Latest news with #JohnSchneider
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
How Sportsnet's stunning drone shots are bringing Dome home for Blue Jays viewers
The more advanced sports productions gets, the more sports venues can be treated as giant TV studios. Think of the Olympic Games, where the 'beauty shots' as they are known in the business seem to be on an endless loop providing spectacular backdrops to the spectacle unfolding. Article content No one is suggesting that the Rogers Centre is one of the seven wonders of the sporting world, but it sure looked special during the recently complete series against the Yankees. Article content And the drone camera — which those in the stadium can see hovering high above home plate after nightfall – has certainly added some 'wow' shots to the handful of recent broadcasts it has been part of the Sportsnet arsenal. Article content Speaking with those involved, it doesn't sound as though the drones will be an every home game toy for those that produce the broadcasts, though that could change if rave reviews continue. Article content Article content For whatever reason — and perhaps because the network is still figuring out how extensively it wants to employ the technology going forward — a request to Sportsnet for comment on the drone's use and its impact on the broadcasts was denied citing 'policy' to not allow producers to comment on production. Article content That said, those on air and behind the scenes that we spoke with at the Rogers Centre this week certainly recognized the impact the drone view was bringing to the broadcast. For the broadcasters, there's an appreciation of the atmosphere in the building for a series like the recent one and the drone is helping deliver it in high definition directly to people's screens. Article content For those involved on the production side, they're well aware of the power of a well-timed, unique visual to further capture what's happening with the team. Article content Add in the regular camera shots, excellent audio work to capture the crowd Jays manager John Schneider is crediting as an aid to the team's success and the overall slick show produced by Doug Walton has enhanced the telling of one of the best stories in baseball this season Article content Article content With Buck Martinez's extended absence continuing, Joe Siddall will be alongside Dan Shulman for the big four-game series over the weekend in Detroit against the Tigers. Article content What suddenly looms as a critical series with the AL Central leaders was always going to be on Siddall's schedule given he lives across the river in Windsor, Ont. It is expected that Caleb Joseph will get the call for the four games in three days Baltimore series that follows and leads into the MLB trade deadline. Article content It's expected that Martinez, who continues to follow the action closely, will return to the booth at some point as he deals with what Sportsnet described as a 'health setback.' Article content The sizzling Jays ratings were a topic of conversation around the batting cage this week, especially when compared with the powerhouse brand that are the New York Yankees. Article content Specifically, folks involved with the YES Network, the long-time home of the Yankees broadcasts, were wowed by the news we reported last week that the Sportsnet recorded a season high audience of 1.2 million for the first Yankees series this month. While Sportsnet has the advantage of being a coast-to-coast entity, it isn't as if YES doesn't reach a large market. That said, on the rare occasions that the network draws 500,000 viewers, it's cause for celebration. For Sportsnet, that number would be seen as a terrible off-night for its captive Canadian audience.
Hamilton Spectator
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Throwback Thursday: The Blue Jays and Tigers open a series with first place in the American League on the line
Turn the clock back almost 40 years: The Blue Jays are heading to Detroit with the best record in the American League on the line. The Jays and Tigers were fierce rivals in the 1980s and early 90s before Detroit moved to the AL Central in 1994 and, though they now play in different divisions, both teams are among the league's elite again. The Jays' 8-4 win over the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre Wednesday night moved them to 60-42, tied with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League, half a game ahead of Detroit. The schedule-makers may have been kind to the Jays, with the Tigers in their biggest tailspin of the season right now. Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz belted a grand slam to help Pittsburgh to a 6-1 home win over Detroit on Wednesday, securing a series sweep for the last-place Pirates and handing the Tigers their ninth loss in 10 games. 'That's a real thing,' Jays manager John Schneider said of the Tigers' slump before Wednesday's series finale with the Yankees. 'But it can change in a day. I know that they have been what they have been, but it could change when they get home. You never really know.' PITTSBURGH (AP) — Spencer Horwitz hit his first career grand slam and Bailey Falter matched a The first four games of this Detroit slide came at home, then they hit the road after the all-star break for what wound up being a 1-5 trip through Texas and Pittsburgh, getting beat by two teams that had losing records when the Tigers arrived. But before the last fortnight, they were something else, which is one of the reasons they still have a nine-game lead in the American League Central. The other reason, of course, is the Central has only one other team that's over .500 - the 51-50 Cleveland Guardians. But you can't build a 59-34 record on smoke and mirrors. The Tigers did it by being strong pretty much everywhere. Before their slide began, Detroit's pitching staff was third in the major leagues with a 3.46 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, led by left-hander Tarik Skubal, who is currently on paternity leave but likely to pitch Saturday night against the Jays' Kevin Gausman. Skubal, who started last week's all-star game , won the Cy Young Award last year and has picked up right where he left off . The 28-year-old is 10-3 on the season and currently leads the majors with a 0.82 WHIP and the AL with a 2.19 ERA. The hitters, entering Wednesday, ranked sixth in the majors in OPS, home runs and runs scored, with 24-year-old outfielder Riley Greene leading the way. The left-handed swinger tops the team with 25 homers, 79 RBIs and an .855 OPS. He also leads the majors with 135 strikeouts. Greene was one of a half-dozen Tigers selected to the AL all-star team. The record was broken on a Loonie Dog night, where attendees can buy a hot dog for a dollar 'I think you've got to look at them as one of the better teams in baseball,' Gausman said in a conversation that can be heard on the July 24 episode of 'Deep Left Field,' the Star's baseball podcast. ' I don't think you pay too much attention to how they're playing lately because they've been so good all season.' The Jays lost two of three games when the Tigers came to Toronto in mid-May, outscored 9-8. Each game was decided by one run, with the Jays' win coming on a walk-off single by Ernie Clement in the bottom of the ninth inning of the middle game. With one-game tiebreakers no longer in use, the Jays need to win three of four in Detroit in order to clinch the season series with the Tigers — as they did with the Yankees on Wednesday — which could very well factor into home-field advantage in the playoffs, if not a first-round bye. The Tigers finished second to the division-winning Jays in 1991 and third in both 1985 and 1992, while the Jays finished second to Detroit in 1984 and the heartbreaking 1987. Finally, these 401 rivals are back at it again.
