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Game 4 NLCS: Braves 8, Padres 3

Fox Gives Wrong Pitch
During Game's Key At-Bat

Fox caught talkin' blimp instead of baseball as Galarraga smacks game-deciding grand slam.

By George Stahl

Looks like Atlanta finally is ready to play playoff baseball in its National League Championship Series against San Diego. It’s a shame Fox isn’t giving viewers playoff coverage.

At least it didn’t in Game Four, which Atlanta won 8-3.

Fox pulled a Knoblauch at the game’s biggest moment - the grand slam by Braves first baseman Andres Galarraga. Fox did not prepare viewers for the game-turning (series-turning?) at-bat because it was too busy promoting the Goodyear blimp.

Oh the humanity!

Here’s what happened. After the Braves’ Chipper Jones walked to load the bases, San Diego changed pitchers and Fox went to a commercial break. Coming out of the break, Fox focused on the blimp while play-by-play announcer Joe Buck read an ad for it. Fox nearly missed the first pitch to Galarraga as Buck finished his spiel.

After the first pitch to Galarraga, Fox had to catch up to the situation and quickly gave the statistics of the Padres’ new pitcher, Dan Miceli. The next pitch Galarraga hit out before analysts Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly could preview Galarraga’s at-bat. How should Miceli pitch him? Is Miceli the right pitcher to bring in? What pitches should Galarraga be looking for?

McCarver and Brenly never had time to explore those issues because Fox came out of the commercial talkin’ blimp and not baseball.

Now, I know that you can’t predict the future (have you seen my record in Saturday Selections?), but this was clearly the most important at-bat of the game going into the commercial break. Think about it. Bases loaded. Two outs. Seventh inning of a one-run game. And the Braves best hitter, who has been in a slump all series, is batting.

How can you be more concerned about squeezing in an ad for the blimp at that point?

It’s as unconscionable as Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, in Game Two of the American League Championship Series, arguing an umpire’s call and allowing the Indians to score while the live ball rolls away.

By the way, Fox did another ad for the blimp in the bottom of the eighth. But by that point, it didn’t matter. Galarraga and Fox already had done the damage.

Give us a break with the commercials: The blimp boo-boo wasn’t the only time Fox didn’t let the game get in the way of a good commercial. Fox nearly missed the first pitches in the top of the fourth and seventh innings because of commercials.

Good shot: Fox had two camera angles that showed a first inning catch by Braves leftfielder Michael Tucker deep in the rightfield corner of Qualcomm Stadium. The catch, made behind stands that jut out into foul territory, would be hidden from view using conventional baseball camera angles.

Interesting points: 1. After Padres starting pitcher Joey Hamilton surrendered a home run to lead off the seventh inning, McCarver said Hamilton may have taken himself mentally out of the game in the bottom of the sixth, when a pinch hitter for him was on the on-deck circle. However, the eighth-place hitter, Chris Gomez, grounded out to end the inning before the pinch hitter got his turn.
2. McCarver said the biggest difference between batting in the majors and the minors is getting breaking balls instead of fastballs when the count is 2-0.
3. McCarver suggested in the eighth inning that the Braves took relief pitcher John Rocker, who was pitching well, out of the game because they wanted to rest him in case they needed him tomorrow in a closer game.
4. At the beginning of the game, when batters had to deal with shadows and the sun, McCarver said it is easier to see sliders and low pitches at that point rather than high fastballs.
5. McCarver said Padres leftfielder Ruben Rivera had to dive for a bloop fly ball hit by Braves pitcher Denny Neagle because he was playing the pitcher too deep.

After looking at all those interesting points, all contributed by McCarver, did Brenly even do the game? I don't think Brenly made one insightful comment the whole game.

As for Buck, he was all right, except he seemed surprised by Jim Leyritz’s home run, which barely cleared the fence. It certainly wasn’t one of Buck’s best home run calls. Other than that, he was fine.

Say what?: After a questionable called second strike to weak-hitting Padres shortstop Gomez, McCarver said the Padres wouldn’t mind a called strike because Carlos Hernandez will now be running on the 3-2 pitch. The next pitch to the eighth-place hitter was a called third strike, leaving the pitcher to lead off the next inning. Yeah, Tim, I’m sure the Padres were happy about that called second strike...

What I meant to say was...: McCarver corrected himself from statements made during Game Three’s telecast, in which he said no major sports team had come back from 3-0 series deficit. Two hockey teams, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders, did.

Up close and personal: Fox has started an annoying trend of showing too many close-ups of people in the dugout in between pitches. The network tries to build drama by showing the facial expressions of person after person. But the shots are too quick and too dull. Everybody’s facial expression is the same for the most part, and most viewers aren’t familiar enough with the two teams to recognize the faces of most players. Fox took this trend to a new extreme by showing an extreme close-up of Padres manager Bruce Bochy’s eye late in the game. Whatever happened to just showing the pitcher, batter and catcher?

Grade: Fox gets an E for its error in handling the Galarraga at-bat.

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