Pat Burrell #9 of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the game at AT&T Park on August 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Sometimes over the course of a long baseball season a surprising player will come out of nowhere to help a ballclub make a run for the pennant. Quite often the team that breaks spring training camp is not the same team that takes the field in August, and that is so true for the 2010 edition of the San Francisco Giants. This season the Giants claimed aging slugger Pat Burrell off the scrap heap on May 29 by singing him to a free agent contract. Burrell’s former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, released him ten days earlier. After signing a $16 million contract with the Rays in 2009 Burrell was deemed a failure in Tampa Bay and cut loose. The Giants had nothing to lose. They needed a big bat to add some pop to their meager offensive attack. Little did they know there were not getting an over-the-hill has been. They were getting Pat the Bat!

Pat Burrell of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the dugout before the game against the Boston Red Sox on June 26, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Ever since Burrell joined the Giants ballclub he has been a steady right-handed power bat in their lineup getting many clutch hits and winning many games with late-inning sacrifice flies and home runs. His recent numbers in August have been off-the-charts, especially when you factor in his game-wining home run against the Cubs on Wednesday night, and his two bombs in yesterday afternoon’s contest against the Cubbies, including a grand slam that sent the sell-out crowd at AT&T Park into a wild frenzy. Burrell’s recent heroics have vaulted him into Giants lore and made him an instant fan-favorite, loved by both men and women alike.

Pat Burrell #9 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the game at AT&T Park on July 31, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

My Facebook news feeds have been going crazy lately with fans showing their love for number 9. After yesterday’s grand slam my friend Ken Welch posted this as his status update: “Ladies and gentlemen, the NEW mayor of San Francisco – PAT the BAT!!!!!!!!!!!”

After his gaming winning homer on Wednesday night I updated my Facebook status with the simple phrase: “Pat the Bat!” This got quite the reaction from many of my friends who followed up with comments like this from San Diego Padres fan Matt Ginella: “I DON’T like this.” Later my friend Kelly Connell said “Pat is HOT! My personal favorite.” I later posted a picture of Burrell on Connell’s wall, under which she wrote: “Brad you just made my day!! I like to call him Patty Cakes.”

Reggie Smith of the San Francisco Giants bats during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1982. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The last time I remember an aging veteran coming to life late in the summer like Burrell to lead the Giants into the thick of the National League West division race was when Reggie Smith joined the club in 1982 (see above). During the magical Ron Pruitt super blooper season (called ever so dramatically on KNBR radio by Hank Greenwald in late September of 1982) Reggie socked 18 homers and knocked in 56 runs, playing in his last big league season. Reggie had many big hits for the Giants that season and helped lead them to an exciting 10-game winning streak in August.

Pat Burrell #9 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the game at AT&T Park on August 1, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Following Burrell and the Giants the past few weeks has been very exciting. My good friend Mike Wolcott and I have a funny game going where we text each other “Pat the Bat!” every time he does something big. The other night it got a little out of control as he did so many good things we seemed to be texting each other all night. When Burrell hit an 8th inning homer to beat the Cubs on Wednesday night I started to feverishly move my big fingers over the tiny keypad of my Motorola cell phone to text “Pat the Bat!” to Wolcott. Amazingly he beat me to it, and by a very wide margin. I wondered how he was able to text me so fast. He later told me, “I had “Pat the Bat” already typed in just in case he did something. As soon as he homered I hit the send button!

Tonight the second place Giants host the first place Padres in the first of three big weekend games in San Francisco. I will be a fan tonight with Wolcott and some other good Giants fans. I will be shooting the games on Saturday and Sunday. If you are at the game tonight and hear a “PAT – THE – BAT!” chant start in section 108 you will know it is us.

Russell Martin #55 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks off the field after striking out to end the game in the top of the 9th inning as Eli Whiteside #22 and Guillermo Mota #59 of the San Francisco Giants celebrate in the background after the game at AT&T Park on July 31, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. Anyone who follows their favorite team on a daily basis goes through so many highs and lows during the season that their entire day hinges on whether or not their ball club won or lost. I am a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan who first really started following the orange and black during their exciting 1973 season when I was an eight-year-old kid growing up in Fremont, California. I had a horrible temper when I was young and used to break some of my mom’s ceramics in the garage every time Randy Moffitt blew a save. I also learned early on about the the Giants rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers that dated back to their days in New York.