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Yankees snap Blue Jays home field mastery with dramatic ninth-inning win
You didn't really think the New York Yankees would roll over for a sixth consecutive loss to the Blue Jays in the past three weeks did you? Article content Sure, the Bronx Bombers have been struggling as they've essentially handed the Jays first place in the American League East, a dramatic turnabout in such a short time frame. Article content Article content Apparently there's still some pride in the Pinstripes, however as they jumped on veteran Max Scherzer and out to an early 4-1 lead before yet another exuberant sellout Rogers Centre crowd. Article content The plucky Jays fought back to tie it only to see Yankees first baseman Ben Rice clobber a solo homer in the ninth to secure a 5-4 win to squelch the bleeding from the defending division champs. It was the Bronx Bombers first victory since losing a four-gamer here earlier in the month and dropping Monday's opener of this three-game set. The loss also defused the Jays franchise record, 11-game home winning streak. Article content The winning blow came off of Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, who was making his fourth appearance in five days as manager John Schneider was clearly going for the jugular against the Yankees, who moved back to within three games of Toronto's lead in the AL East. Article content The Jays prospects seemed dire in the early going, but then the familiar chorus of this resilient team kicked in yet again. Article content After falling into that 4-1 hole, the Jays resolutely chipped away at the Yankees lead. Addison Barger got it started with his second RBI single of the night in the fifth to cut the deficit to two and then it was pinch-hitting Davis Schneider's turn to deliver a clutch hit, an RBI double in the sixth to score another pinch hitter, Myles Straw. Article content Two batters later, George Springer ripped a single towards Aaron Judge in right field and just like that it was a 4-4 ball game. Article content Article content The Jays had opportunities to finish off the comeback, too. George Springer was left on second base to end the sixth when Vlad Guerrero Jr. struck out in one of those moments that the Jays need him to come up big in. Article content In the seventh, a hard-hit double to lead things off from Bo Bichette yielded nothing, either, setting the stage for Rice's decisive homer in the ninth. Article content Guerrero attempted to get the rally started with a leadoff single off of Yankees closer Devin Williams in the ninth but a Bichette strikeout was followed by a loud fly ball out to right field by Barger and a strikeout of catcher Alejandro Kirk. Article content The loss snapped the Jays franshise-record home winning streak at 11 games and set up a rubber match in the three-game series for Wednesday.
