Historically, TBS has done NBA telecasts, but for the past 3 years it has carried postseason baseball.
Rather incognito, a white trailer sits outside the Citizens Bank Park ticket window located on Phillies Drive. Inside there are three rooms, one of which acts as a makeshift office with three computers.
One of those computers belongs to producer Tom Kiely. He is hard at work preparing the rundown, which is an outline of what content is going to be included during the half-hour broadcast.
Behind him, director Steve Fiorello has the rundown on his computer. He's mapping out what camera shots he's going to use during the different segments of the broadcast.
"Preparation is the most difficult part of my job," said Fiorello, who has worked with Turner for 9 years. "Just making sure that everyone is aboard and all the preparation leading up to the show, that's the hardest part. It's finding a spot, a location in the ballpark that works for our talent, that showcases our talent, that's able to set the atmosphere."
Fiorello decided to put the TBS set above Ashburn Alley in leftfield, facing Center City.
An hour later, host Ernie Johnson Jr., who has been with Turner for the past 2 decades, is relaxing and studying his pregame notes.
"It's a nonstop process," said Johnson, who has hosted the pre- and postgame shows all 3 years. "I don't feel prepared unless I've put enough work into it."
David Wells pitched the 15th perfect game in major league history in 1998. But the nerves "Boomer" felt that day paled in comparison to how he feels on the set.
"We're not used to cameras, we're used to being on the field," said Wells, in his first year with TBS. "You can block everyone out when you're on the field, but you can't block them out when you're on TV because it's live. It's a lot different, but you adapt to it just like anything else."