Freddy Sanchez #21 of the San Francisco Giants gets hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the game at AT&T Park on July 31, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

During my childhood the Dodgers were the better team and always seemed to beat up on my Giants. All nine regular season games from Dodger Stadium were televised on KTVU channel 2 in the Bay Area, and every telecast was a major event, since only 20 games were shown on TV over the entire season. I would get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach while watching and listening to KTVU sports director Gary Park call the play by play from Chavez Ravine. Sure, I was not the world’s biggest Park fan, but I was more afraid of the fact that my team would lose. Every game. Just hearing the baritone voice of famed Dodger public address announcer John Ramsey in the background of the telecast say, “Now batting for the Dodgers, Steve Garvey, first base” would make me sick. Garvey would usually hit a lined shot to the fence in right center field, knocking in two runs, causing the TV camera in center field to shake and the speakers on our Zenith color television to reverberate with the sound of the Dodger Stadium organ playing a scary tune that meant death to my Giants.

Scott Podsednik #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws his helmet after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the game at AT&T Park on July 31, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Over the years I remember so many great moments from the rivalry. My first big memory is the 1973 Labor Day grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning that Bobby Bonds hit at Candlestick Park to beat the Dodgers on NBC’s Monday Night Baseball. The win kept the Giants in the NL West race. Pitcher John Montefusco’s big league debut in September of 1974 at Dodger Stadium was a moment I will never forget watching on TV with my dad. The Count came in to relieve Ron Bryant in the bottom of the first inning and promptly went the rest of the way, hurling 9 innings and giving up only one run, while striking out seven. He also added a two-run home run for good measure. A star was born. At least in my eyes.

I was on hand at The Stick on May 28, 1978 when Mike Ivie hit his famous grand slam on Jacket Day. I was also at the park a few years later when hated Dodger Reggie Smith went into the stands near the Dodgers third base dugout to beat up a fan on a raucous Friday night. Things always seem better when you were a kid, but this past weekend I had the chance to photograph a few games between the Dodgers and Giants that brought back some great memories, and created some new ones.

Pat Burrell #9 of the San Francisco Giants hits a two-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the game at AT&T Park on July 31, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

A month ago I wrote about the Dodgers taking over AT&T Park. They swept the Giants just a month ago in San Francisco, but since then the Giants have been playing some really good baseball. Throughout the 2010 season there have been some tense moments between these two teams involving beanings, ejections, and suspensions. Many of these bad feeling spilled over to Saturday’s game when I was shooting the afternoon game. The Giants had won on Friday night, and the Giants looked to be in big trouble on Saturday as Dodgers hurler Chad Billingsley was busy mowing down the Giants and plunking several of their hitters. I was ready for an old-school brawl! Just when it looked like the Giants were dead in the water slugger Pat Burrell stepped up to the plate and sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy when he smoked a line shot over the left field fence in the bottom of the 8th inning for a two-run homer that gave the Giants a thrilling 2-1 win (see above).I did not end up with a great picture of the blast. I was a little late on getting the entire ball in the frame, and the celebration at home plate sucked from my angle, but I really didn’t care.

Matt Cain #18 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the game at AT&T Park on August 1, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants came into Sunday night’s 5:09 ESPN-mandated first pitch looking to sweep the Dodgers out of town and send them reeling. Of course I was thrilled to be able to shoot in the great late-afternoon light. The fog stayed away. I tried to maximize the quickly-shrinking sun-splashed infield by moving around every inning or so. I started outside first base, then moved behind the plate. After that I went inside third base and finally ended up outside third base to get a few frames of Giants started Matt Cain before the shadow engulfed him (see above). Once the sun was gone I hit the road and listened to the scary finish in my car during my long drive back to Pleasanton as the Giants held on for a 2-0 win, sweeping the Dodgers out of town and sending them 8 games out of first place, 6 1/2 games behind the Giants.

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants waits in the on deck circle during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park on August 1, 2010 in San Francisco, California. Photo by (Brad Mangin)

There are two months left in the season and the Giants are hanging around with a 61-45 record. They are in second place in the division and leading in the wild card. All I can ask is for their games to be meaningful in September, but now I am starting to get greedy. I want more. After this weekend I think they might be able to deliver. It will be a bumpy ride, but it should be fun.

