I’m enjoying the high centerfield camera used in the Cardinals broadcast. The angle points the camera directly at home plate, rather than over the pitcher’s shoulder. ESPN tried this on their Sunday night broadcasts a few years ago, but I think the camera was too high. St. Louis seems to have it just right. You can see the plate and batter over the pitcher’s head, but you don’t feel like you’re watching the game from Bob Uecker’s seats. The great part for the viewer is that you can really call balls and strikes.

Of course, part of the improvement might be high definition, where everything is clearer. For the most part, broadcasters haven’t made many innovations with high definition. They still seem to be stuck in a 3:4 world. Sometimes I see a high home shot that shows all the infielders on a batted ball, very nice to demonstrate the wheel play. It seems, however, there’s more that they can do rather than just show us a pretty picture. How about an angle that shows the pitcher, batter and runner on first in a steal situation? It may look poor on a standard definition TV, but isn’t that the point? Let the technology push people away from the old.

The Rockies lead the Cardinals 2-1 in the top of the fifth.