Manager Dusty Baker #12 of the Cincinnati Reds gets ready in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on August 9, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

One of the best stories in Major League Baseball this season is the spectacular season the Cincinnati Reds are having. Sitting atop the National League Central standings with a 78-55 record the Reds hold an 8-game lead over the second place St. Louis Cardinals. The main reason? Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker. Dusty has led a team of talented young players to the best record of any ball club to play along the Cincinnati riverfront in over a decade. This is no surprise to those of us in the Bay Area who have followed Dusty’s managerial career since he made his debut with the San Francisco Giants in 1993.

Hitting coach Dusty Baker of the San Francisco Giants throws soft toss to Greg Litton before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1987. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I have so many memories of Dusty as a player, first as Henry Aaron’s teammate in Atlanta, and later as a slugging left fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers who had so many big hits against the Giants. And who could forget Dusty’s leap in vain over the chain-link left field fence at Candlestick Park on May 28, 1978 as he tried to snare Mike Ivie’s grand slam on Jacket Day?

Matt Williams, Dusty Baker and Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants talk during a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1993. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Fast-forward to the magical 1993 season at The Stick when Dusty led the Giants to 103 victories in his first year of piloting the orange and black, and you could tell that Dusty had a special way with his players. He also had a way with everyone else at the ballpark from security guards and grounds keepers to opposing players. I watched this behavior from opening day in 1993 (when the Grateful Dead sang the National Anthem) till the heartbreaking final game of that season at Dodger Stadium when they lost the Western Division flag by one game to the Atlanta Braves.

Manager Dusty Baker of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during a game against the New York Mets at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Besides being a solid manager who won the National league’s Manager of the Year Award in his first season with the Giants (1993), Dusty quickly became one of my favorite people to photograph, and that continues to this day. Dusty has a great face and is not afraid to show his emotions. The way he interacts with his players, watches a game from the dugout, and argues with umpires always makes for a good picture.

Manager Dusty Baker of the San Francisco Giants holds his son Darren Baker before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 2002. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Dusty had a very successful run here in San Francisco, but between having to deal with Barry Bonds every day and meddling ownership things got ugly in 2002, and after they lost the World Series to the Angels there was no way he would be able to come back and manage the Giants in 2003. There were too many bad feelings on both sides, and it was probably good for everyone that he left to manage the Chicago Cubs. After coming one game from leading the Cubs to the World Series in 2003 things continually go worse for Dusty in Chicago and he found himself out of baseball a few years later, doing television work and spending more time with his family.

Manager Dusty Baker of the Cincinnati Reds smiles in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum on June 23, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

A few years ago Dusty got back into baseball when the Reds asked him to be their manager, and after a few down seasons they have come on strong this year and are a joy to watch. They hit the crap out of the ball, they pitch well, and they play hard for their skipper. Best of all we had a chance to see Dusty twice this season in the Bay Area as the Reds played in both Oakland and San Francisco. Dusty has mellowed as he has become older and he seems to love coming back to his northern California home, where so many people still love him. I enjoy getting the chance to see Dusty and shake his hand every time I see him, and I hope I have that chance again in October as he leads the Reds into the post season. Dusty has always been the coolest guy in the room, wherever he is. The post-season will be that much cooler with the Reds joining the party.

Evan Longoria #3 of the Tampa Bay Rays runs the bases while wearing blue and white striped socks against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 22, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Yesterday’s ballgame between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A’s at the Coliseum was going nowhere fast. There wasn’t much of a batting practice, the food in the press dining room was so bad I had to resort to a plate full of fruit and Tater Tots, and the Rays did not hang around the dugout before the game for feature pictures. Once the game got going I knew I had to work on something to avoid falling asleep in the third base photo box. I had to make sure my day at the ballpark was not a total waste. Luckily I had one of the best players in the game to shoot: Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.

Evan Longoria #3 of the Tampa Bay Rays rips a two-run double down the left field line against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 22, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Longoria has been in the league a few years, but he has always been difficult for me to photograph. He is a great right-handed hitter, but his swing is not very photogenic. Every time the Rays come to Oakland I try to get a real nice swing picture of him turning from the third base side, but I always have bad luck. He has an extremely quick bat that generates tons of power, but his swing is very short- not long like the big power hitters of the game. Thus, even when he turns on the ball the follow through does not make a very good picture. Until yesterday. He came up in the 6th inning and lashed a two-run double down the left field line and he really turned on the pitch. For the first time ever I had a beautiful sequence of Longoria turning on a pitch with a long finish, which made for the best set of pictures I had ever made of him (see above).

Baseball bats belonging to Evan Longoria #3 of the Tampa Bay Rays sit in the bat rack in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 22, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The added bonus for me on this sun-splashed afternoon in Oakland was the new blue and white striped socks (see top) many of the Rays have been wearing this season. They did not wear them the last time they were in town in early May, so this was my first crack at shooting them. I love socks like this and wish more teams would wear them. A few months ago I wrote about the Giants Barry Zito wearing high orange and black striped socks. I couldn’t resist shooting Longoria’s socks during the game as they just scream “baseball” to me. I was happy to get a few pictures I liked showing off the socks. I wish more teams would wear them!

By the end of the day the Ray’s had held on to beat the A’s 3-2, with the winning runs scoring on the before-mentioned two-run double off the bat of Longoria. There wasn’t much action in the game. I didn’t get any terrific pictures to impress the hard-ass editor in me, but I did get a few good frames of Longoria that I liked. That made my day at the yard well worth it.

Coco Crisp of the Oakland Athletics almost makes a great catch at the center field fence on a deep fly ball against the Texas Rangers during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 7, 2010 in Oakland, California. This ended up being a home run by Rangers batter Taylor Teagarden. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

A few weeks ago I had a fun weekend assignment in Oakland to shoot a few A’s games against the visiting Texas Rangers. Sports Illustrated was doing a story about the Rangers, so Michael Zagaris and I were at the park to shoot features and game action of the American League West leaders. For Saturday afternoon’s game I wanted to go up high and try to get something cool and different. After shooting pre-game features in the Rangers dugout and the first inning down on the field level to get the starting pitchers I made my way up to the top of the Stadium to shoot from one of my favorite positions at the Oakland Coliseum: upper deck, section 313, amongst the tarps.

I go up to this spot several times a season in order to have fun and break things up a bit. It is a very high angle on the first base side of the diamond and the pictures get better and better as the game moves along since the sun moves and the shadows get longer and longer. Oakland A’s Vice President of Stadium Operations David Rinetti is a great guy who is always happy to help out the photographers at the ballpark, and whenever I ask he allows me to go up and sit on the steps in section 313 so I can try and come up with a special picture.

Overall general interior stadium view from section 313 of the home stadium for the Oakland Athletics, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum during the game against Texas Rangers on August 7, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I feel a real sense of excitement every time I shoot from section 313, especially when I have the Canon 800mm 5.6 lens with me. When I get up there and look down on the field I see a glorious blank canvas, just waiting for some action to happen to I can create a photograph that no one else has. I always want to get that special picture that you can’t see anywhere else, and I also want my editor to be happy.

This game was plodding along in a rather dull fashion with the A’s getting out to an early lead, and continuing to pile up the runs as the light got better and better. Unfortunately, there was no good action. This is the beauty of baseball. It is what drives many photographers crazy. It is what I love about the game. There is so much standing around with nothing happening, but when that one fast-moving climactic moment occurs you have to be ready- and you better not miss!

The big moment of this game came in the top of the 8th inning when light-hitting Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden crushed a Jerry Blevins pitch high and deep to center field. A’s center fielder Coco Crisp broke back on the crack of the bat and sped to towards the wall in center. Since I have been shooting baseball for so long I know that as a photographer you need to follow every fly ball that is hit, because you never know when a picture will happen. Many times you get blocked by an umpire or someone else on the field. Sometimes the light sucks. Sometimes there is no face. Many times the picture is not sharp. Most of the time- for me anyway- there is no ball. I never get ball! Of course getting the ball near the glove when there is a play at the wall involves much luck, as you begin firing the camera at nine frames-per-second before the peak moment of action. By the time the exciting play is over I always look at the back of my camera and chimp to see if I got lucky. Like I said above, for the most part I never am. However, on this particular day I got lucky.

Coco Crisp of the Oakland Athletics almost makes a great catch at the center field fence on a deep fly ball against the Texas Rangers during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 7, 2010 in Oakland, California. This ended up being a home run by Rangers batter Taylor Teagarden. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

My vantage point from high above the playing field ended up being perfect for this play. While I was shooting the sequence of Crisp going over the wall for the baseball with the 800mm lens I did not know if he had caught the ball or not. Once he crumpled to the dirt warning track below I could see he came up empty. It was time to chimp! To my surprise, for the first time in what seems like decades, I actually had one real nice frame (see above) with the ball just barely tipping off the end of Crisp’s glove, safely over the all for a home run. And it was sharp! With a Canon Mark IV! That’s right, no umpire blocking me, no bad light, and I even had face!

Upon seeing this frame on the back of my camera I got that rare feeling that only occurs a few times a season. That feeling that I might have made a really nice picture thanks to lots of luck and the magic of shooting from section 313. Unfortunately this picture has not been published yet, but I hope it ends up surfacing in the near future, or before Crisp starts wearing another uniform.

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.

My photographs of Tim Lincecum and Adrian Gonzalez were published on regional covers of the 2010 All-Star Game programs.

Many people know that I have been a baseball freak dating back to my childhood days growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I rooted for the Giants, hated the A’s, collected baseball cards and 7-11 baseball Slurpee trading cups, and fought with my sister. OK, I really didn’t fight with my older sister Paula much, but I did pull her hair on occasion when she would make fun of me, which seemed like a daily occurrence while growing up in Fremont.

Ever since I attended my first Giants game in 1973 I became hooked on baseball programs and team yearbooks. I loved reading about the ball players and memorizing the middle names of my favorite Giants. What other third graders at John G. Mattos Elementary School knew the full names of Garry Lee Maddox, Bobby Lee Bonds, and Gary Leah Thomasson? Besides reading the bios and pouring over the stats I loved looking at the color photographs of my heroes in action on the lime-green Astroturf at Candlestick Park. Back then no home games were televised in the Bay Area, so it was rare that I had the chance to see what my favorite players looked like in their glistening white home uniforms. Team photographer Dennis Desprois was an artist with his Nikons, and little did I know back then how much his beautiful photographs of Bobby Bonds, Ed Halicki, and John Montefusco would influence me.

The one that got away. I never acquired this 1975 All-Star Game program because I could not write fast enough when they put the address on the screen during the game in Milwaukee. This made me cry and it made my sister Paula laugh.

Pretty soon I branched out and tried to acquire my first All-Star Game program. The 1975 game was played in Milwaukee, and while watching the game on our Zenith color television with my sister they ran a commercial, a very short commercial, telling all of us viewers how we could own a keepsake from the Mid-Summer Classic by purchasing a copy of the All-Star Game program. All we had to do was send a small check to the address on the screen and we would get our own souvenir copy in six weeks. At age 10 I was not fast enough to copy all the information down and I choked under the pressure. The commercial ended and I was shit out of luck. I started to cry. My sister started to laugh. Not a good memory for me.

Being the resourceful honors student that I was I bounced back in 1976 with a nice plan of attack. The bicentennial All-Star Game was in Philadelphia and there was no way I was going to miss out in getting my hands on the official program from Veteran’s Stadium. I would outsmart the fast-talking salesman on TV. I had my cassette tape recorder with me in the family room near the television ready to get an audio recording of the address so I would not miss it. Sure enough, the commercial came on in the middle of the game and I was ready to get the magical P.O. Box that would deliver me my first All-Star Game program. After my successful plan I was able to enjoy the rest of the game, especially when Montefusco came into the game in his white cleats to throw two scoreless innings. How proud I was to see my favorite player look so good on the national stage!

My first All-Star Game program from the 1976 game in Philadephia.

I went on to collect every All-Star Game program since 1976 and I still have them, somewhere, in pages in binders in a box under my stairs. However, the recent programs have taken on a whole new meaning to me, since I became a contributing photographer to Major League Baseball Photos 16 years ago. Over the years I have had numerous photographs featured in the programs, but this year’s edition of the program was much more special for me. MLB recently started featuring local ballplayers on the cover of regional editions of the All-Star Game program to sell at ballparks around the country. This year my picture editor at MLB, Jessica Foster, selected a few of my pictures to be featured on the cover. I landed regional covers in San Francisco, San Diego and Arizona (see top). Not too bad for the kid from Fremont with the mean sister. These days she is much nicer to me, and I have stopped pulling her hair.

Photographer Brad Mangin stands on the field holding a thermometer reading 120 degrees on the field after the game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 24, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Tomasso DeRosa)

A few months ago I received an invitation in my email to attend a screening of the newest film from Ken Burns: The Tenth Inning. The event was taking place in New York City at the end of July and it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could not pass up. For the past 18 months I have been working with Michael Welt from Florentine Films, helping him with photographs they needed to illustrate the film. Once the final editing was done I found out that many of my pictures were in the film. I was so excited to see how they were used I just had to go to New York. As an added bonus I checked the baseball schedule and saw that the New York Yankees had two day games at home a few days before the screening. Everything was coming together. I could go to New York a few days early to shoot some baseball, visit some friends, and see the film. If only I could bring the mild Bay Area weather with me.

Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees bats against the Kansas City Royals during the game at Yankee Stadium on July 24, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Having the chance to shoot back-to-back games at the new Yankee Stadium during the daytime is a dream I have had for many years. I have been at both the old and new ballparks in the Bronx for many World Series games, but never during the regular season. I am usually so busy shooting baseball here at home that it is difficult for me to get away during the summer. This trip would be a big breakthrough for me as I bypassed the White Sox and A’s in Oakland in exchange for shooting the Royals and Yankees in the Bronx. There is something truly magical about the pinstriped uniforms the Yankees wear at home. I have photographed them many times on the road, but the gray uniforms just don’t pack the same wallop that the stripes do. In my quest do document the game of baseball during this era I had to have good pictures of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and other Yankee greats playing in the pinstripes in Yankee Stadium during the daytime. This would be my big chance.

Storm clouds gather overhead during the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium on July 25, 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I woke up Saturday morning before the first game freaking out about the weather. Forecasts called for temperatures near the 100 degree mark. Add some east coast humidity to the equation and combine that with working on the field in a concrete dugout while standing for a three hour ballgame spelled an uncomfortable day. I decided to drink water nonstop before and during the game, and armed with a few towels from the Marriott Marquis I was ready to battle the oppressive heat. By the time the game reached the 5th inning the temperature on the field reach 120 degrees in the third base photo well. I ended up doing OK in the crazy weather and had a permanent smile on my face throughout the ballgame, no doubt driving the local shooters crazy. This was just another day at work for most of them, but for me it was an awesome working vacation.

Photographer Brad Mangin stands outside Yankee Stadium after photographing a game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 25, 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by John Iacono)

Things cooled off a little bit for my second game on Sunday, and by around 3pm the skies got really dark and then a driving rainstorm blew through causing a rain delay of close to three hours. During my two days at Yankee Stadium I was able to withstand all the elements and still come up with some really nice pictures for my archive. By the time I finished editing, captioning and uploading all my images in my hotel room late Sunday night I was thrilled that I had the chance to shoot the 2009 World Series Champions in their home ballpark.

The rest of my trip went well as I visited with many friends and clients, but the best part of the trip was saved for last. On Tuesday night, July 27 my good friend Paul Cunningham (maker of handcrafted leather baseballs and footballs) joined me at Florence Gould Hall near Central Park for the screening of the 10th Inning by Ken Burns. The film was terrific and I cannot tell you how fun it was to see the “Ken Burns effect” done on some of my pictures in the film! After meeting Burns at the post-game reception Paul and I walked over to Mickey Mantles for a drink and a late dinner. What a perfect way to end my trip. Baseball has been very, very good to me.

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.

Brian Wilson and Tim Lincecum of the National League pose in the dugout before the All Star Game at Angel Stadium on June 13, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

During the last two seasons I have had the best time photographing ballplayers relaxing in the dugout before games. Some guys love having their picture taken, like David Ortiz, and others hate it, like Kevin Youkilis. Having a nice set of pictures, shot with my wide angle lens, of guys hanging out in the dugout sure makes it more fun to edit my take after a game. My editors also enjoy the pictures. This philosophy of having fun shooting pre-game features came together for me last week. I had the great opportunity to photograph the 2010 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Anaheim for Sports Illustrated, and I decided I would try to work the dugout scene like I do in the regular season.

David Ortiz of the American League sits in the dugout with his son D'Angelo Ortiz before the Home Run Derby during All Star Game festivities at Angel Stadium on June 12, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The All Star festivities consist of two days involving the big league players, Monday and Tuesday. Monday is batting practice and the home run derby. Tuesday is batting practice and the game itself. The media is allowed on the field for a one hour window on Monday during batting practice, and a two hour window on Tuesday before the game. In the past I have joined the hordes of media folks on the field as the players hit in the cage, trying to shoot pictures of the players mingling around with my long lens in the bad light. My pictures from batting practice before the 2007 All Star Game in San Francisco were pretty awful. I was determined to do a better job this year.

Carl Crawford of the American League and his son sit for a portrait in the dugout before the Home Run Derby during All Star Game festivities at Angel Stadium on June 12, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Our baseball picture editor Nate Gordon was with us at the ballpark and he encouraged me to do my best in trying to shoot dugout features. We knew this was not a typical sleepy day during the regular season in Oakland. The dugout scene would be much harder to work. This was especially the case during these two days due to the hot weather. It was so warm and steamy on the field that many of the media types were seeking refuge in the dugouts, crowding the area and making it hard for the players to spread out, relax, and create opportunities for me to photograph them.

Nick Swisher of the American League laughs with Bobby Valentine in the dugout before the All Star Game at Angel Stadium on June 13, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Luckily a few of the guys hung out on Monday and I was able to get a few nice frames that I really liked. I was looking forward to Tuesday’s batting practice because we would have more time to work the scene and try to come up with some fun pictures. Once again the hot weather made the American League dugout way too crowded to get much done, so I headed over the the National League side before they came out for batting practice. This proved to be a wise move, because as the American Leaguers were gathered in center field to have their team picture taken by Matt Brown of MLB Photos, the National Leaguers came into the dugout wearing their real road gray uniforms, and not the blue All Star Game tops. As they entered the dugout and sat around for a few minutes waiting to have their team picture taken, I had the chance to get a few pictures of them sitting with their teammates, all in different uniforms (see below). I was really happy to have this chance.

Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, Jonathan Broxton, coach Mick Billmeyer and coach Davey Lopes of the National League sit in the dugout before the All Star Game at Angel Stadium on June 13, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

By the time the game started I was ready to shoot some baseball, but as I look back on All Star week some of my favorite pictures are the ones I shot in the dugout. After doing this at the All Star Game it will make shooting the dugouts during the regular season in the Bay Area a piece of cake. More cake please!

Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers get ready in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 20, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Every time I go to the ballpark to photograph a baseball game I have a different objective. Sometimes I am shooting stock images of everyone who plays. There are days when I am shooting from a different angle just trying to get a special picture. Then there are the days when I have a specific assignment to photograph one player for an upcoming story. This was the case recently when I was assigned by Sports Illustrated to shoot Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera when the Tigers were in Oakland to play a day game against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum.

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers takes batting practice before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 20, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I love it when I go the ballpark with the tunnel vision of photographing one player. It is so much fun to concentrate on one guy and shoot everything he does. I always get to the park early on a day like this, trying to arrive around three hours before the game so I do not miss batting practice. Once I shoot batting practice I gab a quick $10 lunch in the A’s media press room before I head back out to the field to wait in the Tigers dugout for players to start coming out around 20 minutes before game time. On this particular day Cabrera, who is having a tremendous season, was in a great mood before the game. He joked around in the dugout with teammate Magglio Ordonez that made for some real fun feature pictures (see top).

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers hits a home run against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 20, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Once the game started I went over to the third base photo box to shoot Cabrera batting. Cabrera is a right-handed hitter who looks good from third base when he turns on the ball, and early in the game the batters are nice and back lit from third base so I can see his face. Luckily Cabrera cooperated by hitting a home run and posing as he watched the ball soar over the left field fence (see above). Once I knew I had some nice frames from third base I went over to first base late in game as the sun had moved over by then, creating some nice back light on home plate when Cabrera stepped into the batters box.

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 20, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I got one nice picture of Cabrera hitting the ball in his last at-bat (see above) from first base and pretty soon my day was over. I had done all I could to give my editor a variety of pictures of everything Cabrera had done before and during the game. I shot him from many different angles facing left and facing right. I felt really good about my take that day.

The story finally came out in the magazine last week with a tremendous opening picture shot by staffer John Biever in Detroit. They ran one of my pictures from the dugout, so that made me happy. All in all it was a typical day at the ballpark on assignment for the magazine. Cabrera performed well for me and I did my job. It could have been much worse. He could have not been in the lineup!