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants chases a foul ball against the Florida Marlins during the game at AT&T Park on July 29, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants I can count on one hand the impact position players the organization has drafted and developed who have gone on to star with the big club. The first home-grown stud of my childhood was Jack Clark. Damn I loved watching Clark hit during the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. It was painful to listen to his post-game interviews on KSFO, but that was the price we paid as Giants fans to watch Clark scald the ball all over Candlestick Park. During my high school years in the early 80′s we were all clamoring for the Giants to bring Charles “Chili” Davis up from Phoenix. He was going to save us. He was pretty good and fun to watch when he would break a bat over his knee after striking out, but he never became the superstar we wanted when he wore the orange and black.

Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants enters the dugout before the game against the Boston Red Sox on June 26, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Next we had the Golden Spikes Award winner out of Mississippi Valley State, Will Clark. Clark made his famous Giants debut in 1986 and homered in his first at bat off Nolan Ryan on Opening Day at the Astrodome in Houston. A few days later he homered in the home opener that I attended with my sister Paula off Astros lefty Bob Knepper. Clark, along with teammate Matt Williams, were the last two great Giants position players developed within the organization. Until a young catcher and Golden Spikes Award winner was drafted out of Florida State University in 2008 named Gerald Demp Posey.

Buster Posey #28, Jonathan Sanchez #57 of the San Francisco Giants and mascot Lou Seal walk towards the dugout before the game against the Florida Marlins at AT&T Park on July 28, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Entering the 2010 season the Giants had gone over two decades since they developed their own blue-chip position player. As we enter the August pennant races it appears that the drought is finally over. I wrote back in September of last year that rookie catcher Buster Posey was the new Giants phenom. Looks like I was right! Posey was called up to the big club on May 29, 2010 and he has never looked back. After playing mostly first base for the first month or so he finally became the every day catcher on July 1 and has been on fire since then. He enjoyed a 21 game hitting streak in July and enters tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting .358 with 8 homers and 34 RBI.

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Florida Marlins during the game at AT&T Park on July 28, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The addition of Posey to the Giants lineup has sparked the club, increased their run production and helped the team contend in the National League West. Besides his potent bat the young backstop is terrific behind the plate. He calls a good game and has a cannon for an arm, already developing a reputation around the league as a guy you don’t want to run on.

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants makes a play in front of the plate and throws out a runner at first base against the New York Mets during the game at AT&T Park on July 17, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Having Posey in the Giants lineup every day has also helped me. As a photographer I love having the opportunity to shoot him on a daily basis. He has a beautiful right-handed swing that is a joy to photograph. He looks good from third base when he turns and can also look terrific from first base when he goes the other way and hits the ball to right field. From the beginning with his high leg kick to the finish with his nice follow-through his swing makes Posey one of those guys you need to shoot every time he comes to the plate.

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants runs the bases against the Florida Marlins during the game at AT&T Park on July 28, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As if Posey’s awesome swing isn’t enough to shoot- he is also a catcher! Have I ever mentioned how much I love photographing catchers? I love the gear, the mask, and all the activity that goes on behind the plate. I have made so many great pictures of catchers before, but they are usually of crappy guys that no one cares about. Now that Posey is the Giants everyday catcher I can spend some days just concentrating on him, waiting for him to rip off his mask and make a play.

I am very spoiled having the chance to shoot baseball for a living in the beautiful Bay Area. Now my job has become even better with the addition of Posey in front of my lens. I could not ask for a better subject. I hope he remains in a Giants uniform for a long time.

Mark DeRosa #7 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News have Tweeted within the hour that San Francisco Giants left fielder Mark DeRosa will have season-ending wrist surgery. What took so long for everyone to decide to get this done? The Giants signed DeRosa to a two-year $12 million deal in the off season. The big problem is that DeRosa had wrist surgery over the winter and things didn’t go so well, making it look like the Giants got damaged goods.

Mark DeRosa #7 of the San Francisco Giants is tagged out at second base attempting to steal by Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley #26 during the game at AT&T Park on April 28, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Of course when DeRosa started off the season batting like Bruce Miller by hitting weak ground balls and lazy fly balls everyone said he was fine. But if you knew anything about baseball and how badly a wrist injury can hurt a guys ability to hit the ball hard and yank line drives into the corner you could tell that something was not right. Pro sports teams will NEVER admit when a player like DeRosa is hurt. All public comments will say that he is fine. Normally that strategy works, except this time DeRosa went against tradition and told the media that the left wrist surgery he underwent last year was a “total failure” in early May. The surgery he had on Oct. 26, 2009 to repair a torn tendon sheath in his wrist had not worked.

