A behind the scenes look at the Toronto Blue Jays and their
The home opener is one of the busiest days of the year for the Blue Jays press office. This time around, they issued 60 more passes than usual (and reminded journalists right on the front of the pass not to ask anyone for an autograph).Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Sportnet’s Hazel Mae waits for her hit, from one of four sets the broadcaster has set up for its live pregame coverage.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Somewhere in this scrum of reporters there’s a Blue Jay. It’s impossible to know which one.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Journalists aren’t expected to fend for themselves at the ballpark, and all the scrumming of random Blue Jays makes them hungry. The press box buffet runs all night long, and features ballpark staples such as hot dogs and popcorn.Steve Ladurantaye
The giant score board is controlled from across the field, where a dozen or so workers constantly update the stats and decide things such as which fans to feature on the big screen and which commercials to run on the concourse.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Sportsnet has access to 19 cameras during its broadcast – this one is set up behind home plate and is the one directors revert to if they’ve missed a shot and need to buy some time.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Each of these control trucks costs about $9-million to outfit. Each team usually has an extra on hand in case something bad happens to the first.Steve Ladurantaye
These are the wires that power the television broadcast – from their truck to your home.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
One of the control truck’s many control boards.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail
Television broadcaster Buck Martinez calls the game from the broadcast booth.Steve Ladurantaye/The Globe and Mail