It didn’t mention Abledbody and I’m not really a Yankees fan, but I got a mention in today’s insightful New York Times article about Cory Macchiarola, the man who is behind the scenes captioning Yankees and Mets’ games for the deaf and hard of hearing. It’s a really tough job, I can imagine.
Macchiarola began his career captioning Yankees games for TV in real-time. Not only did he capture the broadcasters’ play-by-play, he also translated live commentary from the sportscasters — some who talk a mile a minute; others who discuss “obscure movies with foreign names or unexpected topics like the fear of flutes (aulophobia).”
After several grueling years with the Yankees, Macchiarola took a job at Citi Field to caption the comparatively easy public-address announcements at Mets’ games, which appear on the scoreboard. A lot of the text can be pre-programmed, including the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner and Sweet Caroline.
Interestingly, it has only been a two months since the Mets have even offered closed-captions on TV for the deaf and hard of hearing. The SNY Network had been taking advantage of a loophole in the Federal Communications Commission’s captioning requirements. Under pressure, however, the Mets relented and now captions appear on home games.
A question for Macchiarola: Did you ever pre-program text when sportscaster Michael Kay was working the booth? Kay is known for making predictable comments — so much so that a Yankees fan has created a drinking game in his honor.
