SB Nation User Blog: Flashfire

I might have to get one of these hats.

Flashfire — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:53:05 -0000

I might have to get one of these hats.

Pics: Philadelphia Phillies at Oakland A's

Flashfire — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:30:33 -0000

My first MLB game using the DSLR was close to one for the record books as Rich Harden flirted with perfection for just over half the game before a clean single by Philadelphia's Shane Victorino ended the suspense. Victorino would get both hits against Harden, who walked a batter and struck out a career-high 11 over 8 innings. The A's scored twice in the first then got a few insurance runs later, one of them courtesy of Carlos Gonzalez's second home run in the bigs. Final: A's 5, Phillies 0.

With me working so many minor league games in April and especially May, I just hadn't gone out to an A's game until now and to be honest part of the reason had to do with me not wanting to go back to using the old camera because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to bring the DSLR in. I'm just so accustomed to taking photos at a game, it's hard to consider leaving the camera home. Of course, cost is a big part of it as well. It's quite a difference to pay $50 for a seat around the infield compared to free field access in the minors when I cover a game there. I'm also used to much tighter restrictions at Warriors games, where they once told me my Panasonic Lumix was a "professional" camera and I couldn't bring it in. I never saw whoever said it again and didn't have any other problems using that camera, but I'm sure the DSLR is a different story.

I was happy to run into no issues taking my camera to the game. The A's seem to be a lot more lenient about it with the general rule being "no commercial use, no tripod, and don't block the views of others." I can easily work with that but I probably need to sit a little closer to the plate next time because I found that I had to use all 300mm of my lens just to have the pitcher/batter in most of the frame and it often left just enough of a focus issue that I wasn't satisfied with some of the results. I'm picky like that. It also led to me cropping some shots not as closely as I normally would.

Things came out a bit better around the mound but I ran into it again shooting past that around second and first. That's one thing about all that foul territory at McAfee Coliseum - you're far away from the field and it really shows when I'm shooting probably a good 100 feet away compared to half that or closer in a minor league ballpark with credentials. Still, I got some good results and I can build on that partially just by sitting somewhere else. I can compare this to past games I shot with the Panasonic and the difference is clear. First, the link to everything I put up, then some shots here.

6/26/08: Philadelphia Phillies at Oakland A's

Our own Brad Ziegler seems to be handling first pitch duties just fine, but it's too bad he didn't see any action against the organization he started out with:

I wonder what Patrol Craft is thinking?

Could it have had something to do with his home run later in the game? Note this and the other more horizontal shots will load larger versions with a click:

Touch 'em all!

And he got his uniform dirty, too! This was after getting thrown out at second as a run scored on an error in the 8th:

Utley: Toss!

Rollins: Catch!

Now we have a three-shot sequence of Chavy bowling over Carlos Ruiz on a play that would've gone differently if the ball was caught. I didn't get Sweeney's in the first as I was about as blocked as Chavy was here:

Jack Hannahan went reaching:

Forgot something?

Burrell: Yeah, I got this.

Raj drops one down, but Greg Dobbs makes a great barehand play:

This guy wasn't too shabby today. I'll bet Zebulon agreed:

You get nothing today and like it!

Seen this dude around a few times, too:

Pics: Stockton Ports at Lancaster Jethawks

Flashfire — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:11:28 -0000

Finally, the last game of the trip. May in particular was packed with games I could cover (ten), but now that we're getting more into the summer months most teams scale back drastically on their day games except for Sundays. Also, many of the midweek day games I look for early in the season end up being "education days" where kids from local schools attend. That makes for an interesting setting when the first 2/3 of the game is filled with kids making a lot of noise then the place suddenly goes silent as they all file back to their buses around the 7th inning, which I don't really get. If you're going to bring a group of kids to the game, let them see the whole thing.

Anyway, Lancaster changed over to an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox not too long ago and they definitely make sure people know about it (and why not?). They have their "Jethawk Nation," a "mini-monster" sign above the scoreboard in right, plus they play "Sweet Caroline" and then "Dirty Water" following a win.

