Pinpoint Planning, 'Constant' Ad Libbing Blend at Fledgling MLB Network

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Just before MLB Tonight goes off the air at midnight ET on Sept. 9, Al Leiter and Dave Valle demonstrate how not to bunt.

Earlier, the Giants had lost to the Padres in part because pinch hitter Kevin Frandsen failed to get down a sacrifice. So for a "Diamond Demo," Leiter and Valle move over to Studio 42 (named for Jackie Robinson) where a mock field is set up for analysts to demonstrate facets of the game.

About five hours before Leiter and Valle broke down Frandsen's mistakes, they took part in a production meeting. A producer asked Leiter, "Do you want to do a 'Diamond Demo?'"

"I don't know," Leiter said, "let's come up with something."

And that's MLB Tonight -- a blend of the scripted and the unplanned; thought-out dissections and off-the-cuff reactions.

The signature show of the MLB Network, Major League Baseball's first-year venture into cable television, it consists of a deep lineup of ex-players, hosts and journalists blending analysis, highlights and live cut-ins.

And FanHouse went behind the scenes for a night to see how it all happened.

'Constant Ad Lib'

Greg Amsinger's office, in the sprawling building that once housed MSNBC, is overflowing with baseball cards, bobblehead dolls, books on the sport -- and Amsinger's enthusiasm for the MLB Network.

When Tony Petitti came from CBS College Sports to run MLB Network, he brought along Amsinger, a tall, energetic 30-year-old known for showing up at the studio already wearing his suit.

At CBS College Sports, Amsigner, pictured right, would host the network's in-depth shows that supplemented parent CBS' coverage of the NCAA Tournament.

"This," he said of his work at the MLB Network, "is like the NCAA Tournament every night."

He means an hour of lead-in coverage and then five or six hours of reacting to what happens in the games.

"From 6 (PM) to 7, we're like everyone else," he said. After that, it's "constant ad lib."

In fact a great deal of planning goes into the first hour of MLB Tonight. Coverage of day games, previews of the night games and discussion of baseball's hot topics can be scripted and combined with highlights and graphics.

The first production meeting on Sept. 9 took place at 12:30 PM, and the first talent meeting at 3, with producer Rich Ciancimino and coordinating producer Dave Patterson going over the "blocks" in the 6-7 hour. One talking point is lefty setup men, and former Indians and Rangers GM John Hart and former lefty reliever Dan Plesac immediately set into talking baseball. The sometimes off-color discussions include Plesac's raving over Rockies reliever Franklin Morales and a discussion between him and Hart on the pros and cons of Texas' C.J. Wilson.

Amsinger and FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal are also there, along with the crew members responsible for statistics, graphics and other elements of the broadcast.

They work out how to discuss teams' magic numbers and display them graphically. Hart suggests also showing contenders' remaining schedules. There's a discussion of what's wrong with Phillies closer Brad Lidge, with Hart and Plesac giving their takes and Rosenthal contributing what he's heard from scouts.

Amsinger decides he wants to "give some love" to Houston's Wandy Rodriguez, who is starting that night. MLB Network makes sure to cover all 30 teams no matter their place in the standings, so even though the Astros are a non-factor and might not be discussed many places on Sept. 9, Rodriguez's fine season is definitely appropriate fodder.

MLB Network's goal, as stated by Petitti and echoed by senior VP of production John Entz, is to be the baseball fan's "second choice." As in second after watching his favorite team on local TV or cable.

"Even though you're watching one screen," Entz said, "we're trying to make it feel like you're watching all the games."

On a given night, MLB Tonight might have as many as 120 "updates" -- highlights of key action that just happened a couple of minutes earlier.

Chemistry and Calm Before Storm

The 3 PM meeting wraps up after about 40 minutes, after the plan for 6-7 is tweaked and various tangents are explored. The "talent" can go off to any of 26 editing rooms to pick highlights and assemble them for their segments.

At 5 PM, Plesac -- in an MLB Network workout outfit -- goes to Studio 42 to tape a demonstration of Morales' mechanics.

Plesac and Hart have excellent chemistry, which began to develop when the were on air together during spring training.

Part of Entz's job is to schedule the on-air talent, and besides accommodating everyone's other commitments, he tries to keep together certain pairings that work well -- some of which were discovered through trial and error.

"We want to make sure the talent stays fresh and engaged," Entz said.

One group works 6-8 PM, another 8-10 and another from 10-12 or 10-1 AM.

