Don't Blink

Having worked in sports my whole career, there have been more than a few times the work schedule collided with a great sports moment from a team I root for. 1996- when the Yankees won the World Series, I was producing a Bulls mini feature, but still witnessed the last out. In 2002, when the Patriots won the Super Bowl, I had a front row seat. But for my favorite game ever, some 20 months later on October 16, 2003, I was riding shotgun, producing a live 3 hour show while the game was going on....

...And on, and on. Game 7 of the American League Championship series, Yankees and Red Sox, engaging in the deciding game of yet another "World Championship of Each Other". I was steering the ship through all of the early moments, with fans of both teams in the control room and in the studio. The Sox were all over Roger Clemens early, throwing up 4 early runs and knocking him out of the game, as I was managing the in progress highlights of the 3 college football and 10 NHL games that somehow were allowed to be played in order to distract us from what was REALLY going on.

Mike Mussina's stellar relief and 2 Jason Giambi homers kept it reasonable, but of course in the 8th, David Ortiz crushes one off of David Wells, another starter pitching in relief, to make it 5-2 as another update hockey highlight aired as I was dreading the end that was of course, happening on my watch.

As we showed the score to update the 6 people who were watching (no in progress baseball highlights allowed), the assigned anchor said "The Boston Red Sox are 6 outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1986, as they lead the Yankees 5-2, complete postgame coverage will be here once it's over." He was the Red Sox Fan in the studio, and handled himself well with his home town team in a good spot. The Coordinating Producer, a Yankee fan, threw a slight haymaker back in the anchor's ear just after. "I hope you just didn't jinx your team...".

Pedro Martinez came out for the 8th, got a quick out, followed by a Derek Jeter double, who was soon plated by Bernie Williams to make it 5-3. The Yankees were somehow rallying against the Sox ace- and we were somehow showing goals from the Penguins Canadiens game. During one of the breaks, Sox manager Grady Little came out to talk to Pedro and take him out before giving it up. Then, he didn't...the Sox fan at the desk was astonished as he mouthed "What is he doing", once he left Pedro in. One Jorge Posada bloop double later, tied at 5.

The Yankee fans were elated, Sox fans not so much, but with more touchdowns and goals to show, now we had to keep things rolling as the epic game was tied at 5 for a few more innings. We finished the show and the game was entering the top of the 11th, just enough time to get to the big conference room to watch the rest of whatever was going to happen.

As Aaron Boone was getting ready, I grabbed the phone to call home to tell my wife we were staying to watch the rest. She quickly replied angrily "I guess you can come home now, 'cuz the Yankees just won!" Click. I spin around, and just like that, over. Somehow, he hit a dinger off of a knuckleball hanger thrown by Tim Wakefield. An unreal moment, and I missed it in an instant. In sports sometimes, that's all it takes.

When I look back, the outcome obviously is what I remember most, even though I missed "the moment of truth", but the group effort needed to get through one of the most memorable games in the history of baseball was worthy of remembrance as well. Sure, we weren't getting huge hits in key moments, but we all made some great plays of our own. Looking back is always fun, but the journey we all shared through the night's events reassures me of how a group can work together and stay on target navigating through a galaxy of small events swirling around a huge one.

Oh yeah, the Canadiens ended up beating the Penguins 4-1.