Mark DeRosa #7 of the San Francisco Giants gets hit by a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As soon as DeRosa went public that his wrist was still a mess and he could not hit worth a damn it was apparent to me that he needed to have surgery quickly so he could have enough time to rehab the injury and be ready for spring training in 2011. However, the Giants and DeRosa for some reason though he might be able to rest the wrist, go though some minor league rehab games and come back to help the Giants. No chance.

Mark DeRosa of the San Francisco Giants bats during the game against the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park on May 1, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

DeRosa seems like a great guy. He is terrific during his weekly radio show on KNBR and is supposed to be a great clubhouse guy. However, you can’t help the club in the tub, and after he signed the big free agent deal with the Giants they need to have him for at least one season, even if it is not till 2011.

All the Giants and their fans can do now is hope that DeRosa’s surgery to repair his tendon sheath in his left wrist will be successful. He also needs to have his carpal tunnel “released” to allow for better nerve conduction, as he has had nerve problems in the same wrist.

I was looking forward to watching DeRosa play this year. I did not have a chance to photograph him much since his season ended so quickly. I hope I have the chance to shoot a healthy DeRosa in Scottsdale next March.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants kneels on the ground after getting hit with a line drive during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Freak. Seabiscuit. The Franchise. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has been called many things in his short big league career. The one word no one has wanted to call Lincecum is injured. This is why what happened yesterday during the Orioles and Giants game at AT&T Park in San Francisco was so scary.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Ever since Lincecum made his debut with the Giants in 2007 Giants fans have had a special bond with the young and frail-looking pitcher. This is a kid who most scouts said would never be able to hold up as a big league pitcher due to his slight frame and crazy delivery. Two Cy Young Awards later and all of those scouts are eating their words.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Lincecum has struggled on the mound for the past month or so. He has had a hard time with his mechanics has not been able to consistently locate his fastball, resulting in many more walks than usual as he struggled with his command. He seemed to be getting back to his old self last week when he beat the A’s, and the fans were looking forward to seeing him work against the Orioles yesterday on a glorious day at the ballpark by the bay.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants puts on a batting helmet in the dugout during the game against the Baltimore Oriole at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Lincecum had nasty stuff and was piling up strikeouts as the game wore on, but he was also walking a few guys and getting hit pretty well as the Giants tried to cling to a small lead. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning and his pitch up over 100 for the day I was shooting Orioles batter Miguel Tejada from the outside third base camera well next to the Giants dugout. Tejada hit a smash and as I shot his swing I heard the crowd groan and then cheer. I swung my 400 2.8 to the mound to see Lincecum curled up in a ball (see top photo). I realized the ball hit him. Tejada’s liner glanced off Lincecum’s shoulder and caromed to second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who made an nice play for the inning-ending out. Lincecum slowly got up and walked off the field with the trainer.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants kneels on the ground after getting hit with a line drive during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I immediately assumed the worst and was worried about the kid. I feared he was injured. Since I was situated near the dugout I could see in there and noticed that Lincecum was joking with teammates showing them where the ball hit him. He seemed fine. “I was more shocked than anything,” Lincecum said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just lie there. I was like, OK, I’m fine. I can get up now.”

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants yells in the dugout after teammate Juan Uribe #5 hit a home run in the bottom of the 6th inning during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at AT&T Park on June 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As soon as Lincecum got settled in to the dugout and unbuttoned his jersey Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe hit back-to-back home runs giving the Giants the lead and making Lincecum the pitcher of record on the winning side. Lincecum went nuts yelling and screaming when Uribe’s ball left the yard (see above). After some nervous moments with the bullpen, closer Brian Wilson came in to notch a five out save. Wilson’s heroics gave the Giants a 6-3 win and Lincecum a 7-2 record. The best news of the day was the post-game news from the clubhouse that Lincecum was OK. He would be making his next start in Houston next week. Giants fans can breathe a little easier now.

Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants is taken out at second base by Oakland Athletics base runner Kurt Suzuki during the game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on June 15, 2008. The Athletics defeated the Giants 5-3. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Oh boy, the 2010 Bay Bridge Series continues tonight in San Francisco, and the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants just hate each other. Actually, the players on both sides don’t give a shit. But the fans seem to enjoy the six games the two teams have played against each other every year since interleague play began in 1997. As a Giants fan this series always scares me because the A’s always seem to kick the Giants ass, and this year has been no different as the A’s swept the Giants in Oakland a few weeks ago.

