Commercialize Your Player

[webjim25]

So, the “Oakland A’s epic fail commercial” thread got me thinking about baseball commercials. Now days, we have the ESPN Albert Pujols “machine” commercial, every Baseball Tonight analyst has his own commercial, (I like the Peter Gammons one) and most MLB team have their own creative commercials. So if you could commercialize your favorite player (or any player for that matter) what would it look like?

 

I thought of one a few years ago when Jim Edmonds was with the Cardinals. It went like this:

 

The commercial would start off with a wide angle view of the outfield at Busch Stadium. You’d then see Edmonds on a black horse galloping from right-center field going towards left. All this is in Simi slow motion. Edmonds is now looking up towards the sky. You see a close up view of the steed’s face. Its nostrils flare as it snorts and grunts while digging for more speed. You’d then see Edmonds adjust his gloved right hand. Still on his horse, Edmonds is galloping wildly toward left while fixing a bead on something in the sky. Suddenly, the horse under Edmonds disappears as he extends his entire body and catches a fly ball that just comes into camera view. (I loved hearing Jo Buck announce emphatically "Edmonds….on his horse!!....")Still in slow motion, he slides across the turf and holds his gloved right hand off of the ground until he comes to a dirt scattering halt. He gets of the ground and flicks the ball out of the glove hand into his left hand and slowly jogs toward the dugout. Your screen fades to black. The words MLB is written in big, bold white letters. That would be for baseball, like advertising the season is about to start.

 

 

 

Another one involving my favorite team would go like this:

 

Keep in mind with this idea you need to think about how with today's technology they have the ability to splice video from different periods and make things appear very fluid.

 

THE VIDEO: Using real game footage, the commercial opens up with Musial at the plate and he takes a pitch deep in the gap. As Musial rounds first base he "morphs" into Lou Brock who is hustling to get to 2nd base. As Brock touches 2nd base he turns into Ozzie Smith who is busting his hump to get to 3rd base and as he turns the corner to go home Ozzie turns into Pujols who, as he approaches home, slides and barely beats the throw to be safe.

 

THE AUDIO (and I think this is the key): Jack Buck calls this make-believe inside-the-park HR call the entire way, from beginning to end. And after Pujols is called safe, they add in Jack's famous line, "I don’t believe what I just saw!"

 

The commercial ends with the "Play Like a Cardinal" slogan.

 

 

 

So how would you commercialize your player?

[jersey cubs fan]

I wouldn't.

[laurens]

Rich Harden descends from heaven, strikes out 27 Cardinals and then ascends again, leaving only a crying Ryan Ludwick behind.

[CubbieBum]

Rich Harden descends from heaven, strikes out 27 Cardinals and then ascends again, leaving only a crying Ryan Ludwick behind.

=D>

[CubbieBum]

So, the “Oakland A’s epic fail commercial” thread got me thinking about baseball commercials. Now days, we have the ESPN Albert Pujols “machine” commercial, every Baseball Tonight analyst has his own commercial, (I like the Peter Gammons one) and most MLB team have their own creative commercials. So if you could commercialize your favorite player (or any player for that matter) what would it look like?

 

I thought of one a few years ago when Jim Edmonds was with the Cardinals. It went like this:

 

The commercial would start off with a wide angle view of the outfield at Busch Stadium. You’d then see Edmonds on a black horse galloping from right-center field going towards left. All this is in Simi slow motion. Edmonds is now looking up towards the sky. You see a close up view of the steed’s face. Its nostrils flare as it snorts and grunts while digging for more speed. You’d then see Edmonds adjust his gloved right hand. Still on his horse, Edmonds is galloping wildly toward left while fixing a bead on something in the sky. Suddenly, the horse under Edmonds disappears as he extends his entire body and catches a fly ball that just comes into camera view. (I loved hearing Jo Buck announce emphatically "Edmonds….on his horse!!....")Still in slow motion, he slides across the turf and holds his gloved right hand off of the ground until he comes to a dirt scattering halt. He gets of the ground and flicks the ball out of the glove hand into his left hand and slowly jogs toward the dugout. Your screen fades to black. The words MLB is written in big, bold white letters. That would be for baseball, like advertising the season is about to start.