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
How Blue Jays John Schneider has emerged as an AL manager of the year candidate
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider is helming a team that's making a significant turnaround from last season. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press There are benefits that come with managing a first-place baseball team, a status Blue Jays skipper John Schneider admits he's enjoying – even with a dose of self-deprecating humour to describe it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'We joked that I became a way better manager over the last three weeks,' Schneider said on Tuesday prior to the Jays bid to win a franchise record extending 12th consecutive home game and six against the visiting New York Yankees. 'I was kind of ho hum (before the Jays caught fire.) 'It's nice people enjoy it, you know, people back home and friends and family and stuff,' Schneider said of some of the reaction he's getting to the Jays impressive efforts to turn a last-place season into a potentially first-place one. 'People around town like me a lot more than they did. It's nice to go out for dinner.' Schneider isn't gloating – far from it. But when you'e managing a team that has reversed course from a 74-win season that could have had his job on the line this season to one that had on Monday opened a four-game lead on the Yankees through 100 games, well it's a sign that good things are happening. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Historically, coaches and managers at the helm for such significant turnarounds of professional sports teams immediately become in the running for the year-end awards honouring their work. And so far, anyway, Schneider has done just that with this group of Jays players that have been described as surprising, to over-achieving, and everything in between. What unfolds over the remaining 60-plus games of the season ultimately will determine the seriousness of Schneider's candidacy. The manager recently surpassed three years at the helm following his mid-season replacement of the fired Charlie Montoyo in 2022 and the growth he's undergone professionally is a big part of the terrific story of this Jays season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The players have bought in to the approach of Schneider and his incredibly dedicated coaching staff, one that this year has worked to have cleaner and more open lines of communication both up and down – with the front office and to those in the clubhouse. And despite the joking dismissal of his sudden emergence as a good big-league manager, Schneider has admitted that he indeed is better at the job than he's been in the past. It's one thing to manage Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette through multiple levels of the minor leagues. It's quite another to do it in the big leagues with a mix of veterans and the pulls and pressures that go far beyond just developing talent but to take a team to the playoffs.. Schneider is big (and wise) enough to admit it's taken him some time. His pragmatism of balancing the needs of driven, professional athletes with that of a front office that is profoundly involved in the day-to-day can be delicate. What we're seeing so far this year is a team in the truest sense and one that in many ways takes its cues from the skipper. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Every team is different,' veteran George Springer said on Tuesday, when asked to explain the winning dynamic at play. 'Every personality, every player, every team has it's own identity. But this team is unbelievable tight, unbelievably close. Guys are having conversations with each other. It's everything you could want in a clubhouse.' Schneider doesn't get all the credit for that, but he certainly deserves some. There will always be a constituency of Jays fans who crap over whoever is managing the team. From Cito Gaston, to John Gibbons, to Schneider it's always been the way in this market. Over a 162-game series there also will be large stretches where second-guessing becomes a pastime. And in a sport like baseball, it can happen on a nightly basis, especially when performance takes a downturn. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Schneider's even-keeled approach seems to have resonated this year as he's stressed to his players that the only game that matters is the one immediately in front of them. That approach has muted losing streaks and seems to have significantly boosted confidence. 'Obviously once you rattle off a few wins, it makes it easier to believe in it and see it,' Springer said. 'But over time things have manifested and guys have really, really bought in to just do their part to help us win. 'Any time you can play for the name on the front and not on the back, you're in a great spot.' A team that entered Tuesday's play a season-high 18 games over .500 at 59-41 is certainly riding a high. Their 36-16 home record is the best in the big leagues and they are playing for and responding to some of the moves of their manager. With the Jays heading to Detroit for a four-game series starting on Thursday, there's a good chance Schneider's candidacy will be discussed, given that Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is the other logical choice for the award. There's plenty of baseball still to be played, a reminder Schneider delivers almost daily. But if the Jays can continue on their present path, a last-to-first season will be a difficult temptation for some season-ending voters to resist. Canada Columnists Celebrity Olympics Entertainment
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
How Blue Jays John Schneider has emerged as an AL manager of the year candidate
There are benefits that come with managing a first-place baseball team, a status Blue Jays skipper John Schneider admits he's enjoying – even with a dose of self-deprecating humour to describe it. Article content 'We joked that I became a way better manager over the last three weeks,' Schneider said on Tuesday prior to the Jays bid to win a franchise record extending 12th consecutive home game and six against the visiting New York Yankees. 'I was kind of ho hum (before the Jays caught fire.) Article content Article content Article content 'It's nice people enjoy it, you know, people back home and friends and family and stuff,' Schneider said of some of the reaction he's getting to the Jays impressive efforts to turn a last-place season into a potentially first-place one. Article content 'People around town like me a lot more than they did. It's nice to go out for dinner.' Article content Schneider isn't gloating – far from it. But when you'e managing a team that has reversed course from a 74-win season that could have had his job on the line this season to one that had on Monday opened a four-game lead on the Yankees through 100 games, well it's a sign that good things are happening. Article content Historically, coaches and managers at the helm for such significant turnarounds of professional sports teams immediately become in the running for the year-end awards honouring their work. Article content And so far, anyway, Schneider has done just that with this group of Jays players that have been described as surprising, to over-achieving, and everything in between. Article content Article content What unfolds over the remaining 60-plus games of the season ultimately will determine the seriousness of Schneider's candidacy. The manager recently surpassed three years at the helm following his mid-season replacement of the fired Charlie Montoyo in 2022 and the growth he's undergone professionally is a big part of the terrific story of this Jays season. Article content The players have bought in to the approach of Schneider and his incredibly dedicated coaching staff, one that this year has worked to have cleaner and more open lines of communication both up and down – with the front office and to those in the clubhouse. Article content And despite the joking dismissal of his sudden emergence as a good big-league manager, Schneider has admitted that he indeed is better at the job than he's been in the past. It's one thing to manage Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette through multiple levels of the minor leagues. It's quite another to do it in the big leagues with a mix of veterans and the pulls and pressures that go far beyond just developing talent but to take a team to the playoffs..