Mark Kotsay of the Oakland Athletics bats against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA on July 3, 2004. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The A’s have a 42-35 edge in the overall series, and I am shocked that it is that close. It seems like the A’s smoke the Giants every year. The A’s fans love nothing more than to beat the Giants, especially back in the day when the Giants were so easy to hate when Barry Bonds patrolled left field for the orange and black. The A’s have always been the bastard step child of the Bay Area, like the Mets are in New York and the White Sox are in Chicago. The A’s fans have a chip on their shoulder, and the hardcore A’s fans are good at invading the Giants home ballpark with their banners and drums in the bleachers. The Giants have more fans, but they tend to be more casual and boring compared to the A’s fans, and this is one of the things that makes this series so interesting.

Marco Scutaro of the Oakland Athletics is safew at first base as San Francisco Giants first baseman Pedro Feliz takes the late throw at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA on July 4, 2004. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I have attended many Bay Bridge Series games in San Francisco, both as a fan and as a photographer. I will be going tonight as a fan to sit in my season ticket box seats with Eric Olson, my catcher from Little League. Eric has always been a huge A’s fan, going back to the days when he caught me pitching for the Orioles at Fremont’s Mattos Elementary School in 1976. Eric has hung with his team through good times and bad as his job and personal life has taken him all over the world. Now he is back living in the Bay Area with his family and able to attend many A’s games in person. I am so excited to be going with him tonight, but I will be nervous about his team winning again. They always seem to beat the Giants!

Mark Kotsay of the Oakland Athletics is tagged out at home plate by San Francisco Giants catcher Eliezer Alfonzo at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA on June 25, 2006. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

After being a fan tonight I will be shooting the beginning of tomorrow night’s 6:05 game to shoot the pretty light before it disappears. Barry Zito will be starting for the Giants and the A’s usually knock the crap put of him. He is due to pitch well against his former team for the first time since he came to the Giants in 2007. Or he will give up 8 runs.

I will be happy if the Giants can win two out of three games this weekend. Anything would be better than the sweep they lost to the A’s last month at the Coliseum. It all starts tonight on Orange Friday at the ballpark. The Giants are 4-0 wearing their new orange jerseys on Friday nights. I hope they make it 5-0 behind Tim Lincecum tonight. One final thing. If I see ANYONE wearing one of those ridiculous A’s / Giants split hats this weekend I will snatch it off their head and set it on fire.

Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants reacts and squeezes his batting helmet after losing the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 22, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I know it’s early. We haven’t even reached Memorial Day. However, the recent Bay Bridge Series in Oakland between the A’s and Giants this past weekend was a story of two teams going in opposite directions. On one hand the Oakland A’s did everything right. They pitched great, played wonderful defense, moved runners over and got key hits when they needed them. On the other hand the San Francisco Giants pitched well, but their anemic offense could only muster one run over 27 innings. The result? The A’s swept all three games by scores of 6-1, 1-0 and 3-0. It was ugly for us Giants fans, yet being able to photograph the day games on Saturday and Sunday was very therapeutic for me.

Aaron Rowand #33 of the San Francisco Giants reacts and throws his bat after flying out in the 9th inning against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 22, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I was shooting stock pictures at both games for myself and Major League Baseball Photos. The weather was cool but nice, and I was excited to have a chance to shoot the Giants in their road grays. There was a great vibe at the old mausoleum in Oakland as the A’s sold out all of the games. The fans were into the action and with their home team playing well they had much to cheer about. There were also a number of Giants fans wearing their orange and black colors in the stands, but they never had a chance to make any noise as A’s pitchers shoved the Giants bats up their asses all weekend long.

Bench coach Ron Wotus #23 of the San Francisco Giants rubs his eyes in the dugout during the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 23, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants horrible offense got off to a decent start early in the season and seemed to be an improvement over last season. However the games of late have been so painful to watch as the starting pitchers have done a nice job, only to get stuck with the losses because their teammates can’t score any runs for them. Look no further than Jonathan Sanchez who has started five games this season in which his team has been shut out. That is crazy! As the Giants sad story began to unfold in Oakland I found myself with nothing left to do but try and tell the story of their misery through my pictures. It became a game for me, and since it is easy to win at my own games I had a better chance at victory than the Giants did.

First base umpire Greg Gibson #53 throws manager Bob Geren #17 of the Oakland Athletics out of the game for arguing during the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 23, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Everything came to a head on Sunday afternoon as both teams couldn’t get anything going with the bats. In the top of the 7th inning A’s manager Bob Geren got in a heated argument with first base umpire Greg Gibson and got tossed from the game (see above). This seemed to spark his club as they put three runs on the board over the last two innings to finish off the hapless Giants. The Giants continued to play flat and you could sense the frustration as they got down to their final outs.

