Eugene Emeralds - baseball photography

Another batch of the Ems... a big batch!

2010-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

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“It's designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything is new again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains comes, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone.”

A. Bartlett Giamatti
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“Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm southern wind, blow softly here. Green sod above, lie light, lie light. Good night, dear Heart, Good night, good night.”

- Mark Twain

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More 2010 Ems...

2010-07-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

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I'm figuring out the PK Park light, it's a change from Civic Stadium for sure. My interaction with the players is developing as they get used to me and I learn more about who they are.

As always Rid (manager Greg Riddoch) manages with a steady dignity that seems to work.

I sure enjoy this job... and I hope it shows.

Ems 2010 photos #2

2010-07-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

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“There are three things you can do in a baseball game. You can win, or you can lose, or it can rain.”

- Casey Stengel
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your 2010 Eugene Emeralds...

2010-07-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'll edit this further as I get more pics done. Sorry, I won't be writing more but this part of my Ems' work doesn't make me money and my focus is on making money. If anyone - players, coaches, family, fans - want prints these images are adequate for 5X7 or smaller.

I'll be glad to sell prints as well. I use a quality lab and prints are of as high a quality as possible. Just contact me (allan_e at efn.org)

Saying goodbye...

2009-09-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

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“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

- Dr. Seuss
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Wow.

It's over. Done. Fini...

I find it amazing that I was so lucky as to be the one shooting the final days of the Eugene Emeralds at beautiful Civic Stadium.

Bryan Beban pretty much gives me free reign to shoot, only telling me when he needs specific shots. But at the end... my job was to shoot the stadium, the fans, the game of baseball at Civic... so I did. Wow. This first set is from Sept 2's game against the Salem-Keizer Volcanos. It's "pink night." The Ems (and the fans) wear pink in support of Susan G Komen for the Cure, an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer.

The beauty of the evening is best described by my photos. Words can't say it better.

Bill, Jimmy and Rid

Bryan and Nate

Edinson Rincon (and Rid)

Tom Overley, previous Lens of the Ems

This is about "the children"

So long...

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“Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”

- Dale Evans Rogers

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2009 Season Opener

2009-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

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- "Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth".”

- Roberto Clemente
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I was watching PBS last week and on their American Exerience program they were featuring a piece on Roberto Clemente. I certainly enjoy being educated. That was one fine program. I knew Clemente was an incredible ball player for the Pittsburg Pirates but wasn't really aware of his politics and humanitarian work. Plus the discrimination faced by blacks and Latins in pro ball was still significant. But what caught my ear was this:

"Clemente after baseball games [...] signed autographs till the last person had his baseball signed[...]"

... and it made me immediately think of Mitch Canham and this shot from 2007:

As the players come and go there are those few who always stand out and this scene of Mitch, standing alone signing autographs long after all his teammates had already hit the showers, made a strong impression on me. A touch of class. And a touch of class displayed by an earlier baseball great. Do you like the comparison Mitch? Now you just need to move to the outfield, get a tan and start speaking with a Puerto Rican accent... get 3,000 hits, win 2 World Series, get named to the All Star team 12 times and win the Golden Glove award 12 times. Plus... you need to devote your career earnings towards helping those in need... Mitch is a good kid and a great fan favorite and I hope his career goes well. As I do for all these young guys.

Going on my 3rd season as the Ems' photographer has definitely broadened my view of pro baseball. From being a little kid in Bakersfield attending the Bears' games with the family to my trips to Chavez Ravine to see the Dodgers or Anaheim Stadium to watch the Angels, I've loved baseball. I'm not a fan of big ticket prices and overpaid athletes. But the game... aaah, the game...

Here are a few pics from Opening Night:

Trevor and Steve

"Smokey"

Eager fans line up at the gate

Rid signs an autograph for a young fan

Register-Guard photographer Chris Pietsch

An 8 year old throws out the first pitch and smokes it over the plate! (and he really did)

introducing the 2009 Ems

Cal Coleman and Shelley James sing the anthem

are they talking about me? "The uh, hippie with the camera is in foul territory"

Another Beban unleashed on an unsuspecting world!

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Ems' 2008 Best of photos

2008-09-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

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“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”

- Yogi Berra

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As a season 2008 was a real barn burner for the Ems. Tied for first in the division, had the league's Most Valuable Player, outstanding outfielder Daniel Robertson.

