ESPN Debuts Sophisticated Graphic for All-Star Home Run Derby

Radar-based "Ball Track" will detail flight of long balls

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/9/2009 9:59:52 AM

Sports giant ESPN is unveiling a new technical trick for its coverage of the State Farm Home Run Derby, which will be held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Monday, July 13, the night before the 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and feature top sluggers such as St. Louis' Albert Pujols and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.

The network will introduce a new graphic, "Ball Track", which uses Doppler radar to track the flight of a baseball off the bat. The Ball Track graphic will indicate the real-time distance the ball is traveling, from the point of impact to the final resting point; display the arc of the ball as it travels through the air; and, by using the mid-flight path of the ball, project whether the hit will be a home run or fall short.

The Ball Track data will both be presented as an on-screen graphic and stored for reference throughout the telecast. ESPN has displayed home-run distances in the past, but Ball Track will mark the first time that information is presented in real time.

ESPN will use 20 cameras in total to cover the Derby action, including "Ultra Mo," an ultra-high-frame rate camera that captures images at 1,000 frames per second to generate slow-motion replays with fine detail.

Chris Berman will host the event, joined on the field by analysts Joe Morgan and Steve Phillips and reporter Erin Andrews. ESPN Radio's Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell will also describe the Derby, with on-field reports from Peter Pascarelli, and Web portal ESPN360.com will provide a live simulcast of the event. For the first time, ESPN Mobile TV will also provide a live simulcast.