Live From MLB at Rickwood Field: MLB Network Eulogizes Willie Mays in Real Time During Tuesday's MiLB Broadcast Staff in Secaucus, NJ, was a massive help for the smaller crew in Birmingham, AL By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 2:44 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The past three days in Birmingham can easily be seen as a celebration of the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball, but the festivities turned somber on Tuesday night with the sudden death of all-time great Willie Mays. Producing MiLB at Rickwood Field - a minor-league game between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits - MLB Network's production and operations teams in the broadcast compound and at home in Secaucus, NJ, quickly shifted gears to relay the information to viewers.
Going into the week, no one expected this to happen, says Marc Caiafa, SVP, production, MLB Network. It was amazing that we were here at the field where he started his professional baseball career.
Honoring a Legend on the Fly: Secaucus-Based Crew, Onsite Team Work To Share the News Mays's death shook Major League Baseball and the sports world, and, when the MLB Network crew learned the news in the middle of the game, they acted quickly to convey the information on the live broadcast. Before the San Francisco Giants released their official statement during the minor-league game's seventh inning, the core group of onsite department leads - VP, Live Events, Chris Pfeiffer; Caiafa from production; and Senior Director, Remote Technical Operations, Jason Hedgcock from operations - met in their production facility in the compound to come up with a plan. Nightly studio show Quick Pitch was getting ready in New Jersey after the game's conclusion, but Coordinating Producer Dan Komyati pivoted by bringing host Brian Kenny - on his way home after finishing his on-air duties - back to Secaucus for MLB Tonight after the final out. At Rickwood Field, the front bench - Producer Keith Costas, Director Dan Gentile, Associate Director Sharon Roper, and Technical Director Chris Graham - alerted play-by-play announcer Rich Waltz, analyst Chris Young, and comedian and Birmingham native Roy Wood Jr. Waltz, who lived near the Bay Area and attended many of Mays's games as a kid, delivered the message to viewers with notable emotion.
@RichWaltz was understandably emotional when he read the statement released by the @SFGiants on the passing of Willie Mays.
Rich is currently calling the MiLB at Rickwood Field game, where the festivities to honor the Negro Leagues are underway. pic.twitter.com/1jkhaODOt0
- . (@saul_r26) June 19, 2024
With Chris telling stories about his interactions with Willie and Roy having grown up in Birmingham, the three of them did a great job, says Pfeiffer. We didn't have the [MLB Tonight] studio ready to go, so we did almost an hour's worth of content from the booth as the game was going on.
Before Waltz informed the televised audience, the crew in Birmingham and the team in Secaucus worked to develop a 12-minute-long obituary video that would play live on MLB Network. Supervisor, Media Management, Bobby Brown took the lead by diving into the network's footage archive, downloading the finished video, saving it to a hard drive, and giving it to Hedgcock, who forwarded the feed to the Game Creek Video mobile unit.
24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glover, 2-time MVP, World Series champion, Hall of Famer.
MLB Network mourns the passing of one of our game's most iconic figures, Willie Mays. pic.twitter.com/gQLCnbm2lN
- MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 19, 2024
We took a commercial break when the obit ended, but we came back just in time for the fans to see and hear the announcement inside the stadium, says Pfeiffer. We showed some of the reactions in the stands and stayed [at Rickwood Field] without taking two breaks. Ultimately, we had a lot of good people in place, and everybody stayed calm in the moment.
It was a full team effort inside the production truck, with contributions from a variety of positions, including Graphics Producer Nathan Daggett, who created a graphic of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's official statement; Tape Producer Jacob Catalano; Lead EVS Operator Jordan Rebimbas; and A1 Jamie Wehner.
When the Biscuits recorded the final out in their 6-5 victory, Kenny took the reins on MLB Tonight and interviewed numerous guests about Mays's impact on their lives and the game of baseball. Some of these remote guests were booked on short notice by VP, News and Production, Doug Jaclin, including MLB Network's Tom Verducci from his home and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Bob Costas from Yankee Stadium via Ballpark Cam. Zoom interviews with Ken Griffey Jr. and Harold Reynolds were integrated by VP, Content Logistics and Field Production, Ben Friedfeld - working from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
I'm just grateful and thankful that I was able to spend the time I had with him because he is a true giant, on and off the field. Ken Griffey Jr. on Willie Mays pic.twitter.com/wuba7Ee0Gf
- MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 19, 2024
We completely reprogrammed the rest of the night, Caiafa points out. The results of games from across the league became secondary.
Coming Through in the Clutch: Tech Execution, Team Adaptability Prove Pivotal As the proceedings unfolded on screen, Hedgcock and other members of the technical team - including Senior Director, Remote Operations, Brooke Berger and Manager, Remote Broadcast Operations, Jennifer McGinity - were rock solid in providing all the necessary pieces to compose the tribute to one of MLB's greatest ambassadors. Despite being understaffed in Secaucus and the tech challenges related to a century-old stadium in Birmingham, production and operations
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Longtime MLB Network employee David Maybrown passed away Thursday at the age of 57. David joined MLB Network in 2009 shortly after its launch, beginning as an i...
14/11/2026
Modular innovators introduce two guitar-based products
ADDAC System's recently introduced Four String Series makes it possible to integrate physical str...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
Live From MLB at Rickwood Field: MLB Network Eulogizes Willie Mays in Real Time During Tuesday's MiLB Broadcast Staff in Secaucus, NJ, was a massive help for the smaller crew in Birmingham, AL By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