I've a ton of photos to post, many outstanding shots of many of this year's Emerald players. Here is a start, working backwards a bit with some shots from the season's last game.

I will add comentary as I start going back through the season's images.

Enjoy! And if there is a player you want me to post a photo of let me know: allan_e@efn.org

Or if you want prints, please, just ask.

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2008? Oh yeah!

2008-07-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

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“There are three things you can do in a baseball game. You can win, or you can lose, or it can rain.”

~ Casey Stengel
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One of my customers (hiya Steve!) at my real job mentioned the other day there weren't any 2008 photos up on my blog. And danged if he isn't right.

This year is different than last year. Last year I was striving to make my photography and writing my full time gig. I only made it partway. And, when you have kids to feed, bills to pay and all those other nuisances life throws at us... welllll... it takes full time wages to live up to all those responsibilities. So...

I have maintained my other blog -- The Morning Donut -- but this Ems picture blog has been neglected. I do have quite a backlog of Ems' photos to post but that will have to wait for this weekend. For now I'm just going to supply you the links to the galleries of my photos that the Padres' Denis Savage, over at Scout.com, has put up.

Oh... and by the way... Friday (Aug 1) is Ems' baseball card day.

Denis has posted 3 galleries so far and here they are:

Gallery I

Gallery II

Gallery III

I'll be back in a few days and put up some more. I'll be posting plenty of my player pics and some of those crowd pictures I so thoroughly enjoy taking. Without the crowd... baseball is just a bunch of guys running around.

Until then, then...
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“Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.”

~ George F. Will

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Play Ball!

2008-06-19T20:49:00.002-07:00

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Watch this space... the Ems 2008 home opener is this Sunday. Yeah... baseball. I love my baseball.

I went and shot head shots of the players last Friday, it was media day and it was good to see the crew again.

Last year I was able to take part in the media batting practice. Man, its been a long time since I swung a bat. Lucky for everyone there I had to get back to work and didn't get to bat this time. Although last year I did almost hit the ball out. Out of the infield... I guess thats why I'm behind the camera and not the plate.

New pics coming soon!

Thats it, the season is over...

2007-09-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”

~ Rogers Hornsby

I could fling the similes and metaphors but... thats it. Wham! Season over. End of story.

Well it was one heck of a ride while it lasted. 2 and a half months of baseball, hot dogs, peanuts and sodie pop, fans' cheers and applause and the national anthem performed almost every time by someone different and usually pretty darn well.

Sunny days turning into lit up nights with grown men swinging sticks and throwing balls and running in circles. Heroes... and clowns, teachers and students and 3,500 or more friendly neighbors rooting the hometown boys on. Its quite a phenomenon this game of baseball and Eugene is lucky to have grand old Civic Stadium in which to play at our local version of this grand old game.

Thanks to Bob and Bryan Beban for letting me, a stranger to them and really, just some old long-haired guy who virtually just wandered in off the street, come into their home and practice my craft. Special thanks to the Padres' Denis Savage for running that ad on Craig's list. Thanks to Rid and Flo, Vazquez and Jimmy, the boyz in the press box, Steve, Steve, Steve and George, the fans who have wisecracked with me or sat patiently while I pointed my camera their way. Props to you all, it was a hoot.

I admit professional sports had made me a cynic about the whole spectacle of grown men playing games competitively. Heck, I can't afford to take my kids to see a Mariners game or the Seahawks, the Blazers... and if I could... I'm not sure I wanted to support the salaries that have gone beyond real. Celebrities with egos that are uber inflated, that really are no different than any of us, had managed to distance me from them. I remember as a kid how wrapped up I became every year in following the Lakers, checking the box scores, hiding my portable transistor radio under my pillow so I could listen way past my bed time to Chick Hearn painting a mental image of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor faking opposing teams into "the popcorn machine," slaying the evil dragons of the east, the Celtics, the Knickerbockers, the 76ers...

But as money took over sport it seemed to become less fun for me. But... watching Greg Riddock and his crew all these beautiful summer evenings at Civic Stadium... sigh... my faith may be renewed. We'll see.

