What are these strange black "plates" just off to the sides and marked with the Shure logo? Is it a special kind of mic?

Ian

Monitors?

Great videos - I believe those black plates are outdoor mic used for picking up crowd noise at stadiums and special events. I used to see them when I worked at a local TV station and taped football games. The larger TV stations used them because standard mics would immediately overload when the crowd roars. I remember having to turn off the shotgun mics on our TV cameras because the sound would immediately distort, then the auto controls would kick in and cut the sound completely.

Gary

Tried to watch but kept falling asleep. Nice job to have though.

Gary,

Thanks for your explanation. I guess they work the same way as piezoelectric floor mics.

Ian

Let's not forget Steve Hogan, AT&T ballpark organist for our beloved San Francisco Giants.
Have a listen to this fascinating 'audio presentation' tracing the history of ballpark organ/keyboard music.

The Organ Pipes are Still Singing at AT&T Park
Click on the Play button (to the left of "listen").

Those Shure paddles are antennas for wireless mics. There is probably a feed from the dugout or bullpen to give the player advance notice of certain player's "theme songs."

Steve hogan isnt playing a Tyros

"Tyrosist" ... did you coin that term?