Is Fox juicing their broadcast?
I know that, at the very least, one major network (can’t remember if it was/is Fox) has been adding visual effects (sort of like a comet trail) to make it easier to see the puck in the wide shot during hockey games. Older oval racing fans are also used to watching individual cars do battle while they listen to the sounds of cars picked up from somewhere else on the racetrack, for atmosphere — these days the technology available has taken care of this. Also, shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos and such regularly add sound effects. I guess what I’m saying is, there’s precedent in sports and other television programs, and if something like that keeps viewers more interested, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
While Fox might very well be adding audio effects (I don’t really know), one thing that surprises some casual fans is just how loud a 95-mph fastball really is when they get up close. The damn things hiss like angry rattlesnakes when they fly through the air, spinning so fast and catching air on the seams. It’s really very surprising to hear for the first time if you’ve only sat in the upper decks. It’s quite possible Fox has just mic’d up the home plate area really well and you’re hearing this hissing as it really sounds, or perhaps the audio levels of the natural sounds are mic’d up.
Second the parabolic mic behind home plate, and it was there during the ALCS too. I don’t watch Fox during the regular season, but I do have DirecTV’s MLB Extra Innings package with FSN regional games. I can tolerate Fox’s sound (other than it comes with Tim McCarver) but I’m really tired of their close-up shots of the pitcher’s and batter’s eyes. When the Yankees were in their hot years, Fox showed Andy Pettite’s eyes peeking over his mitt so often I was having Andy Pettite nightmares. I’m waiting for McCarver to start analyzing Josh Beckett’s skin care routine, because you know it’s just a matter of time.