And on a final good note... to quote the governator... according to Bryan "I'll be back." So hopefully I will see you all again next June for another season of summer spills, thrills and yes, heartaches.

Keep watching the blog here (and don't forget to occasionally stop in and share a donut at my other blog, the Morning Donut. I've got plenty of pictures to share through the coming months and I'll keep posting them. If there is someone on the team who you haven't seen here drop me note and I'll find some pics and post 'em. And... as always, these images are copyrighted © and while I'm more than willing to share I also have to raise my kids. Prints... I will always, gladly, sell, contact me @ allan_e@efn.org

Enjoy your winter folks! Peace...

... oh yeah... here are some more images, from the last game of the season, enjoy:

Hungry fans line up for pre-game feed and one happy young fan posing with Andy Parrino

One of the little Ems fans' favorite games, the Prince Puckler Ice Cream toss, and the crew that keeps our playing field looking great, Casey, Joe, Dave and Mark

The Ems' fans (with some Salem-Keizer fans mixed in...), Greg Riddoch with the Ems' batboys, Scott and Trevor

Bryan Beban doing the play-by-play on 1120 AM

The guys in the Press box, Steve Mims, Steve Wolf

George McPherson and Steve Brown

And finally... Jose Flores, Ems hitting coach and Greg Riddoch, Ems manager

Thanks all!

And more pics...

2007-08-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball."

~ Willie Stargell

Wow... the Ems are on a real skid. They got blown out last night after holding a 5 run lead for the first 5 innings of the game. 13 - 6... ouch. I feel for the boys, I really do. But one must keep things in perspective after all. The Ems are the rookie short season A league team and they've had over 50 roster changes this season. Catcher Mitch Canham is already gone in a short stay here in Eugene. Ray Stokes has been out since early on in the season...

These young men are learning at a level beyond anything they've encountered to date and it is an intense experience where baseball happens virtually every day... its a tough grind and I'm sure team chemistry is a tough thing to maintain when guys keep coming and going with such regularity.

The Emeralds are a farm team of the Sun Diego Padres and the Pads are in 2nd place in the Nat'l League west. Salem Keizer, NorthWest League leaders, a farm team of the SF Giants, lead the NWL and have had very few roster changes... of course the Giants are in the cellar of the Nat'l League West, 12 games behind Sun Diego... so... hey, its hard to argue with the successful end results at the top of the chain. Lets see... hmmm... short season, A league champs or contenders in the MLB race? Tough choice for a professional sports organization.

There is just about a week left of baseball for the Ems and I'm going to be posting many more pictures in the next few weeks (I figure I've shot well over 2,000 images for the Emeralds this season and there are plenty I haven't posted here, some real good stuff. So here is today's offering, enjoy (and if you're interested in reprints, allan_e@efn.org):

"Voice of the Ems" Russ Eisenstein's last hurrah as he leads the 7th inning stretch singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in his last game at Civic Stadium before heading to Idaho to be the "Voice of Idaho State" & Matt Latos multi-tasking... chewing gum and running the radar gun...

Joe (top) from the groundskeeping crew races his brother Matt (maybe thats why Latos has the radar gun?)

Greg Riddoch and Jose Flores... thanks you two for making me feel at home while I've sat perched with camera in hand on my step by the dugout! It truly is my pleasure to have made both your acquaintances. Kellen Kulbacki in a play at 3rd that is about as close as it gets.

Seth and Katrina

(L to R) Lexia, Frankie, Tanya, Angie, and Coleton...

Nate Stewart, Ems' athletic trainer

And finally, the Knights of Columbus color guard... thanks gentleman.

Mat Latos...

2007-08-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

" What are we at the park for except to win? I'd trip my mother. I'd help her up, brush her off, tell her I'm sorry. But mother don't make it to third."

~ Leo Durocher.

At 6' 6" Mat Latos is a formidable figure on the mound, even at only 19 years of age. At 215 pounds he's got some weight to throw into those pitches as well when he launches a fastball with a velocity that is consistently in the mid 90s. He's one of the top pitchers for the Ems and another in a team full of fan favorites.

