Customer Reviews

Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television

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A well written book in which the authors discuss the yet still developing and sometimes burgeoning relationship between baseball and television. First discussed is local baseball telecasts of baseball, which were done well before any national coverage of baseball, the national coverage in terms of broadcast and cable channels, and how this "marriage" of baseball and television has been dysfunctional - various announcers are discussed, too. Many nice insights in this book - it gives THE best explanation for the declining attendance figures of the Fifties and the contraction of the minor leagues then that I have read in my lifetime - it was almost like a light bulb went off in my head when i read that section. It's also fun to read about how few camera angles were used in the early telecasts of games, and how surprising it was to read that the centerfield camera shot was discouraged by MLB and not prominent until the later Sixties. A book definitely worth getting - the chapter on the television rights was kinda slow reading (X year contract for X billion dollars, etc) and the chapter references in this book (ie "see Chapter XX" or "discussed in Chapter XX") got a little annoying but all in all, a better book than I expected.

The early days of televised baseball were fairly drab; I recall watching a replay of a 1952 World Series game between the Yankees & Dodgers, and couldn't believe how rudimentary the whole telecast appeared to be. What kept my interest was the historical significance of watching guys like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Gil Hodges & Pee Wee Reese perform. Of course, there was no slow motion instant replay, and the primary camera angle was from behind home plate, from an overly elevated position. It felt like you had a crummy seat, especially since you knew catching a foul ball was impossible.

How times have changed. The gradual introduction of the centerfield camera changed the viewer's perspective of the game, for the better. In fact, with each passing year, the innovations from improved camera angles and technological advances have made the action seem so close, the viewer now has the best seat in the house.

The magic of televised baseball's centerfield shot has made the game a pleasure for the fan to watch, regardless of the outcome. Who could forget the shot of Carlton Fisk after hitting that dramatic game winning home run in the '75 World Series? He used every bit of body English imaginable to will that long shot down the left field line to stay fair; and it did. Classsic.

Any fan of the game will certainly enjoy James R Walker's fascinating look at baseball from the centerfield camera. It's the only way to watch a game, if you can't be there in person.