Rare Video Footage Surfaces from 2000 Sydney Olympic Baseball

As the official USA Baseball 2000 Olympic Team Press Officer at the Games in Sydney, Australia, my job was to coordinate all of the radio, TV and newspaper interviews between our athletes and our Manager, who happened to be Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda. That included the on-field interviews after games with NBC, which was carrying the live TV broadcast, and sending footage back to the USA.

One of the things that has been somewhat difficult to follow in the years since, is finding any of the results of those interviews, whether that be video, audio or newspaper articles. So what an awesome surprise it was, when as I was recently browsing through NBC’s website for the 2024 Paris Games on NBCOlympics dot com - I came across a “Classic Moments” section, where they have posted older Olympic footage and famous highlights from years in the past. Sure enough, they chose to feature highlights and post-game interviews of Team USA’s gut-wrenching, rain-delayed semifinal victory over South Korea, and Doug Mientikiewicz’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th to win it.

And as I was watching this, it was pretty cool to see my 30-year-old self back there in Sydney, on the field after the exhilarating win, high-fiving Mientkiewicz as he was being carried off the field! I remember the moment, but I don’t know if I recall ever seeing the NBC video footage get that far.

Blurry photo from the video footage of me high-fiving Doug Mientkiewicz as he is being carried off the field after his game winning home run.

They then chose to also include Mientkiewicz’s post-game interview with NBC’s Ted Robinson, and I can be seen several times in the background, handling my duties as Press Officer and coordinating things to set up Team USA Manager Tommy Lasorda for his interview as well. Tommy’s commentary is priceless as you can see the joy in his face, as he watched that game unfold and his American squad had clinched a spot on the podium, and a matchup with Cuba in the gold medal game.

I’m over Doug’s left shoulder, talking with our team logistics coordinator that was assigned to us in Sydney.

I guess I was looking for someone up in the stands, as NBC’s Ted Robinson begins his interview with Lasorda.

“We are one yard away from reaching the shore, and we will not drown. We WILL reach the beach” as Tommy correctly predicts that the Americans will go on to win the gold medal. Numerous times, I see myself in the background of Lasorda’s interview, even turning around to high five one of our players as he walks by. Such a strange feeling seeing yourself on video from over two decades ago. But also pretty exciting too. Brings back all the memories like it was yesterday.

Clapping and cheering with the Team USA fans that were remaining in the crowd, as I wait for NBC to finish up their talk with Lasorda.

NBC also adds some extra highlights of the gold medal game (that are hard to find footage of) the following night vs Cuba, when Team USA righthander Ben Sheets goes out there and tosses a complete-game, 3-hit shutout to dominate the Cubans and secure the gold. They show most of the big hits that we had in the game, and a lot of Sheets’ dominating curveball he had that night to strike out the Cubans. What a game!

To watch the videos, just log onto NBC’s Olympics website and find the Classic Moments section, and search for Baseball.

More of my own memories from Sydney, how USA Baseball put this entire roster together and detailed stories from all of the athletes on this memorable team, are chronicled in my book “Miracle on Grass” - available for sale on Amazon.