Robin Ventura: Nice guys can finish first

Posted on March 28, 2012

Manager Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox works during the spring training game against the Texas Rangers on March 8, 2012 at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

I recently returned home from my fantastic annual assignment covering spring training in Arizona. I have been heading down to cover the Cactus League for over 20 years. Staying in Scottsdale, watching some baseball, and spending time with great friends is such a great tonic to help me get rid of the winter blues. While covering all 15 teams training in Arizona for Sports Illustrated one of the best days I had in the valley was Thursday, March 8 when I trekked over to the wonderful ballpark in Surprise to photograph the new manager of the Chicago White Sox: the very cool Robin Ventura.

We were working on a story about Ventura and my job was to shoot him doing everything he did on the field as he skippered his club against the home standing Texas Rangers. Before the game I asked my good friend and Chicago White Sox team photographer Ron Vesely to introduce me to Ventura so he would know who the knucklehead was shooting tons of pictures of him. I had heard so many great stories about Ventura from other photographer friends. Ves has known him for over 20 years and has a great relationship with him, so when Ves took the time to introduce me to Ventura about 20 minutes before game time Ventura shook my hand and smiled at me, especially after I told him I was good friends with the great V.J. Lovero and Scott Clarke. V.J. and Scott were old friends with Ventura and he enjoyed chatting about them.

Before the game I went out to home plate with Ventura for the exchange of the lineup cards. I then settled into a seat in the front row of the stands right behind him as he ran his club from a folding chair in the dirt in front of me. Shooting through the backstop netting I spent about five innings shooting Ventura as he did his job with my wide angle lens, and even shot a frame with my iPhone 4s that I sent out to my Instagram feed (see above). After the 5th inning I went outside first base and shot Ventura with an 800mm lens to get some nice portraits of him (see top). Ventura has a great smile and it was fun shooting him with the long lens as he joked with his coaching staff as the game went into the later innings.

Soon it was time to hit the road back to Scottsdale, and by the time I finished the Hellish drive on Bell Road and reached the 101 loop my cellphone rang. Of course it was my buddy Scott Clarke. Scott had seen my Instagram of Ventura so he knew what I was doing. “Why are you shooting my boyfriend Robin Ventura?” Scott asked me. I told Scott we were doing a story about him, then Scott told me some fun tales about their friendship. Scott and I both agreed that we had never paid much attention to the White Sox in the past, but in 2012 we would be rooting for them to do well. Ventura is such a good guy you really want to see him succeed.

Vesely is a lucky man. He could not have hand-picked a better man to be the new skipper of the club he works with every day during the season. Good luck to the Sox and their new skipper. I look forward to seeing them when they come to Oakland later this season.