Mat's stats don't show what he is capable of... with an ERA currently at 4.05 and a zero in the win column he has been impressive most of the time, a couple of bad games hurt his ERA and some missed bullpen support have cost him games in which he should have been able to record the W. In just over 46 innings he has 60 strikeouts and only 17 walks... His arm is solid, he's one of the Padres top picks and he has a bit of a reputation for his sense of humor.

A right-hander, Mat was an 11th round draft pick of the Padres in last years draft.

Here's Mat viewed through his pitching motion:

As always all images are copyrighted, permission is required to reproduce, either through me, MadFriars or the Eugene Emeralds. I am more than happy to sell any prints of any images posted here to Ems fans. Contact me at: allan_e@efn.org

Me and Luis...

2007-07-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Speed is a great asset; but it's greater when it's combined with quickness - and there's a big difference.

~Ty Cobb

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As a fan of the Ems I've been attending games for the last 5 or 6 years, mostly w/ one or both of my kids.

This year, somehow, I am the Ems photographer. I work with a Pentax *ist DS digital camera and 2 lenses. Primarily for the sports work I use my 50 - 200mm Pentax zoom lens but on occasion (like the team picture this year) I use my 18 - 55 mm Pentax zoom. Ideally I'd have a longer and faster telephoto without the zoom, a 300mm or longer... but those puppies are spendy. Maybe next year.

Back when I was young... and we only had film... I owned fixed lenses (wide angles, telephotos) that were top of the line because of lens quality and speed. I was nervous about digital because it meant new camera gear. I was raised on film and had used it for decades. And I'm always leery of new technology. After I had taken about my first 500 or so images I knew digital was for me. No film, no processing... in that 500 image space I had saved enough from not having to buy film and pay for processing and I could see them right now!

The art and business of photography has not changed, the manipulation of the camera in achieving a desired (or often accidental) end work remains the same. F stops and exposure... focal length and film speed (ISO)... its all the same. So now I have Civic Stadium and all its thousands of people as my task to visually record. And that my friends, from this photographer's view, is pretty darn cool indeed.

So now in 2007 I am an Ems fan armed with a camera and decades of developing my eye and technique. And this year's team is a fan's delight. Loaded with talent, the Ems are chasing 1st place Salem-Keizer, a real good and tough team to beat. One of the reasons for the Ems success is the always exciting Luis Durango:

Listed at 5' 10" and 145 pounds Luis Durango is about as quick with the bat as any batter I've seen. When he is at bat the defense knows who Luis is and what he can do and what he does. He bunts , bloops and blasts. He can drop a bunt down either line and be to 1st base before the play is even close or he can rip one over the outfield in the holes for extra bases. The infield plays in for a bunt and he bloops singles over their heads and in front of the outfielders. Which means he gets on base. A lot.

Last week Luis was number 3 in the league with a .353 batting avg, he was #1 in total hits w/ 47, he was #4 in on base percentage at .430, he was #3 in runs scored with 30... and he was leading the league in triples with 5 (thats those over-the-outfielders-heads blasts!). And to go along with all that, credit Luis with 2 homers and 14 RBIsAnd he is a burner on the bases. Luis' uniform is usually dirty before the end of the 1st inning.

So here in pictures is the Luis Durango of the Ems' first half of the 2007 season (and as always, these images are copyrighted, reprint w/ permission only). Enjoy the pictures. Better yet come out to Civic and cheer Luis and the boys of summer on! Its a great tradition and a wonderful family experience. Baseball, on a summer's eve? Nothing better...

Of Ducks and Ems...

2007-07-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

A game of great charm in the adoption of mathematical measurements to the timing of human movements, the exactitudes and adjustments of physical ability to hazardous chance. The speed of the legs, the dexterity of the body, the grace of the swing, the elusiveness of the slide - these are the features that make Americans everywhere forget the last syllable of a man's last name or the pigmentation of his skin.

~Branch Rickey

Just a few pics for today. The U of O Duck showed up to throw out the first pitch in Sunday's game against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and I've posted the promised pic of Jonathon Stewart riding a tricycle. Brian Lauderdale's mom showed up in the press box and I was honored to meet her... nice to see the family side of the game, Lori is proud of her son and glad he has Greg Riddoch as his manager. Mitch Canham is out w/ an injury so this is a non-playing shot of him at the dugout between innings; Greg Riddoch coaches 3rd and gets lonely... And of course, more kids...

