If you think getting the World Series on TV is a massive undertaking, you are not wrong.

Brad Cheney, the vice president of field operations for Fox Sports, the network broadcasting the series, is one of the people responsible for getting everything in place.

Remember, with the Super Bowl or college football games or the Final Four, you know where the games are going to be played years in advance. With the World Series, it’s a day or two, once the League Championships Series are decided.

“We’ve got just an amazing amount of people out here who’ve been doing the World Series for well over 20 years,” Cheney said, standing outside Chase Field in Phoenix before Game 4 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers among a bunch of Fox trucks. 

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Fox is using 52 cameras at Chase Field for the World Series

“And so they have the experience of doing this, so they get the machinations. We’ve been to all these places, and we really have a great partnership with the Diamondbacks and the Rangers and those people. So we’re planned and ready, but it’s a very pencil-drawing kind of set, until we get closer, and we’re drawing it in pen.”

What’s been evident in the World Series is that Fox Sports has a lot of cool gizmos and isn’t afraid to use them. The network is using 52 cameras at both Chase Field and Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Among other things, this includes the FlyCam — a drone that gets some really wild-looking shots — three DirtCams (a personal favorite), and the UmpCam, which debuted in the American League Championship Series.

The DirtCam (similar to the BaseCam on TBS) is what it sounds like, a camera that captures action from the bases. It’s really cool, especially when you get not just the action at that base, but the perspective from around the infield.

“That’s been really beneficial, getting that low angle and understanding how fast they’re actually moving to slide into a base, how fast that tag is coming down and how close the play is, and providing a different angle,” Cheney said. “All the rest of our cameras are for the most part up high, or far enough away that they might be blocked by a pitcher or another base runner, anybody in the way of those things. It really provides us a much crisper angle of what’s going on.”

It is a fascinating vantage point to watch from. The UmpCam, which is a small camera in the umpire’s face mask, basically gives you his view of the game. It’s also a cool innovation. Of course, there are plenty of traditional shots of a game, as well. The trick is not to overdo the new technology.

“The balance there is about being able to tell the story,” Cheney said, “and by having more toys and tools at your disposal, you’re able to tell the story better, because we’re trying to capture three and four stories at a time, and one of them is going to be very important.”

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Sometimes the story tells itself

And sometimes, it’s best to just let the story tell itself.

“Oh, without a doubt,” Cheney said. “I mean, one of the things that our production team does as well as anyone else in this business is letting the game tell its own story and letting it breathe. And that’s what we kind of term this, ‘Just let this breathe. Let’s watch what’s happening. And then we’ll come back and analyze.’

“And that’s when technology comes back in, the tools come out showing you how we ended up here after we’ve seen the game move on.”

When do the Diamondbacks play again?

All games are on Fox.

• Game 5: Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 5:03 p.m. (Arizona time) in Phoenix.
• Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, Nov. 3, at 5:03 p.m. (Arizona time) in Arlington, Texas.
• Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, Nov. 4, at 5:03 p.m. (Arizona time) in Arlington, Texas.

Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

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