A Mid Day Orioles Game With Friends...

On Wednesday July 21ST we attended a noon Baltimore Orioles game with our friends the Quigley's that live across the street from us. Not unlike most Orioles games the Birds came out losers to the Rays 5-4 but is was still fun to watch a game. Not wanting to lug around a bigger camera and down on my camera skills lately I decided to take the point and shoot. By looking at the sharpness of the last photograph I guess I am not very good with it either. That is Shane on the left of both photos and John on the right. Go ahead guys grab them for your face book pages if you want them. Don't forget to click the photos for larger versions especially the first photo.

Speaking of Shane check out his blog today for a new post.

Happy Birthday Mom.

Stephen Strasburg The Hitter...

Stephen fouls off a pitch in his second home appearance.

In the same game Stephen lays down an effective bunt in the early innings.

Playing in the National league means a pitcher has to hit. That may be one of the reasons I like the American league, like anyone else I want to see runs scored not an inning coming to end because of the pitcher striking out. In the games Stephen has pitched in this year he has gone 2 for 6 with a run scored, a double and two RBI's for a batting average of .333 pretty good for a pitcher. Update from Monday's post, Stephen pitched Sunday at home and suffered his first loss. I also found out while attending Tuesday's game that he has been promoted to the Nats. class "AAA" team.

I like baseball but have lost a lot of interest in the sport the last few years. Between liking a team that has finished under .500 the last twelve straight years and are on a record to stink even more this year to the high paid salaries of the players it has become harder for me to show an interest. This player is no different, he will not sign autographs and has an escort where ever he goes. Don't these over paid players know who pays there salaries? Without the fans they are nothing. Kids idolize them and that is a shame. This guy has never pitched in the big leagues and he is already set for life unless he does stupid things like many other athletes. I work every day like most Americans and still take time on the fire ground to talk with the kids that come around. Okay that took an unexpected turn, really I didn't see it coming when I started typing.

Stephen Strasburg, The Pitcher...

Stephen Strasburg was selected first in last years draft by the last place Washington Nationals. He signed record four year contract with the team worth slightly over 15.1 million dollars. We got to see the kid pitch for the Nationals against the Cardinals this March during spring training in Florida. These photographs are from his third start and first win at home with the double A Harrisburg Senators. This is a scheduled post so the numbers may be off a little by the time you read this. So far this season Stephen has gone 3-0 in four starts. He has an ERA of 0.52 over 17 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits, three walks and striking out 23. I would only expect him to make another start or two before moving up. The plan for the organization must be for him to on go five innings each time he pitches since this game he left after five only giving up one hit. His next start he left after five while throwing a no hitter.

Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals

Part of the reason for our trip to Florida in March and not February this year was to see the shuttle launch (it was cancelled again), the other was to take in a couple of spring training baseball games. Our first weekend there we visited the Nationals camp to see them play the Cardinals. The Cardinals prevailed 7 to 3 but we did get to see Stephen Strasburg the Nats first round draft pick throw three scoreless innings. In the second photo Cards manager Tony Larusa talks with the home plate umpire between innings. We had a great time and Shane and I both got some photos even though we were behind the net at home plate and the sun was in our eyes. Thanks for getting us the tickets Linda, it was fun except for the sun burn.

Please stop by Shane's blog for a new post.

Opening Day At Metro Bank Park...

On Thursday April 15 my family and I attended opening day at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg for the Senators first home game. This years event was a little different than in years past as it was the first game in the newly remodeled ($45 million) ballpark. I have to say the ballpark was just beautiful, everything is improved and the seating is 100% better. We had great seats above the visitors dugout and the Senators won the game in the bottom of the 9Th inning. I am not going to go into detail on any of the photographs, I just wanted to photograph the first game and get some shutter releases in, something I have not done much of lately. The video was taken off the television with my D90, it shows the sports guy talking from the ballpark and yes that is Shane that walks behind him waving and then again back the other way waving again. It only last about 32 seconds and you will get to see what I have to live with all the time. Thank you Mayor Reed for your vision to bring baseball to Harrisburg and your work to keep it here and get us a new ballpark. Coming soon photographs of Stephen Strasburg's first professional win.

It is Thursday and that means a new blog post by Shane, please stop by and see what he has to say.

