The Texas Rangers Win the West

Posted on September 26, 2010

Neftali Feliz #30 and Michael Young #10 of the Texas Rangers celebrate winning the American League Western Division title after the game between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, September 25, 2010, at the Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Rangers defeated the Athletics 4-3. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

 

We are in the thick of baseball’s pennant races as we approach the final week of the 2010 season, and I had a chance to be a part of the excitement first-hand yesterday in Oakland as the Texas Rangers clinched the American League Western Division title by defeating the Oakland A’s 4-3. The first place Rangers came to Oakland Thursday night for a four game series with a magic number of four over the second place A’s. Two Rangers wins would clinch the division, so the chances were good that I might be able to shoot the clinch in one of the day games this weekend. The Rangers lost Thursday, but won Friday, so this meant when I headed to the Coliseum Saturday morning I had to be ready to cover all aspects of a possible clinch while on assignment for Major League Baseball. I was excited as I arrived at the ballpark. The Rangers are one of my favorite teams and I knew they would have a good time if they won.

I’ve written in the past what a great group of guys the Rangers are. They make three trips a year to Oakland, and led by their cool manager Ron Washington this club is loaded with a talented roster of guys who like to have fun at the park, and they are not afraid to show it me before the game. As usual, the Rangers lived up to expectations before the game when I hung out on the edge of their dugout to photograph them getting ready to clinch the West. After shooting many portraits of their stoic leader Vladimir Guerrero my attention turned to my favorite guy on the team, Nelson Cruz. Cruz is the terrific power-hitting left fielder for the Rangers who always has a big smile for me before a game.

Yesterday was no different as minutes before the game Cruz was running around the dugout chasing teammate Elvis Andrus. Andrus fled up the steps onto the field and as Cruz tried to follow him his spikes slipped on the concrete and he went down in a heap on the dugout floor, much to the amusement of his teammates. I was on the other side of the dugout when this happened, but I managed to run over and grab a few quick frames before he got up (see above). This was a hysterical moment right before the game that showed me how loose this club was. I showed the images on the back of the camera to Cruz and he went nuts. This was going to be a good day.

Late in the game the Rangers took a 4-3 lead and it was time to start planing how to shoot the post game celebration on the field and the champagne bath in the tiny visiting clubhouse. Before the game started I prepped my wide angle camera for the champagne by putting on the terrific Aquatech rain cover for the camera and my strobe to keep my stuff dry. In the bottom of the 8th inning I went over to my remote camera on the backstop that was aimed at home plate all day for a play at the plate and re-positioned it by aiming towards the pitchers mound to try and capture a wide view of the celebration, knowing that there was no way of knowing where it might take place (see above).

I positioned myself inside third base (third base side of the backstop near the A’s dugout) to shoot action pictures my editor needed of Rangers closer Neftali Feliz. This is also where I wanted to shoot the celebration from, especially since no one else was over there. There is no magic spot to shoot post-game jube from. It is a total crap shoot. We all try and figure out who to focus on and where the players might turn as they jump in the sir, but we are all guessing. You never know if the final out will be a strikeout or a play on the field. This last out always dictates where the pitcher will face and where the pile will take place. All you can do is hope you get something, and if you get shut out there is always next time!

The game ended on a fly ball to left field, which made for an awkward celebration real close to me between the mound and third base. I figured what the Hell and went tight with the 400 knowing the light would be good (see top). I lucked out and got a few frames I liked with a nice and clean background, and I even got a nutty frame with the remote. I then headed upstairs towards the Rangers clubhouse to get ready for the champagne. I left my camera attached to the 400mm lens with my stuff behind the backstop and was ready to go with my bubbly-protected Canon Mark IV with a 16-35 zoom and flash. Luckily super duper A’s Media Service Manager Debbie Gallas came to the rescue before the game and secured clubhouse access for all of us working photographers, and Bruce the security guard made sure we were able to get in after the cooling off period.

The Rangers PR staff limited us still photographers to only three minutes in the clubhouse (I have NEVER had this happen before). By the time I got out of there I had what I needed, but I didn’t get anything great. I always seem to be on the wrong guy during these crazy celebrations. I will be waiting for something great to happen with the guys in front of me, then I will hear a yell on the other side of the clubhouse where the star of the team is going nuts. By the time I run over there it is all over and I am screwed. Oh well. I am hoping this will be just the tip of the ice berg and act as a practice session for me before a possible clinch in San Francisco this coming week. I can hope can’t I?