The Duck does baseball; Jonathon Stewart in the tricycle race

Lori Lauderdale

Isabel snacks and baby Kolbi hangs out on Dad's arm

Mitch Canham........ Riddoch waits for company at 3rd

Mo' pics...

2007-07-24T16:13:00.000-07:00

“Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball.”

~ Jim Murray

Some pictures from the recent games. I'm not picky... I'll photograph the staff, the crowd and sometimes I'll even take pictures of the game.

But first! A word from our sponsor (me). I am a working photographer and anyone needing someone to do portraits, weddings, events or any other darn thing that requires photos can contact me at : allan_e@efn.org

Or if you wish to purchase one of your pictures posted here, or an Ems action shot (which I'll be posting a bunch more of soon) please, just ask. The pictures here are all posted at a low resolution. So, while reproduceable, the quality won't be good. I have the high-res images locked in a protective box, buried deep in the government's secret underground bunker under Skinner's Butte (and I'm not permitted to say which government. If I told you, well... you know... ).

Nate and Kayleen - Tanja and Aaron

Cassidy and Joseph - and Churchill HS' softball star Jessica Plummer w/ her dad.

Dave and Charlotte (nice folks, they sit over by 3rd base)

You've heard of Running the Bulls, in Pamplona, Spain? Well this is the Ems' version... Running the bases...

Hometown fans love to give the visiting coaches a hard time when they go out on the field to argue with the Umps... a fine baseball tradition in ballparks everywhere.

Kellen Kulbacki slides into 2nd to beat the throw.

Alex, Camilla and Ivy

Andy Parrino goes acrobatic and Keith Conlon chases down a fly in left, making the grab with a stretch.

Eric Sogard races to make the play at 2nd base

More pictures, less words...

2007-07-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

"who's on first" Abbott and Costello on you tube...

...have fun.
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And thats just what the world needs, Abbott and Costello and taking out competitive urges, with a ball, on a field of play instead of in other, more destructive and less-than-satisfactory-to-us-reg'lar-folk kind of ways... ya know?

I'm really liking this set of pics. I'm also enjoying the opportunity of working in such a great atmosphere. I hope it shows:

Two great shots of Justin Pickett really guarding the plate.

... and Pickett signing autographs (coach Jose Flores and catcher Luis Martinez in the background signing as well)... . There is a lot of that going on at Civic Stadium. Here is Luis Durango doing the same thing:

Usher Barber Dan and young Tyler

Former Duck and NBA star Luke Ridenour participating w/ a fan in the Bean Bag toss, playing against Josh Bidwell, participants in a post-game Fellowship program.

A few days off...

2007-07-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."

- Yogi Berra

The Ems are gone on a road trip after a pretty successful homestand including a 3 game series against the Vancouver (BC) team in which the Ems won 2 and lost 1 and scored 34 runs in those 3 games. The second game of the series the Ems scored 18 runs and every starter scored at least 1 run.

Here are a few pics from that series, including one I really like of Mitch Canham signing autographs at the Ems' dugout after the game. All the other players have gone and Mitch stands alone with a crowd of fans. Thats class. Something I'm thinking Ems' Manager Greg Riddoch is gonna be pretty good at instilling in a lot of his players.

Also posted today, Eric Sogard and Keith Conlon being interviewed; what it would look like if Eugeneoids stayed home and didn't go to Civic Stadium; what the crowd looks like when the fans do show up; good guy Josh Bidwell standing w/ his teammate in the bag toss (they lost against Luke Ridenour and his teammate and this poor kid was really sad. Good job cheering her up Josh!); almost always (not when he's pitching) Jackson "K"zada smiling; and... Justin Baum and Ems fans gawking skyward as the Airship Radio Theatre's hot air (boy howdy!) Airship passes over Civic Stadium.

And as a treat for you U of O Duck fans, I'll soon be posting a rare picture indeed... the U of O's Jonathon Stewart on a tricycle.

Until next time... enjoy.

Sunday morning...

2007-07-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

I like my Sunday mornings. Yep.

What a game last night! Dang... Mitch Canham's first homerun as a pro and it is a Grand Slam, an over-the-scoreboard-no-doubt-about-it kinda hit. He has quickly grown as the "hometown" favorite. It could be he is the best received Beaver (OSU) ever in Eugene (UO, Ducks). I can't be sure about that because I haven't been here forever...

