After Clemson Tigers outfielder Cam Cannarella smashed a three-run home run in the ninth inning to tie the Florida Gators and then followed that up with a Willie Mays-esque catch to keep the game alive in extra innings, all eyes were on ESPN’s broadcast of the NCAA Super Regional game that could send Florida to the College World Series with a victory.
That’s when the cameras stopped working.
Not all of them, thankfully. But as the broadcast returned to the bottom of the 11th inning, announcer Dave Neal let audiences know that ESPN was dealing with some technical issues that were limiting them to the high camera behind home plate.
“Technical issues going on with some of our cameras and we are going to have to just kinda bring you this game right now with this high-home look,” said Neal. “So you’ll be able to see the entire field. We’ll try to get this straightened out as soon as we possibly can.”
They were able to get the camera along the right side of the field working again, so ESPN was able to intersperse shots of the entire field with close-ups of the pitchers and hitters, at least.
Thankfully, the cameras were restored in the 12th inning.
The game actually ran so long that they had to push it to ESPNU because Sunday Night Baseball was scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET. Before they did, Neal tried to toss it to Karl Ravech for a smooth transition. However, this was not a day for smoothness in the broadcast.
Clemson-Florida had to move off ESPN for “Sunday Night Baseball,” but not without one more wonky moment. Alas, we’ll never know what Karl Ravech thinks of the game… pic.twitter.com/QFtI6nU6f1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2024
While these kinds of technical problems are never ideal, the timing was rough because the game had garnered so much attention on social media thanks to Cannarella’s heroics.
First, his three-run blast in the ninth…
And then the amazing catch he made in the 10th to keep Clemson alive.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1799929947705982998
Things got pretty wild in the 13th inning when Clemson head coach Erik Bakich and assistant Jack Leggett were tossed from the game after arguing with the umps. The issue at hand was Alden Mathes spiking his bat after cracking a go-ahead home run that gave the Tigers the lead and
https://twitter.com/thecomeback/status/1799947532531007686
Alas for Clemson, Florida eventually won the game and advanced to the College World Series with a 13th-inning walk-off home run.
https://twitter.com/thecomeback/status/1799951530269007914
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.