Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens

Posts tagged Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens

2013 NPB Season is over

Yasuhiro Ogawa
Yakult Swallows

The Yakult Swallows had the worst record of any team in Japanese Professional Baseball this year despite amazing seasons from two players. Yasuhiro Ogawa (小川泰弘), pictured above, went 16-4 with a 2.93 ERA for a team that went 57-83 overall. On the offensive side, Wladimir Balentien batted .330, with 60 home runs (a new record for NPB), and had a ridiculous 1.278 OPS. By comparison, the best OPS in MLB this year was Miguel Cabrera at 1.078. I really don’t understand how the Swallows lost 83 games with performances like that from Ogawa and Balentien.

Posted on October 10th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: baseball, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, sports photography. Comments Off on 2013 NPB Season is over

Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum

O.Co Coliseum and Oracle Arena

Today Game 2 of the ALDS will happen at the O.co Coliseum between the Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers. I wish I was flying in again like I was back in May when I took today’s photo.

Posted on October 5th, 2013 under Other. Tags: aerial photography, baseball, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, oakland. Comments Off on Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum

Rounding third and heading for home

korean baseball home run rounding third wyverns Jeong Keun-Woo 정근우

SK Wyverns’ player rounds third, salutes the third base coach, and heads for home after hitting a home run

October begins, and with it comes the grand finale in most professional baseball leagues. My A’s are still alive and well in the major leagues. My KIA Tigers in Korea tanked it big time. They were contenders a week or two after I arrived in Gwangju, but have won very few games since. The SK Wyverns lost to the Lotte Giants the night I saw this game despite this home run.

The playoffs are set for the 2013 Korean Professional Baseball (KPB) postseason, and they will not include the Tigers, Giants, or Wyverns.

Posted on October 1st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: baseball, busan, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Rounding third and heading for home

Korean Tuesday

Beomeosa (Busan, South Korea)

What today’s photo doesn’t show, but when I look at it I’m instantly reminded of, is the heat of a summer in South Korea. Brutally hot and humid, one of the things I liked best about Busan is the subway was never far away. If I became too hot, I just got on one of the air-conditioned trains for a bit to recover.

Posted on September 24th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: beomeosa, buddhist, buildings, busan, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Korean Tuesday

Beomeosa (범어사)

Beomeosa Buddha
Busan, South Korea

Korean temples tend to be out of the way (compared to Japan anyway). Beomeosa feels a world away once you enter the grounds, but the Beomeosa subway stop in Busan is just a short walk and then short bus ride away.

Posted on September 17th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: beomeosa, buddhist, busan, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, temples. Comments Off on Beomeosa (범어사)

Wladimir Balentien – Home Run King?

Wladimir Balentien home run yakult swallows

Wladimir Balentien hits a 3-run home run for the Yakult Swallows on June 22, 2013

Balentien rounds the bases in Hiroshima

Coco Meter for Balentien just prior to him tying Japan’s home run record

With 23 games to go in the Nippon Professional Baseball season, my Yakult Swallows have no hope of winning the title this year as they are dead last in the standings. However, there is still much excitement for the team as one of their players is almost a sure bet to set the single-season home run record for Japan. I went to two Swallows games this year, and they were both won by the Swallows thanks to the heroics of Wladimir Balentien.

When I saw them in Hiroshima, Balentien hit a home run with two runners on base. The Swallows beat the Carp 3-0 on that day. Yakult also won when I saw them in Tokyo in August, a day in which Balentien drew two walks, was hit by a pitch, and scored two runs in a 2-1 victory. (Unfortunately, the Swallows are 45-71-2 when I wasn’t in attendance; perhaps they should make sure I’m at all of the games.)

The “Coco Meter” projects 65 HRs for Balentien, which will best the prior record (co-held by Alex Cabrera, Tuffy Rhodes, and Sadaharu Oh) by 10 home runs. He currently has 54 home runs for the season.

Posted on September 10th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: baseball, hiroshima, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, yakult swallows. Comments Off on Wladimir Balentien – Home Run King?