Just before 6 PM on this night, a highlight film of the 2006 World Series is wrapping up. The control room is closely watching the late innings of the Padres-Giants day game to see if its worth an immediate "look-in."

MLB Network can pick up coverage from any live broadcast, and it tries to limit each look-in to a plate appearance or two, no more than about four minutes.

There's also an unofficial rule: No more than three live look-ins at any game. It's part of the effort to balance coverage, and the control room tracks the look-ins. Petitti calls it "self-policing." A common question in the control room: "How many do we have left there?"

The show opens with Amsinger, Plesac, Hart and Rosenthal at the main desk in Studio 3 (named for Babe Ruth). Studio 3 actually has about six or seven different sets so the look can vary throughout the night.

First up: Amsinger's voice over live shots of batting practice via "ballpark cams" at Minute Maid Park, U.S. Cellular Field, Angel Stadium and Chase Field. Then highlights of the Texas-Cleveland day game.

Meanwhile, San Francisco gets two on with none out while trailing San Diego 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth. After a Padres pitching change, the show is ready to go to CSN Bay Area for live action.

Just in time for Frandsen's popped-up bunt.

As a timer keeps track of the length of the look-in, the audio goes back and forth between the CSN Bay Area commentary and analysis from the MLB Tonight crew.

At 6:12, Hart brings up a point that he made in the production meeting -- that the Rangers might have a better chance at catching the Angels in the division race than the Red Sox in the wild-card race.

At the first commercial break, Ciancimino briefs Amsinger (via headset) on what's coming up in the next block.

Let the Games Begin

In the production room a bank of 11 monitors overhead -- right where the producer can see as he stands in the second row -- shows all the games. But Marc Caiafa, who some nights serves as coordinating producer, is handling most of the scoreboard watching, as he is responsible for "integration" this night. On two large hi-def screens in front of his seat he can keep track of all the current games and the MLB Network ballpark cams.

"This (MLB Tonight) is like the NCAA Tournament every night."
-- MLB Network host Greg Amsinger While Amsinger narrates highlights from a couple more day games and the crew heads to Studio 42 for standings update -- with the magic-number graphics discussed in the talent meeting -- the behind-the-scenes crew is deciding that if the Giants get the tying run to the plate, or if they're within two outs of losing, then it's time for another look-in. San Francisco does indeed get a man on base, and as soon as Plesac wraps up a point on the Yankees, it's back to CSN Bay Area.

Juan Uribe strikes out for the second out of the inning but questions whether he actually tipped the ball. MLB Network sticks with the look-in long enough to see he didn't. After 4 1/2 minutes, it's time for a commercial. The Padres-Giants game ends during the ad, so the final out is shown as an update when the show returns.

Meanwhile, at the Coors Field ballpark cam, Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports Net Rocky Mountain is ready for a live interview about the Rockies.

MLB Network has a pair of ballpark cams operational in 11 parks -- one in center field and one by a dugout. They can all be operated by a pair of joysticks in Secaucus.

"It's a pretty cool tool," Entz said.

The goal is to have ballpark cams working in all 30 parks by sometime next year. All MLB Network has to do is hire a technician to stand by and hand an interview subject a headset.

Hazel Mae's interview of Ringolsby segues to the discussion of Morales and the other lefty setup men. Then the tape of Plesac's "Diamond Demo."

As 7 PM -- and the start of five games -- approaches, there's another standings update. And Joe Magrane, who will pair with Barry Larkin as the analysts in the 8-10 PM segment, wanders into the control room to ask if anyone has done anything extensive yet tonight on Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright.


Once the night games get underway, the show takes on a fairly regular rhythm: look-ins, updates of recent action and discussion of them by the talent. This is where the host has to be able to think on his feet, as the producer tells him what's coming, and prompt the analysts' conversation.

A first-inning update from Yankee Stadium -- Jason Bartlett's leadoff homer for Tampa Bay -- leads to a Joba Chamberlain riff. Meanwhile, before heading home for the night, Petitti has stopped by the control room.

Back in the conference room, the 10-12 crew has assembled for a talent meeting: Leiter, Valle and host Victor Rojas with another team of coordinating producer, producer and technicians. The meeting has to be more about anticipating what might happen in the night games for possible lines of discussion.

At 8, Plesac, Hart and Rosenthal are done. Larkin and Magrane join Amsinger for the next two hours.

At one point, Magrane goes off-set during commercial and isn't back right away. "We have to keep going places," someone says in the control room, so first comes a Yankees update, then a Blue Jays update, then a scoreboard, then a Nationals update. Amsigner narrates from the set the entire time.

