My random, desktop image of the day turned out to be this one. Weird, no? The last time the Red Sox won a World Series at home in Fenway Park was 1918. Will they do it again tonight?

Posted on October 30th, 2013 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, boston, fenway park, flag, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Will today be the day?

Wally Bell

I sat behind Wally Bell on an April evening last year. Today he died. As someone who didn’t care about the outcome of the game (my A’s weren’t playing), I found nothing about his calls to dislike. His punch outs on called third strikes were quite entertaining.

RIP Wally.

Posted on October 14th, 2013 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter. Comments Off on Wally Bell (January 10, 1965 – October 14, 2013)

Oakland A’s World Series Champion years

The 2013 Major League Baseball post-season spots are all locked up and the “experts” have all been proven wrong yet again. The Washington Nationals are not going to the World Series (or even the playoffs!). Nor are the Anaheim Angels or New York Yankees. Other big spending teams that came up short are the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Nobody predicted that low-budget teams like the A’s and Pirates would make the playoffs, and yet here they are alive and well despite payrolls less than half many teams that didn’t make it to the postseason. The A’s payroll is less than a third of the Yankees or Dodgers even though the A’s have more wins than either of those teams. The A’s paid about half a million in player salaries per win while the Yankees forked over about $3 million for each victory. The Giants and Phillies won’t come close to winning half their games despite spending about $100 million more than the A’s or Pirates.

Let’s hope the Dodgers, Tigers, Red Sox, and other big spenders make a quick exit this post season.

Posted on September 27th, 2013 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter, o.co, oakland. Comments Off on 2013 MLB Expert Predictions

Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks at strike three from Javy Guerra of the Los Angeles Dodgers (4/12/12)

The odds are a bit better than 50/50 right now that this matchup of the Dodgers and Pirates, which I witnessed early in 2012 at Dodger Stadium, will also take place this 2013 postseason. Javy Guerra was the closer for the Dodgers at the time. Pedro Alvarez, the Pittsburgh batter who struck out on this pitch, has hit over 30 home runs this season (currently leading the National League) after hitting 30 last year.

Posted on September 15th, 2013 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, los angeles, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Dodgers vs. Pirates?

Not by Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves @ Yankee Stadium last year…

… but by the fan in the first row. Check out the kid next to him who has his glove up but isn’t even looking for the ball.

This home run by Alex Rodriguez was one of many on the day as the Yankees and Braves tied a Yankee Stadium record for most home runs.

Posted on June 15th, 2013 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, new york, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter, sports photography. Comments Off on Nice catch!