Umpires On YouTube

[Jim Porter]

The follow video clip I can remember vividly -- I watched it as it happened on the news. It was WJAR-TV Providence, Rhode Island. Sportscaster Joe Rocco was broadcasting live from opening night at the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlxHVvQrL4Y&NR=1

[Eastshire]

Hillarious. I wonder if they pulled his credentials.

[ozzy6900]

There is a little more to the story here. It seems that the news crew had set up down the third base line with the lights shining toward home plate. If I remember correctly, the news crew were on their 5th or 6th take and the start was already delayed by 25 minutes. The PU had enough (according to his partners) and got the game underway by getting security to "help" the news crew off the field. The entire crew was reprimanded for the long delay, not the ejection!

Just as in MLB, MiLB wants these games under way ASAP. They had planned a 5 to 10 minute delay which was agreed to by all, but the news crew figured that they had their 1st Amendment Rights! Guess they were wrong!

[Jim Porter]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

If I remember correctly, the news crew were on their 5th or 6th take

It was a live broadcast. They were on the air.

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

news crew figured that they had their 1st Amendment Rights! Guess they were wrong!

Love this! Tell the news crew that the parking lot is also protected by the First Amendment

[bossman72]

hahaha! what an a-hole!

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by Jim Porter

It was a live broadcast. They were on the air.

Yes, that is how live broadcast works!

If you travel with a news crew, you learn that there are several takes before the real broadcast. Sometimes, a take is so good that they "memorex" the "live" broadcast.

In this case, there was a delay from the studio that put the broadcast off by 15 minutes or so. This is not unusual either, especially with news desks. Either way, the crew never got to finish the pump and that made a better story than what they were there for.

CUT - Print it!