2ND Anniversary Post...

Today's post is the second anniversary of my blog and post number 562. It is hard to believe I have been doing this for two years now. When I get out shooting subjects that I am really interested in it is easy to do, but when I don't get out much and I am searching for photos to upload this becomes very difficult. Today's post is a look back at the first photo I posted, the photos I posted on my first anniversary and a new photo for today. It is not an original idea as I got this from a post that Coy Hill at Country Captures made during his last anniversary.

The grizzly was photographed in July 2007 at Kat Mia, Alaska. That was the best vacation spot I have ever been, if you have never gone there save your money and make the trip sometime when the salmon are spawning. The bear viewing is just fantastic, it was an exciting experience that I nor my family will never forget. The two baseball photos were taken in Harrisburg last year at Metro Bank Park. It was the Senators final home game and thanks to a friend Shane and I got to set in the visiting teams dugout for a few innings. This years photos was taken last month in Benezette, Pa., this young whitetail deer was thankful the bad weather had passed and made the best of it to come out and feed.

I do not know what the next year will bring in photographic opportunities but I am planning a few trips and hope to make the best of my chances. Thanks to all the view the pages on a regular basis and to the occasional watcher. And an additional round of applause for those that comment from time to time, your feedback is encouraging and important to me. Don't forget it is Tuesday, that means another new post on my sons Shane's blog, please stop by and check it out.

It's All About Timing...

It's all about the timing. Granted they were a burst from the shutter to capture the right moment so some of them found the delete button. If you look closely at the top photo you can see the ball about to enter the first baseman's glove for an out. In the second photo you can see the ball as it leaves the bat after the same first baseman lays down a bunt.

Harrisburg Senators Baseball...

A couple of photos from an afternoon game at Metro Bank Park, home of the Harrisburg Senators. Over the next two weeks my comments will be short if any at all. You will understand why in a couple of weeks, hopefully by then I will have replenished my photograph supply.

Harrisburg Senators Baseball...

No Bird Photography Weekly anymore they changed it from Monday to Sunday and since no one looks at the site on Sunday's I won't be participating. Don't think for a second that it means no more bird photographs because there will be plenty more. I get great enjoyment out of watching and photographing our feathered friends.

On June 4TH the Senators played an afternoon game at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg. I had other things to do but decided to take the opportunity to watch a game and get a few shots. The Sens won the game 1-0 when a batter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9TH inning. The top photo is center fielder Edgardo J. Baez making a great running catch in the later innings to save a run and the bottom photo is third baseman Joel Guzman.

I used to be a huge baseball fan, growing up liking the Baltimore Orioles and I still do. I would listen to every game during the summer on my little am transistor radio I got with S & H green stamps (showing my age now). In the last few years I have faded away from the sport, with all the cheating (steroids) and big money spending for free agents it just lost something for me. I still enjoy my minor league AA ball.

Harrisburg Baseball...

Today's two photographs come from the Harrisburg Senators and Bowie Baysox baseball game in Harrisburg on Labor day. Once again I would like th thank Frank for the awesome seats and for corrupting my son, LOL. Harrisburg won the ball game 13-7. I would rather see a game like this any day than a pitchers dual, the two teams combined to hit five home runs in the game. When I got these photos ready a week ago, I desaturated the color and made a few adjustments to the first photo. I liked it then but now that I am posting it on the web I really don't like what I did, you be the judge. That's all for today, it's off to work.

The Season Is Over...

The Harrisburg Senators baseball season has ended continuing the clubs string of years without making it to the playoffs. The Senators are the AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They play their games in Commerce Bank Park on City Island, Harrisburg. The team had a good season finishing over 500% and in third place which gives us something to look forward to next year.

These were taken during the last game of the season on Labor day while the team played the Bowie Baysox. It is hard to pull for Harrisburg when they play Bowie because the Baysox are the Orioles affiliate and I have been an Oriole fan since I have been a little boy. And yes that was a looong time ago. Harrisburg won the game 13-7 and in the future I will post some action shots of the game. For today I thought I would post some that I took more for an art stand point. I want to thank Frank for providing us with the great seats, Shane loved them. The two photos were taken in the Baysox dugout. The hats and gloves were when the team was up to bat and the player is the Baysox back up catcher.

