Cameraman Who Shot Carlton Fisk Home Run Passes Away

The man who was behind the iconic Carlton Fisk “waiving it fair” homerun in game 6 of the 1975 World Series has passed away.   

Lou Gerard, an Emmy Award winning NBC cameraman, a World War II Army veteran and a Levittown resident for a number of years, passed away last Friday at the age of 86.   

Levittown resident John Yates was a good friend of Gerard’s, who lived right up the block from him on Turn Lane. He described Gerard as “one of the nicest gentlemen you’d ever want to meet.”   

“We immediately became friends and he wound up being a second father to me,” Yates said. “ We never shook hands - we hugged. I feel blessed that I was with him for a final hug.”   

The story of how Gerard shot the famous Fisk homerun - focusing on Fisk waiving his hands fair instead of the ball - is a story you might not have heard before. 

According to a St. Petersburg Times article in '99, a rat was to blame:   
"NBC's famous director, Harry Coyle, put had Gerard inside the Green Monster in left field with instructions to follow action. Wherever it goes, so goes Gerard's lens.
 But by the time Fisk came to bat in the bottom of the 12th with the score tied, Gerard had been joined inside the Green Monster by another kind of beast – a Fenway rat.  

…with Lou looking a rat in the eye, it was tough to pick up the ball. So when Fisk swung, Lou stayed with him at the plate and got the whole bit -- Fisk frantically trying to wave the ball fair and then the home-run trot.”   

The shot ended up becoming one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history.

Funeral service was held for Gerard on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Hicksville. 

Did you know Lou? Tell us in the comments below.