YFC — The powers behind the throne: The videographers

Still photos are fine, but what really thrills the heart is to see yourself in action. That task falls to veteran cameramen Phil Celli and Collin Kelly.

Starting from Day One, these guys are schlepping their heavy cameras from one field to another — often putting themselves in harm’s way — to get every camper on tape. The idea is to catch the fantasy Yankees in all manner of play: at bat, in the field, chatting with their coaches and teammates, being “interviewed.” That’s just the first step. The more difficult and artistic component comes after everyone has gone home. Then Celli and Kelly — who have been working together since the late 1980s — get down to business, editing the raw footage, adding appropriate music, text, etc., until the finished product shines.

Celli — whose sports videos have appeared on such outlets as the YES Network, Fox News Channel, NBC Sports, NBC News, HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, ESPN, as well as on the big screen at Yankee Stadium — clearly enjoys the creative process. After one of our games, he took us to a practice field where he asked each of us to pick his particular fantasy sequence. For some of the more adventurous, this meant sliding into second base; for others, it was simply swinging a bat. I chose to scale the outfield fence to make home run-robbing catch. Took three takes; dropped the ball the second time. What can I tell you; outfield was never my position. That’s why this was my fantasy.

John Moroni, one of my Bombers teammates, suggested having us walk through the dark tunnel into the sunlight of the main field. Nice. Celli was quite open to suggestions. “Hey, it’s your fantasy,” is his response to each one.

The highlight will undoubtedly be the game against the Yankee legends, held on the last day of camp. Nothing can beat the thrill of playing against these former big leaguers, even though it’s all play acting.

These things aren’t cheap; the videos go for about $200 a pop, but like John said on several occasions, “You can’t put a price on this.”

It will take several weeks to produce the individually-tailored DVDs, but I know everyone who ordered one can’t wait until it arrives. Like I said, photos have their place; they are conversation starters as the subject tells the story behind each shot. But videos tell their own stories.

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Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports © 2009 New Jersey Jewish News

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