The baseball season was coming to an end and I haven’t seen my nephew, Michael, play this year. My younger brother, Matthew, called me up and told me Michael was pitching. It’s been at least 3 or 4 years since I’ve shot my nephew playing baseball and that’s way too long for me. As soon as I got there old memories came flashing back of my younger days playing baseball on the same field. It didn’t take long to get “warmed up” with my camera gear and find a couple of good shooting spots.

Michael did a great job pitching for his first year as a starting pitcher. Matthew taught him well. Pump fastballs and changes speeds, but under no circumstances was he allowed to throw “junk”. I am very proud of you, Michael! Not only are you a good little ball player, but more importantly, you are a great student in school and a wonderful person. I am proud to call you my nephew.

Because Michael is all those things, I wanted to create him a special surprise. He just assumes I was there to “take pictures”. This is the poster I created from a series of photos. Surprise! We hope you like it, Michael. We love you!

My friend and fellow photographer Mike Graham of Graham Photography had 6 company seats to the July 21, 2008 Pirates vs Astros game. These seats are amazing to say the least. Section 109, Row 1, FOUL BALL HEAVEN! A bit of warning to those that sit along the 3rd base foul line… PAY ATTENTION! I nearly had my melon thumped by a screaming line drive foul ball. I tried to bend over the rail to scoop it up but the ball hit something in foul territory and took a quick turn. The guy behind me paid the price. He tried to bare hand the ball. OUCH! His hand looked like it tried to high-five a tractor trailer going 75mph. Besides that scare, I missed one other perfect opportunity to catch a foul ball. At the time I was replying to a text message from Michelle’s cousin Jenny. I hear the crack of the bat, a pause, and WHAM! The foul ball hit the railing right in front of me. Another lesson learned; no more texting at baseball games.

I guess I should talk about the ball game. Runelvys Hernandez pitched a heck of a game. He allowed 2 runs, eight hits (3 of which were broken bats), and struck out 3 batters in 5 1/3 innings. Middle relief was solid and held the lead for the next 3 innings. Top of the ninth, Stros lead the Bucs 3-2. Closer Jose Valverde suffered an uncharacteristic meltdown. His first mistake was to the notorious Astros killer, Jason Bay. Bay jacked a monster home run to left to tie the game at 3-3. After that the flood gate opened and the Bucs score 4 more times to take a 9-3 lead. The 7 run inning was topped off by Freddie Sanchez’s 3 run inside-the-park home run.

Despite the loss, it turned out to be a good evening. I had my usual soda and soft pretzel. Yummy! It’s a must every time I go. I also met Ann and Tom, long time friends of our family. Hi guys! It was great to see y’all again. Always enjoy the great conversation. Hey Ann, do you think I should post your photos here? Just kidding.

Like always, check back for more news and photos. Thank you for visiting.







See more photos from the game…HERE