Clear Channel Stadium, also known as The Hangar, has a full-size jet mounted in front of the main entrance and it calls attention to the aerospace legacy and military presence in the area, particularly Edwards Air Force Base. The design of the stadium itself is nearly identical to the one the Inland Empire 66ers use in San Bernardino, probably no surprise as both opened in 1996 and I'm certain they were designed by the same architecture firm. The concourse and seating setup is very similar and both have the same general roof design. There's nothing wrong with it - they're both cozy places to watch a game in.

The Ports and Jethawks engaged in a game of "Anything you can do I can do" as both scored single runs in the 3rd and 4th. Then Lancaster added the "better" part when they scored 4 in the 7th after Stockton took a brief lead on a solo home run by Matt Sulentic. Jorge Jimenez tied it with a single, Josh Reddick gave the Jethawks the lead with another, then Chih-Hsien Chiang's double plated the final two as Lancaster won 6-3.

After being a little displeased with some of the results in Visalia and Fresno, I went back to shooting with an ISO setting that got me better photos before and it worked well again here. The early part of the game had a decent cloud cover so the shadows were easier to deal with, but by the time the sun came out I got the usual brightness I'm used to working with during the middle of day. I also had the best weather of any place on the trip: 70s.

A sample, one of the last shots I took on this 10-day, 7-game trip that ended with 474 photos uploaded along with 55 more from an afternoon/evening in Joshua Tree National Park. Thanks to those who have looked. If you visit Scout.com, you should eventually see many of these on various player pages as well. Without them and the occasional work I do for SFDugout.com, I don't get this kind of access.

5/22/08: Stockton Ports at Lancaster Jethawks

Pics: Stockton Ports at Lancaster Jethawks

Flashfire — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:11:26 -0000

5/22/08: Stockton Ports at Lancaster Jethawks

Pics: Salt Lake Bees at Fresno Grizzlies

Flashfire — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:55:10 -0000

Of the seven games on my week and a half trip to the southern part of the state, this was the only Triple-A game I covered. While it was another hot day, it wasn't quite at the level it was in Lake Elsinore, Rancho Cucamonga or Visalia. Mid-90s, decent breeze, lots of water.

It was my second time in Fresno this month and also the second time Nick Pereira threw for the Grizzlies. While he wasn't quite as good as he was the first time against Omaha he pitched more than well enough for another win, working into the 7th inning and allowing two runs. Justin Leone went deep for Fresno, Brett Harper and Scott McClain had 2 hits apiece, and so did Brandon Wood for the Bees. 6-2 final.

This was another one of those games where I ended up with fewer action shots in the field than I was hoping for but that's the way it goes sometimes. I hadn't shot a game featuring Salt Lake before so I spent a little more time trying to make sure I got their hitters accounted for. Occasionally, that left me without enough room to switch over to the infield to set up in time for a shot. Still, I'm mostly pleased with the results. The stuff I tried in Visalia with the ISO settings did work a bit better here but I don't think I'm going to play around with that as much down the line.

A sample:

5/20/08: Salt Lake Bees at Fresno Grizzlies

Pics: Salt Lake Bees at Fresno Grizzlies

Flashfire — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:55:12 -0000

It was my second time in Fresno this month and also the second time Nick Pereira threw for the Grizzlies. While he wasn't quite as good as he was the first time against Omaha he pitched more than well enough for another win, working into the 7th inning and allowing two runs. Justin Leone went deep for Fresno, Brett Harper and Scott McClain had 2 hits apiece, and so did Brandon Wood for the Bees.

This was another one of those games where I ended up with fewer action shots in the field than I was hoping for but that's the way it goes sometimes. I hadn't shot a game featuring Salt Lake before so I spent a little more time trying to make sure I got their hitters accounted for. Occasionally, that left me without enough room to switch over to the infield to set up in time for a shot. Still, I'm mostly pleased with the results. The stuff I tried in Visalia with the ISO settings did work a bit better here but I don't think I'm going to play around with that as much down the line. 6-2 final.

A sample:

5/20/08: Salt Lake Bees at Fresno Grizzlies

Pics: Modesto Nuts at Visalia Oaks

Flashfire — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:13:43 -0000

The good news? I finally got a high-scoring game to shoot.