I wanted to let everyone know that today is the first anniversary of this web site. When it started I got the idea from Brian, my friend and truck partner at work. It seemed like an easy thing to do when I made that first post of the Katmai bear eating a salmon. I soon realized that it would not be easy to always have something to post. After only a couple of months I stopped posting on the weekend when my tracker showed that no one looked then so my total post for the first year are 302 today. The amount of viewers have grown over the year but I would always be glad to have more. I am looking forward to another year and have a number of trips planned including Yellowstone, Glacier and the Tetons in the very near future. So stayed tuned I can only hope that I and the site keep getting better.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR STOPPING BY AND YOUR GREAT COMMENTS.

Orioles Win Again!!

First let me start off by saying this was just a coincidence. Last evening at work I got a couple photographs ready from the Orioles game we attended last week for today's post. A couple of runs later and it's close to bed time so I figured lets check out a couple of blogs that put up the evening before (their blog clocks are set ahead two hours) and see if they have posted yet. Well, outskirts of suburbia pops up and I see Haney posted from the same Orioles game. This is three or four times we have posted on the same subjects on the same day by accident.

This was our first birds game of the year, it was on Thursday June 19 and a game we couldn't miss since it was Nick Markakis bobble head night. To make things better it was an inter league game against the Houston Astros so we got to see a National league team and Miguel Tejada again. The Orioles won the game 7 to 5 with the help of three home runs.

The top photograph was shot from the outfield in the late innings and the other was taken from our seats along the third base line. I will have more later this week but not necessarily the game itself. When we got into the ballpark we came across a couple of Baltimore City firefighters in gear their for a call. I couldn't pass up shooting them now could I. Also when we go to Baltimore we can't just go to a game, we make a whole day of it, so expect some from in the farmers market further up in the city.

Holly cow did we burn the gas going to Baltimore last week, besides the game Linda and Shane went down again on Sunday for the AST or something motor cross, bmx and skateboarding tour. He shot a few photos of that event that will be up later in the week. The Saturday before Skin and I traveled down to the fire museum for steam day, you will be seeing them later also.

Out With Winter In With Spring...

With nothing prepared for this morning I thought I would stay with Shane and the change of seasons. I love the idea of winter being over and spring arriving. The grass turning green the flowers blooming and the trees budding along with opening the swimming pool and no more cold weather or snow makes it a wonderful time of year.

Spring always makes me feel like I should listen to John Mellencamp. It reminds me of the time when I had a Harley (and do I ever miss it) and the many days spent fishing with my grandfather, I miss him the most.

I guess it is my turn to make my sons spring a special time of year and give him fond memories to look back on.

The down side to spring is that hockey season will soon be over and the Orioles will soon be losing and losing and losing. Oh did I mention that the Orioles will lose allot of games this year. I will still root for them like I have for almost the last forty years.

Play Ball...

The next few days will be photographs taken from the Pa. State Police helicopter over Harrisburg last summer. When I got this one ready I really didn’t know it would be so cold today. Today’s post had to due with spring training being right around the corner and ballplayers soon reporting to camp. Of course since I got the photograph ready my Caps moved back into first place, the Bears moved into second place alone and Dale Jr. won at Daytona. With as poorly as the Orioles and Senators play maybe I should not be in a hurry for the season to begin. This is Comerce Bank Park on City Island and the Harrisburg Senators playing an afternoon game. Lets hope this year they don’t have to many games where the players on the field out number the fans in the stands like it did this day.

Baltimore Orioles

August 11, 2007, Brian Roberts slides into second base as Julio Lugo jumps to avoid him after throwing to first base to complete a double play. Yes the Orioles lost this game, why should it have been any different than most of their other games. Next year there will be another new season maybe the Birds will get better and maybe we will be able to go to Camden Yards and have as many fans as our opponents.

It used to be after a bad baseball season I could look forward to football and hockey seasons starting and getting a few wins, NOT. In football the Irish and Dolphins are a combined 1-12, the Hershey Bears are 0-3 in last place, the Caps started out 3-0 but have since dropped there last three games and Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not make the chase for the cup and has still stunk every week. I really need to give up or find something new to watch.