 

 

 

That would be one of those commercials that would make me want to throw my shoe at the TV every time it came on. Having a player gallop on a horse just sounds and would definitely look really stupid. That is only multiplied by the fact Edmonds has been a very slow runner for a decade now and most of his diving catches from 2002 on are only occurring because he doesn't have the speed a normal CF does.

[wekse]

every passing day brings a new gift to nsbb.

[wolf stansson]

Chills man...chills.

[webjim25]

 

 

That would be one of those commercials that would make me want to throw my shoe at the TV every time it came on. Having a player gallop on a horse just sounds and would definitely look really stupid. That is only multiplied by the fact Edmonds has been a very slow runner for a decade now and most of his diving catches from 2002 on are only occurring because he doesn't have the speed a normal CF does.

 

Thats fine and cool.

What kind of commerical would you make, if given the chance?

[Careless]

Was I the only one expecting "Jim Edmonds catches the ball then dives off the horse's back"

[webjim25]

Was I the only one expecting "Jim Edmonds catches the ball then dives off the horse's back"

 

LMAO! good one.

 

How about some other commercials?

[UMFan83]

My commercial would highlight all the crappy failures of recent Cubs past, including Game 5 of the 84 NLCS, Will Clark smashing a ball into the seats in the 89 NLCS, Sammy Sosa juicing up in the dugout before running onto the field for an AB, Kerry Woods arm flying off his body and impailing a nearby Mark Prior, Steve Bartman/Alex Gonzalez in 2003, Moises Alou peeing on his hands just for fun, and then a photo of Jim Hendry comes on the screen as each year flashes by "2005: We need better chemistry", "2006: We need speed and guys who can catch the ball!", "2007: Holy #$#@, we need everything!", and finally "2009: WE NEED LEFTIES!!!!" and then finally, a Cubs fan crying on the TV screen as the finals words flash across the screen: "Cubs baseball: Why the $#@% would you even bother?"

 

Edit: Oh and the photo of the marquee at Wrigley Field displaying the words: "Congratulations Chicago White Sox, 2005 World Series Champions" would be displayed somewhat during that commercial.

[Laura]

I don't think anyone can top UMFan's scenario!

[Guest]

I don't think anyone can top UMFan's scenario!

That was pretty good.

[OleMissCub]

Chills man...chills.

 

of the douche variety

[webjim25]

My commercial would highlight all the crappy failures of recent Cubs past, including Game 5 of the 84 NLCS, Will Clark smashing a ball into the seats in the 89 NLCS, Sammy Sosa juicing up in the dugout before running onto the field for an AB, Kerry Woods arm flying off his body and impailing a nearby Mark Prior, Steve Bartman/Alex Gonzalez in 2003, Moises Alou peeing on his hands just for fun, and then a photo of Jim Hendry comes on the screen as each year flashes by "2005: We need better chemistry", "2006: We need speed and guys who can catch the ball!", "2007: Holy #$#@, we need everything!", and finally "2009: WE NEED LEFTIES!!!!" and then finally, a Cubs fan crying on the TV screen as the finals words flash across the screen: "Cubs baseball: Why the $#@% would you even bother?"

 

Edit: Oh and the photo of the marquee at Wrigley Field displaying the words: "Congratulations Chicago White Sox, 2005 World Series Champions" would be displayed somewhat during that commercial.

 

 

LOL. A little bit depressing, but thanks for the effort to create one. :good:

[webjim25]

Chills man...chills.

 

of the douche variety

 

LMAO!

 

That was pretty witty. :-))

[CubbieBum]

 

 

That would be one of those commercials that would make me want to throw my shoe at the TV every time it came on. Having a player gallop on a horse just sounds and would definitely look really stupid. That is only multiplied by the fact Edmonds has been a very slow runner for a decade now and most of his diving catches from 2002 on are only occurring because he doesn't have the speed a normal CF does.

 

Thats fine and cool.

What kind of commerical would you make, if given the chance?

 

A really good one.

[Marco4]

We see Tim Wakefield pitch a knuckleball, quite close up, then we pan out to the stadium and zoom in on people doing loads of different things - after each thing we zoom back out to the full stadium view again; people chatting, someone spilling mustard from a hot-dog, drinking some beer, squeezing to the end of the row of seats, swatting an insect, a couple kissing, ideally someone falling up some steps (I love people falling over) and then eventually back to the pitch crossing the plate as the batter swings at it and the umpire shouts 'strike three'.

 

:hello: