I am looking forward to the All-Star break
Posted on July 7, 2011
Hideki Matsui #55 of the Oakland Athletics watches from the dugout against the Seattle Mariners during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 6, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
We are past the half-way point in the 2011 baseball season and things seem to be sorting themselves out in the standings. We have a good idea who the bad teams are and we have a good idea who the good teams are. There are also a bunch of clubs bunched up in the middle that we have yet to figure out. What does this all mean? It means the 2011 MLB All-Star Game is coming up next week in Phoenix, and it could not come at a better time for many of the clubs and players… and me! I shot yesterday’s Mariners @ A’s game in Oakland, and after going through the motions of shooting this boring game on a warm day I know I need a change of scenery.
Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 6, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time at the ballpark yesterday. I had the chance to see some good friends and get a few pictures I liked. The big problem about shooting this game is that there was no there, there. No fans. No vibe. No action. No soul. M’s @ A’s is not compelling, especially this close to the break. I did my best. I really tried. By the end of the day I was glad the next week’s break was coming.
Kurt Suzuki #8 of the Oakland Athletics chases a foul pop up against the Seattle Mariners during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 6, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
The light was so bad I did my best by shooting everything tight. I tried to clean things up and minimize empty seats in the glaring sun ruining my backgrounds. The game went so fast, the A’s 2-0 win ended before the light could improve much. It was over before I knew it, and that meant my post-game editing session would be quick and easy. It is not like I drilled batter after batter in the brilliant, screaming, 5pm light.
Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners stretches in the on deck circle against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 6, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Luckily I did have a few iconic, aging, Japanese ballplayers to shoot. Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki have always been fun to shoot and yesterday they did not disappoint. They have great faces and unusual batting stances and swings, so I always come back with a few frames that I like of each guy. Yesterday was no exception. I have one more game to shoot this weekend before I officially start my All-Star break. I know what I will be doing. What will you be doing on YOUR All-Star break?
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