Renegades go renegade after videoboard meltdown

On Saturday morning, Hudson Valley Renegades director of digital media and video production Zach Neubauer woke up to a troubling reality. The control room computer that serves as the hub for videoboard graphics and video had ceased to function.

"Sometimes components go bad. We didn’t have a replacement and it couldn’t get fixed remotely," said Neubauer. "So, basically, you have a giant, useless piece of machinery. But the board still worked. You just couldn’t play anything to it."

The Renegades, High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, were scheduled to host the Aberdeen IronBirds on Saturday evening. Technical difficulties or not, the show had to go on.

Things are about to get WEIRD at the Dutch tonight. Tickets still available for what will either be the greatest night or the biggest train wreck ever 😳 pic.twitter.com/ypEXZlroXE

— HV Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 15, 2021

"Our first thought was that we'd have to leave [the videoboard] black and just apologize," said Neubauer. "But our IT guy, he brought up the idea that we could bypass the computer entirely and put camera shots up [on the videoboard]. Then our corporate sales guy, Zach Betkowski, said, 'Wouldn’t it be funny to use a chalkboard or whiteboard to mark balls and strikes?' We got excited about that, really just steering into the skid."

The result was a master class in Minor League Baseball problem solving. The Renegades' production staff updated balls, strikes, score and innings via a live shot trained on a whiteboard, which was relayed to the videoboard.

These handwritten whiteboard updates were accompanied by a variety of sight gags, unscheduled guest appearances and not-always-successful experimentation. The Renegades utilized this low-tech method for the entirety of Saturday and Sunday's games, getting more comfortable as they went.

"We kept track of balls, strikes and outs, and also added innings as we were going along," said Neubauer. "We had one headshot. I drew a stick figure and then an arrow, and next to that wrote 'headshot.' Then as we were going, we thought it'd be funny to do pitch speed. I was trying to think of a number that was comical, but ended up putting ‘Pitch Speed: Fast.’"

The Renegades' absurdist visuals were accompanied at all times by a hand-drawn Pepsi logo, as circumstances forced the team to broadcast from Dutchess Stadium's upper-level Pepsi suite.

"Proximity-wise it was the closest one, so we could run a cable in to get the shot," said Neubauer. "Sometimes the suite attendant would come in, crossing in front of the videoboard to get sodas out of the vintage Pepsi machine. The whole thought was to make it look as rough as we can. At one point [director of baseball operations] Joe Ausanio came in to talk to me, and he was standing in front of the videoboard for a half inning. 'By the way, you should move.' 'Oh, sorry!'"

There’s always tomorrow… which will once again involve a white boardhttps://t.co/dWxZS9RnjS pic.twitter.com/axE1JUfWwZ

— HV Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 16, 2021

"We also had a smaller whiteboard we wrote messages on, trying to figure out the best way to do sponsored stuff," added Neubauer. "We had messages from [raccoon mascot] Rascal asking for nachos all night, and then being upset when no one brought him any."

Over the course of the weekend, Renegades fans were also treated to pool noodle fights, a Mr. Potato Head dance cam, a cardboard cutout of Mike Piazza and instant replays re-enacted by bobbleheads. The team's next home game isn't until May 25, at which point all will (almost) assuredly be back to normal.

"We had a potentially awful situation and turned it around by having fun with it," said Renegades president Steve Gliner. "That’s my favorite part of working in Minor League Baseball. We always have the opportunity to read and react."

"There was a really dour atmosphere [Saturday] morning," added Neubauer. "But once we had an idea to cling to, the energy changed. Everyone was really excited to do something really silly. 'Yeah, let’s lean into this and make it as weird as possible!' No idea’s a bad idea, you know."