Aubrey Huff #17 of the San Francisco Giants sits in the dugout after the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 23, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants weekend was capsulized in Aubrey Huff’s final at bat in the top of the 9th inning. He crushed a ball to deep center field that was caught for a harmless out. As I was shooting from the outside first base photo well near the Giants dugout I could see him seething as he slowly walked back to the dugout. Within minutes the game was over and I immediately looked into the dugout to see if any Giants were lingering after the game looking sad. There was Huff sitting on the dugout bench for a minute or so and I thought his frustration really told the story. On the other side of the field the guys in the green and gold were celebrating another fine win over their cross-bay rivals, but I chose to shoot the losers.

Yes, it is still early, and the Giants are still over .500 with a 22-21 record. But man are they hard to watch! As Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper likes to say, “Giants baseball: TORTURE!”

Brian Wilson #38 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates after the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

One of the best things I can say about this year’s San Francisco Giants team is at least they are relevant. People in the Bay Area care quite a bit about this ballclub that wins more games than it loses. Fans are hanging on every pitch, and each loss is followed by hours of complaining phone calls on KNBR about everything from owner Bill Nekom’s bow ties to Pablo Sandoval’s weight.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, May 15, 2010, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Astros 2-1. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos)

After the Giants were swept at home last week to the San Diego Padres many fans were ready to abandon the season over cries that the Giants sucked, and it was only May 13! There was still lots of baseball left to be played in the 2010 season and with the hapless Houston Astros coming to town for a three game series over the weekend there was a good chance the Giants would get healthy in a hurry.

Humberto Quintero of the Houston Astros laughs in the dugout before the game between the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, May 15, 2010, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Astros 2-1. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos)

Even though they were fresh off their own three game sweep over the powerhouse St. Louis Cardinals on the road, the Astros club that came to town on Friday night was a far cry from the club that made it to the World Series five years ago. I was excited to have the chance to see all three games in person, as I had tickets in my season ticket box seats for the game on Friday night, and I would be shooting the day games on Saturday and Sunday.

Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants takes batting practice before the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Friday night was a great time at the park as the Giants very scary fifth starter Todd Wellemeyer took to the mound for the 7:15 first pitch wearing the new bright orange jerseys the Giants wear for every Friday night home game. Wellemeyer pitched unbelievably well in leading the Giants to an 8-2 laugher over an Astros squad that featured a few guys in their starting lineup whom I had never heard of. I had a great time at the park with my sister Paula and some friends, and drove home that night thinking Saturday could be another good day with Tim Lincecum taking the ball for the Giants in a nationally televised game on FOX.

Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Houston Astros during the game at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I got to the park early on Saturday morning hoping to shoot some batting practice, but it was canceled for pre-game activities on the field. Bummer. I had 2 1/2 hours to kill before first pitch. Once the game got going you could tell it was going to be a low scoring affair as Lincecum was grinding out a good start despite not having his best stuff. His opponent Roy Oswalt was dealing, and with the Giants anemic offensive attack I was thinking that Lincecum might lose a 1-0 heart breaker. When Juan Uribe hit a two-run bomb in the middle of the game it was like the Giants were saying, “There’s your two runs kid. Don’t give up any more and we win 2-1.” Easier said than done.

Andres Torres #56 of the San Francisco Giants hits a two-run home run in the first inning during the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Lincecum did his best by going eight gutty innings before turning things over to closer Brian Wilson who nailed down one of the scariest saves EVER by closing out the 2-1 win by finally retiring Kazuo Matsui with two outs and the bases loaded with the 15th pitch on a 3-2 count in one of most epic battles I have ever seen.

Aaron Rowand #33 of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run against the Houston Astros during the game at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Sunday morning started off better for me as both teams took batting practice so I was able to have fun and shoot many candid portraits of players on both the Astros and Giants under nice and soft overcast light. This time it was Barry Zito’s turn on the mound for the Giants and I was excited to have the chance to photograph him for the first time during the daytime in the 2010 season. Zito pitched a good game, Andres Torres and Aaron Rowand both hit big home runs and Wilson closed out a 4-3 win for the Giants by once again retiring Matsui for the final out of the game with runners on base. Wilson lived life on the edge this past weekend and he let out a rare yell after Matsui swung and missed at strike three (see photo at top).

Pablo Sandoval #48 and Andres Torres #56 of the San Francisco Giants celebrate after the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on May 16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I had a great time over the weekend watching some good baseball and hanging out with my friends. Shooting the Giants much more fun when they are playing well. As I edited my pictures last night listening to KNBR after the game fans were happy with the sweep (even though it was over the lowly Astros) and excited about the coming week of games. Baseball is a long season. They play every day. As my friend Marty Lurie says, “The baseball season is like a book and every day we get to read a new chapter.” So far I am enjoying reading the book about the 2010 Giants. They are 21-15, just 1/2 game behind the first place Padres. They have many more games to play this season, and I have many more games to photograph. That makes me happy.

Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Mention the name Barry Zito to a sports fan in the San Francisco Bay Area and you are bound to get a strong reaction. For the past several years it was disgust and anger about the $126 million contract he signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1997. Fans were especially upset because Zito did not get off to a good start with his new club and pitched rather poorly in the orange and black. Fans wanted the see the fun-loving lefty twirl the same magic he did while wearing the green and gold while pitching for the Oakland A’s.

Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics licks some lollipops during a game against the Anaheim Angels at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on July 23, 2000. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Fast forward to 2010 and fans all over the Bay Area are talking about Zito in glowing terms. Giants fans have wanted to love Zito for years, and thanks to his stellar 4-0 start this year they can’t contain themselves. Fans are showering number 75 with chants of “Barry! Barry! Barry!” at AT&T Park when he pitches and giving him standing ovations. One of the trainers at my gym named John came up to me this morning all excited about Zito and wanted to talk about his great start.

Barry Zito plays guitar at the Pyramid Brewery in Albany, California on May 24, 2003. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Little did I know when I shot Zito making his big league debut for the A’s on July 22, 2000 that he would become such a polarizing figure in Bay Area sports lore. A’s fans loved the zany lefty who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2002, brought satin pillows with him on the road during his rookie year,  brought a giant stuffed bear into the dugout with him, surfed, and played guitar. Zito pitched on some great teams in Oakland and helped to form the best pitching staff in baseball with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. Zito could do no wrong and seemed very comfortable doing his thing in front of sparse crowds at the Oakland Coliseum.

Brad Mangin and Barry Zito hang out behind the plate during an Oakland A's game at the Oakland Coliseum on July 31, 2003. (Photo by Michael Zagaris)

Besides being a fan-favorite Zito was also a media darling during his days in Oakland. He would even chat with us photographers on days he didn’t pitch as he had many questions about photography since he was starting to shoot pictures during the 2003 season. One day I was shooting Tim Hudson pitching from behind the plate with my Canon EOS-1D digital camera and Zito came over to talk photography. Zito had just picked up his own Canon EOS-1D and had some questions about it. He looked at my camera to see what settings I was using and then he got all excited. “Dude- you’re shooting in RAW!” Zito said. “How do you know what RAW is?” I said. “Dude- I read the manual,” Zito said. Amazing. There is no way any other ballplayer knew what RAW was. This told me how cerebral Zito was.

Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics works out during spring training camp at Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona on February 23, 2005. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Soon Zito got himself an Epson printer and ditched his Windows laptop for an Apple laptop when A’s team photographer Michael Zagaris and I could not help him with some editing problems he was having on his machine. We told him all creative types used a Mac. Zito made the switch.

Barry Zito and Brian Sabean show off Zito's new San Francisco Giants jersey as Zito is introduced to the media at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California after signing his 7-year, $126 million contract on January 3, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

What can I say? I was a fan of Zito’s. He was a really nice guy and a talented pitcher who really seemed to get it. I was thrilled when my team, the Giants, signed him to the huge 7-year contract and introduced him to the world on January 3, 2007 (see above). I was sad to see Zito get off to such a horrible start with the Giants. He had bad body language and was getting hit hard. He had no command over his pitches and the fans were all over him. Of course, the big thing that upset everyone was the contract. It was all about the money to the fans, and I can’t blame them.

Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants plays guitar and sings at a charity jam concert he organized to benefit two non-profits at Ruby Skye nightclub in San Francisco, California on May 24, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The money never bothered me. I just wanted him to pitch like he was capable of doing. I have never cared how much money a player makes. I have never cared if a player took steroids. Or took greenies. Or drank red juice. I just want to be entertained, and I want to have some good ball to shoot when I am working. But man was it ugly for Zito his first few seasons with the Giants. The fun wacky stories and quotes don’t come off too good when you aren’t performing, so Zito did a good job of laying low and trying to get his game back together.

Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Since Zito is so into how he looks and feels on the mound, I find it fitting that his turn around this season has coincided with his wearing of the new orange and black-striped socks. In spring training two months ago Giants Managing General Partner Bill Neukom dictated that the Giants would now offer their players retro striped socks to wear. Most players these days have the awful look of long pants with no socks showing, but Zito has always gone with the high socks look. In Oakland he wore the green stirrups over the gold sanitaries. Ever since he came to the Giants he simply wore black socks with no stirrups. This new addition to the team wardrobe allowed him to modify his look as he started wearing his pants high, showing off the new socks from day one of spring training in Scottsdale.

Barry Zito is Back! – Images by Brad Mangin

So, is it the socks? All I know is Zito is pitching like his old self (finally) and Giants fans, including me, are happy. Of course it could all go bad over the next five months, but it has been fun watching Zito get off to the best start of his career. Most of all, I am happy for Zito. When he is pitching well like this his radio interviews are funnier, he smiles more, and the team wins. Don’t worry about the money Barry. I don’t. Just worry about having fun out there on the mound and everything will continue to fall in place.

General exterior view of the San Francisco Giants home stadium AT&T Park during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I have always loved ballparks. Ever since I was a kid I really did think that a ballpark, or stadium back then, was truly a special place. A cathedral if you will. It was the place where they played the great game of baseball. Of course, my favorite ballpark was about as far away from being a true “ballpark” as you could find on the planet Earth: Candlestick Park! I loved Candlestick because that is where my San Francisco Giants played ball. This was the 1970′s and The Stick was covered in the hardest lime-green AstroTurf in the Major Leagues. It was ugly, cold and windy, but I loved it! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my favorite team would eventually figure out how to build their own ballpark, and make it the best in all the land. Those of us lucky enough to call the Bay Area home are truly blessed to be able to attend ballgames at AT&T Park.

General exterior view of the San Francisco Giants home stadium AT&T Park during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It is hard to believe that Pacific Bell Park opened up 10 years ago in 2000. After changing it’s name to SBC Park a few years later it finally settled on the name AT&T Park in 2006. Over the years I have enjoyed photographing this cool ballpark ever since they broke ground on December 11, 1997. I later shot pictures of the ballpark when they had the first batting practice in early 2000 and a few weeks later when put down the first sod as grass started to grow for the first time in the new ballpark.

General exterior view of the San Francisco Giants home stadium AT&T Park during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on April 24, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Once the park opened on April 11, 2000 it was apparent that our new ballpark was very photogenic. In the first few weeks of the season I photographed the park from many different angles, both inside and out. I quickly realized that my favorite images of the park were taken from the outside at dusk. In 2000 I was shooting on color slide film and really liked what I saw when I got the chrome back from the lab. Pacific Bell Park looked great at night, and I needed to make sure I continually documented it’s beauty over the years as the name and it’s surroundings changed.

Nighttime general overall exterior view of AT&T Park with McCovey Cove in the foreground during the game between the Philadelphia Philles and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 26, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Fast forward to this past weekend and I decided that now was the time to shoot some updated pictures of the old yard (this time with my Canon Mark IV- no more slide film!). I went to the park on Saturday night to shoot the first few innings of the 6:05 start against the Cardinals to photograph the pitchers and a few other things. My goal was to leave the game early and shoot some pretty exteriors of the front of the park showing off the palm trees that are surrounded by new orange lights this season. I had to wait about 45 minutes for the sky to get the perfect shade of dark blue, but with the moon shining bright down on the park the conditions were perfect for a few pictures before the sky went black.

Nighttime general overall exterior view of AT&T Park with the statue of former San Francisco Giants great and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey #44 in the foreground during the game between the Philadelphia Philles and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 26, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I went back to the park last night for the 7:15 first pitch between the Phillies and Giants to shoot Phillies ace Roy Halladay. My plan was to shoot him for the first two innings and then leave the park in time to head over to the McCovey Cove side of the ballpark beyond the right field fence to shoot a few more pretty pictures of the park before the sky went too dark. I had a ball shooting from the Lefty O’Doul Bridge as the lights from the park made some nice reflections in the water.  I then headed over to the Willie McCovey statue to shoot a few more frames with the statue in the foreground and the park and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background. I was really happy with the results and was even happier being able to listen to a Giants victory on the radio as I drove home.

Next I need to shoot some new pictures from inside the park at dusk. I am in no rush to do that right now. I want to enjoy watching a few of these night games on television from the comfort of my living room.