coming from the over-goal camera where viewers were able to see the blue area of the goal crease and “Varlie’s” stick sweep the puck away just before it crossed the line. The in-goal camera also was impressive, showing that he was able to switch his body just in time to stop the puck from going in the goal.
NBC’s Mike “Doc” Emrick and Eddie Olcheck were outstanding in breaking down the shot by Crosby and the save by Varlamov. The replay showed “Sid the Kid” about to raise his arms to celebrate the goal before he saw his shot being stopped.
NBC » The Kentucky Derby
David Michaels directed the perfect race — highlighted by a classic call from Tom Durkin — as 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird stormed from back in the pack to capture the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Winning jockey Calvin Borel could not contain his euphoria as he was being interviewed on horseback by on-track reporter Donna Brothers. Michaels let the pictures speak for themselves as Borel and Mine That Bird took what amounted to a victory lap and the viewers could see and hear the joy.
Producer Sam Flood had the perfect replay from the blimp that showed how Borel had stuck to the rail almost the entire race, busting through on the final turn to capture the crown. Tom Hammond and analyst Gary Stevens did an outstanding job explaining how sticking to the rail gave Borel and Mine That Bird the unlikely winning edge.
TNT » Game 7 of the Boston-Chicago NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The teams played seven overtime periods in the previous six games. They changed leads 106 times. Five games were decided by three points or less. It was too much to hope for a classic finale but TNT did a great job covering Boston’s 109-99 win over the Bulls in Game 7.
The line of the night went to Charles Barkley as he summed up Boston’s chances against Orlando in the next round: “Boston has no shot at beating Orlando. Without Kevin Garnett, [the Celtics] struggled against the Bulls. I don’t think they have any chance and Orlando wins it in six.”
FOX » NASCAR Crown Royal 400
The pride of Joe Gibbs Racing (Kyle Busch) battled Tony Stewart to win the Crown Royal 400 in Richmond. The FOX gang always seems to make racing fun and they were at their best as Darrell Waltrip gave the viewers his homespun Andy Griffith-style analysis of what both Busch and Stewart needed to do to win the race. As the laps ticked off he spoke more about Busch’s weekend accomplishments, winning both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races back-to-back.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
