An Earful as MLB Network Stresses Sound

With Wednesday's spring training game between the Indians and Diamondbacks, MLB Network promises to mine the "untapped" resource of on-field sound and bring TV viewers a different perspective on baseball coverage.

As many as a half dozen players, as well as coaches, will wear microphones that will be activated once they step on the field.

A single on-air talent, Matt Vasgersian, will handle the play-by-play duties, leaving ample room for what the microphones pick up (everything from the crack of the bat and the sound of the ball in the catcher's mitt to brief conversations between players) to be heard by viewers. In order to avoid profanities reaching the airwaves, the broadcast will operate on a 14-second delay.

The sounds-of-the-game approach will no doubt be repeated, by both MLB Network and other baseball TV partners, this season. It will also be successful. After all, in the course of a nine-inning game something interesting invariably has to get picked up by an ever-present ear.

Still, it's hardly the oh-so-necessary or revolutionary upgrade that MLB Network promises and that some seem to expect.

MLB Network proved as much with a test run of the approach Tuesday during a game between the Rangers and Diamondbacks. Along with players and coaches, even umpires wore microphones.

The result was good, if unremarkable. There were some interesting behind-the-scenes moments, even though they were hardly behind the scenes because they played out in front of everyone in the ballpark. At the same time, the game was probably a bit less talkative and a bit more quiet than some would expect.

Still, it's an overdue step for baseball broadcasts, which only in recent seasons added in-game interviews from team dugouts on a regular basis on TV broadcasts.

It's also a potentially big moment for sound on sports broadcasts because of the commitment to utilize the sound in an almost-live approach. As a result, baseball's enhanced approach could increase the regularity with which telecasts in general use sound as part of live broadcasts.

For example, while NFL Films and the NFL Network have a long track record of using sound to make its films and TV shows better, they have not done so on live or nearly live broadcasts. The sounds of legendary Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram encouraging his team to "matriculate the ball down the field" and questioning refereed from Super Bowl IV were not at all live. And, more recently and regularly, shows such as "Sounds of the Game" on NFL Network often come at least a week behind -- just as "wired for sound" segments do with partners such as ESPN.

Sound almost always sells, and sounds good. It brings fans closer to the game, enabling them to make a more personal connection. While one game on MLB Network might not be a watershed moment for sound on TV broadcasts (both college and pro football have been working to increase their ambient and on-field sound the past few seasons) it will certainly play a role in reshaping sports broadcast in general. And that's a good thing.