The bad news? It was about 100 degrees at this game and it lasted nearly three and a half hours.

Sometimes I have to be careful what I ask for because on a day like this I'd have taken a quick pitcher's duel without much offense. I don't like to leave a game early so it was vital to get a lot of water and what shade I could.

Visalia scored 5 in the 2nd and 3 more in the 3rd and had an early 8-4 lead, but Modesto kept chipping away before overcoming a 9-7 deficit in the 8th inning by plating 4 of their own for an 11-9 win. After Michael McKenry tied it on a walk, Matt Repec gave the Nuts the lead for good with a 2-run bloop single to right, doubling his RBI count on the day to 4. McKenry had 3 of his own. Visalia's Steve Mena homered and drove in 3 for the Oaks.

I tried shooting a little differently by upping the ISO settings to let in more light, allowing me to work with a faster shutter speed in exchange, but in many cases the digital noise it added left it not worth the trouble. I figured Visalia would be the place to try it since it's already a bit of a difficult place to shoot in and I did it again in Fresno the next day with some better results. It's something I can use here and there if I'm careful about the conditions.

Two samples this time, mainly because they're a couple shots I don't have the chance to shoot much, let alone actually get. I had a perfect angle for both:

5/19/08: Modesto Nuts at Visalia Oaks

Pics: High Desert Mavericks at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Flashfire — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:43:39 -0000

The first (and last) time I was at The Epicenter in 2005 I saw Andy Sonnanstine dominate for the Visalia Oaks. In this game, Rancho's Tommy Mendoza came close to one-upping him as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before allowing a 2-out, 2-run homer to Greg Halman. He'd end up going a full 7 before two relievers finished off a 6-5 Quakes win. Rancho was aided by 2 RBIs apiece from Anthony Norman and P.J. Phillips while Halman had 2 of the 3 hits on the day for the Mavericks.

Working in such a nice stadium is a lot of fun. Nothing against places like Visalia or Bakersfield, but they're simply not equipped the same because of how old they are. To Visalia's credit they're in the middle of renovations but I'll have to see if they allow for any field access or not. Like I said before, Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga have what I believe are the two best ballparks in the California League and I think the photos help show it. On another 100-degree day, the shade I was able to take advantage of in the dugouts helped beat the heat a lot.

You'll see a lot of non-action shots because they're easier to get and use later on for player pages and such on Scout.com, but I ended up posting a few more shots than usual here. Part of it was for the stadium itself but there are a few from the Maury Wills appearance as well. He threw out one of the first pitches and looked pretty good for 75 years young. As an aside, I also love Rancho's uniforms. I think they're among the best in the minors.

A sample:

5/18/08: High Desert Mavericks at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Pics: Stockton Ports at Lake Elsinore Storm

Flashfire — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:59:52 -0000

Along with yesterday's game in Rancho Cucamonga, Thursday's in Lake Elsinore resulted in me working in what are, in my opinion, the two best ballparks the California League has to offer. In fact, the way they're built and handled, they could pass for a Double-A facility, if not Triple-A (capacity notwithstanding).

On a day that neared 100 degrees, I watched Stockton's Jason Fernandez dominate the Lake Elsinore hitters to the tune of 2 hits over 8 innings. He doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, so he kept his defense active with a good mix of grounders and fly balls. The Ports rallied for a pair of runs and that was all Fernandez would need. He's not getting as much attention as other pitching prospects like Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, James Simmons, Henry Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez or Fautino de los Santos are, but it looks like Fernandez has just as good a shot at progressing through the system as any of them.

I enjoyed shooting at the Lake Elsinore Diamond quite a bit. Though the sun was a little tough when it came to shadows caused by the hats, it was in a very good position for me to get a lot of good, sharp shots. I got more action away from the mound and the plate in this one, including a couple diving catches in the outfield (though just after the ball went into the glove). Still working on timing grounders about to be fielded, though. It's definitely a place I'd like to work again sometime.

A sample:

5/15/08: Stockton Ports at Lake Elsinore Storm

Pics: Stockton Ports at Lake Elsinore Storm

Flashfire — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:00:21 -0000

5/15/08: Stockton Ports at Lake Elsinore Storm