And the night's biggest storyline is starting to develop. At 8:40, Amsinger is instructed, "Tease to Jeter -- he's coming up."

Catching History

Derek Jeter has a chance to catch Lou Gehrig for the Yankees' career hits record, and at 8:45, Jeter drives a ball to deep center that Rays outfielder B.J. Upton fails to run down. It goes for a double, leaving Jeter a hit shy of Gehrig.

Immediately, Patterson calls for tape of a play earlier in the game, in which Upton missed on a basket catch in center -- more fodder for analysis in the studio.

At 9:03, "MLB Tonight" goes to Fenway Park for a live look-in at Orioles-Red Sox, since Baltimore has the bases loaded with one out in the sixth.

Thirteen minutes later, it's time for a decision. Jeter is due up again, but they've already used two look-ins at Yankee Stadium. If they go live for Jeter's at-bat, they might have him tying Gehrig. But if he bats again -- it's the seventh inning and the Yankees or losing, so he could very well come up in the ninth -- they'll be out of look-ins. So should they pass now in case he bats again, which would be either a shot at breaking the record or another chance to tie?

Petitti decides it's a special enough moment to go for it, and if need be, break the three-look-in rule later.

It pays off, as Jeter singles to tie Gehrig.

"Well done," Petitti tells the control room.

It's just 9:24.

And Into The Night

Because MLB brought in cable and satellite providers as partners, MLB Network has the largest cable debut ever, available in about 50 million homes.

Nielsen said it's too early in the network's life for ratings, but ad sales are obviously up since the network went on the air Jan. 1.

MLB Tonight has evolved along the way. And there are more adjustments to come.

In anticipation of pennant races, MLB Network has decided to add an hour to its signature over the season's final week, going on the air at 5 PM.
And during the playoffs, there will be shows anchored from Secaucus and reporters on-site at games. Entz figures MLB Network can show pre-game news conferences from the first Division Series game of the day and come back after that game for the rest of the day, filling with pre-game matter from games to come and post-game analysis and news conferences as games finish.

But that will seem easy after handling 15 games many nights.

At 9:46, Magrane is getting into his Wainwright breakdown. "You just feel like you're only getting a look at the top half of the ball," Magrane says.

But he needs to wrap it up. "We've gotta go," someone says, because there's a save situation in Washington, and it's time to revisit the Lidge storyline.

At 9:53, MLB Network goes live to Nationals Park to show Ryan Madson warming up in the top of the ninth instead of Lidge. At the same time, Larkin talks about his 1990 Reds, who used a committee of relievers -- known the "Nasty Boys" -- instead of a closer.

But wait. Here comes Jeter, batting again in the eighth with a chance to break out of his tie with Gehrig. Petitti has given the go-ahead for a fourth look-in, so off to Yankee Stadium.

At 10, Jeter walks.

"Awwwwww," goes the control room, in unison.

And it's time for a shift change, with Rojas, Leiter and Valle in to replace Amsinger, Larkin and Magrane.

At 10:08, it's back to Washington to see Madson get the save. Then more discussions, a look-in in Anaheim, a 10:30 highlights package narrated by Mae, and a quick series of updates: Kendry Morales' three-run double, Manny Ramirez's RBI infield hit and the last out of the Yankees game.

In Houston, the Astros rally in the ninth to beat the Braves. Time to use the ballpark cam.

The coordinating producer, Bryan Meyers, calls a media relations person in Houston to ask for an interview with Miguel Tejada. By 10:46, Tejada is interviewed live by Rojas on his game-winning single.

At 11:03, Caiafa calls out, "Guys, you've got to go to Colorado." It's tied in the bottom of the eighth, and there's two on and two out.

At 11:12, MLB Network picks up the top of the ninth in Kansas City. And the Rockies come up in the bottom of the ninth.

"Double-box this one?"

Yes, time for the "Double Play" screen again, with action from the two games.

There's another ballpark cam interview at 11:40, with Colorado's Seth Smith, who also had a game-winning hit. And soon after, Leiter and Valle are showing the finer points of bunting.

Most nights, MLB Tonight runs till 1 a.m. ET. With so few late games this night, it wraps up at 12. Then comes "Quick Pitch," a straight one-hour highlights show that can be repeated through the night and in the morning.

Even though the show was a mere five hours this day, it was packed.

"There's definitely enough drama," Petitti said, "to get us through the night."