There are many thrilling experiences that come with working in sports production. But for Greg Farnese, a resident camera operator, you can add singing live to almost 40,000 fans to that list.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NBC Sports Philadelphia hosted its annual \u201cAnnouncers in the Stands\u201d Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. (Put in alphabetical order with last names) Tom McCarthy, John Kruk, Ben Davis and Ruben Amaro Jr. sat in the first row behind home plate to announce the Phillies game against the Marlins. But that wasn\u2019t the only thing out of the ordinary for the broadcast.<\/p>\n
To elevate the special day, McCarthy thought it would add another wrinkle if Farnese were to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch. McCarthy went to the Phillies broadcast and video team to make it happen.<\/p>\n
Farnese joined NBC Sports Philadelphia in 1997, when the network was known as Comcast SportsNet. He has been a member of the camera crew ever since, working in left field at the Vet from 1998-2003. When Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004, he remained in the same spot \u2013 section 143 \u2013 operating what is referred to as the Left-Field Power Alley Camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job and responsibility is to not only tell stories during the telecast, but also to follow that little white ball wherever it goes,\u201d Farnese said. \u201cIt’s always great when it lands right there in the seats by one of our Phillies players.\u201d<\/p>\n
When handed the microphone by Phillies game day staff just before the seventh inning stretch, Farnese \u2013 wearing a powder blue J.T. Realmuto jersey \u2013 soaked in every part of the moment: McCarthy narrating it on the air, the cheers from section 143 and his face plastered across the 13,000-square-foot jumbotron.<\/p>\n
It’s not every day the cameraman becomes the star of the show.<\/p>\n
But that adrenaline rush isn\u2019t entirely new for Farnese. He\u2019s [actually?] done this before. His first time performing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Citizens Bank Park came in 2016 \u2013 from the same Left-Field Power Alley camera platform. The only difference was his choice of jersey: a cream-colored Chase Utley.<\/p>\n
The moment felt natural for Farnese. After all, entertaining a crowd isn’t limited to his work behind a camera. Away from Citizens Bank Park, he’s spent 12 years performing as a professional musician, making the spotlight just as familiar as the ballpark.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many similarities,\u201d Farnese said of his two professions. \u201cWorking in live sports is exhilarating because it\u2019s \u2018live,\u2019 leaving no room for error. Performing on stage, live in front of an audience, is just as rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rewarding might not do it justice.<\/p>\n
For the rest of Tuesday\u2019s 8-2 Phillies win over the Marlins, along with the following game on Wednesday, fans didn\u2019t hesitate to show Farnese some love. \u201cI had at least 300 people come up to me saying how much they enjoyed it. It made my day. Many even requested that I should do it every game.\u201d<\/p>\n