This week – our Chicago DP, EJ Watson, is back in Cleveland with the Player’s Alliance to honor one of the greatest big league pitchers this game has ever seen, CC Sabathia.
“We not only got a chance to see him get honored as a Guardians hall of famer, we got to see him interact with the future baseball stars of Cleveland at his PitCCh-In youth camp. There was plenty of action to grab handheld with the FX9 at the youth camp. Kids playing catch, doing drills, playing fun games, we got it all. They also had what was called the “Level Up Lab” in which the kids went and got fitted for gloves , bats, and could even play video games. All of that was done with the help of current players from the Lake Erie Crushers Minor League Baseball team. We couldn’t leave, however, without getting a few words OTF style from coaches, players, and the of course hall of famer himself, CC Sabathia.
The only thing cooler than getting to talk to a hall of fame pitcher, is to watch him be honored in front of a sold out crowd at Progressive Field. I was right at home plate getting wides, mediums, and tights of his speech, crowd reactions, and interactions with family and former teammates. As exciting as that moment was, it was even more exciting for the kids from the previous day’s youth camp. The kids, parents, and coaches were given free tickets to come watch the hall of famer be honored while enjoying some good baseball. How do I know they were having a good time? Because they told us on camera! With the FX9 and a stick mic, I was able to get more OTFs with the chaperones AND the kids.
We got some great on field action from the game as well. Even though the Guardians ended up taking the L to the Baltimore Orioles, they had a post-game fireworks show that was big enough to make you think they won the World Series. Thanks to the dual base ISO on the FX9, I was able to crank that gain up pretty high without the footage looking noisy. Therefore, we were able to get some great shots of the fireworks, crowd reactions, and kids playing during the show.
I love this job because there are so many instances where you end up in some pretty incredible situations. From being able to meet a hall of famer to filming b-roll of a baseball game practically from the dugout, this was one of the coolest days I’ve ever had in a Go To Team Uniform.”