And another crowd pleaser is Brian Lauderdale, out of Roswell, GA. Back from last year's Ems team, he is one of my faves too... he had a whale of a game, getting 3/4 of a full cycle with 2 singles, a double and a triple. The lack of a homerun is hardly a fault in a game like this, where the game went almost 4 hours and it took 8 runs for the Ems to win against a stubborn Vancouver (BC) team. Anyways.... Lauderdale... engaged in a version of baseball you only get to see once in a while at home plate or close to home... played Tackle Baseball!

I mean I'm a multi-sport kind of guy, I love baseball, basketball and football and play all 3. Ice Hockey... well, its too darn cold and if maybe I'd been introduced to it at a younger age... Soccer? Nah (even tho' I realize it is almost THE international sport). But, as a multi-sport guy, when the opportunity arrives to mix things up... have you ever tried to dribble a football? or played basketball in a pool? Lauderdale was on his way home and had no chance to beat the throw to the plate. He didn't beat the throw, but he sure decided to take the shortcut to the plate. Which (and you won't find this on any map) meant he had to go through the catcher. He almost made it. Almost...

Nice job Brian!

As a solid object the Vancouver catcher gave up some ground and ended up flat on his keester, but managed to hang on to the ball. To his credit. I mean it was, truly, a full blown, shoulder down, "I'm-on-my-way-and-you-ain't-stopping-me" collision. And the visiting Canuck catcher is not a big guy... lucky for him Brian is only 5'10 and 170 pounds.

So... here is the next gallery, from the series that ended Friday night with the Everett (WA) Aquasox, featuring another with those un-celebrated groundskeepers, Russ Eisenstein (the radio voice of Ems baseball on 1120 AM), beautiful women and handsome men, some Ems fans having a good time, an inflatable giant bat, Luis Durango airborne, another gorgeous Oregon sunset (which to me is when Civic Stadium is its most beeootiful)... and more!

Enjoy:

Thur, July 11 Ems win 4-3

2007-07-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

A few from last night's game, featuring Jimmy, Jose and "Javi" Flores, Richard WIlliams working out his arm on the opening pitch, Mitch Canham's first Civic Stadium game standing for the pledge of allegiance w/ a couple of excited fans, Chris Perez doing the same on the mound, and the forgotten heroes of modern baseball, the folks who make our stadiums glorious and green... the groundskeepers.

Its here, I like it!

2007-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

Welcome to all you Eugene Emeralds' fans. My name is Allan Erickson, I'm doing the photography for the Ems this year, as well as for the San Diego Padres scouting team.

A big thanks first off to Bryan Beban of the Ems and Denis Savage of the Padres and MadFriars.com for putting their trust in my work as a photographer. Hopefully this year's pictures will be satisfactory to all entities.

This blog will be primarily for my pictures w/o a whole lot of blah blah blah by me. I know there are a few fans of the Ems who won't mind dropping in and making some comments on the team. As a fan I can say that the '07 edition of the Ems is ripe with talent and seem to be a fine bunch of young men.

I'm enjoying my interactions with them, the wonderful fans and the Ems' coaches and all staff: ushers, media folks, vendors, grounds crew...

And a big tip o' the hat to skipper Greg Riddoch, who is a joy to watch as he deals with his players and the Eugene fans.

I may do some commenting on the possibility of the Ems home, Civic Stadium, being shut down. A tragic loss that would be for the people, the city of Eugene and baseball itself.

Anyway, here's hoping the pictures will make for enjoyable viewing. And if anyone, player, players' families, fans, staff or whomever, wishes to purchase any of these images, please contact me.

So... today's post is just an intro... I have to go work the Willie Nelson show at Eugene's gorgeous Cuthbert Amphitheatre. Pics up by this weekend sometime!

(post edited to add:)

Woohoo! Here are a few from the 4th of July game and fireworks show. I do believe a good time was had by all.

I am not watermarking these images. A watermark is added to prevent people from just copying an image and making their own prints. What I have done here and will continue to do is post them in a small format, from a small file size so that they can be copied but an enlargement would be of an inferior quality.

I would love to sell these pictures, its how I intend to feed my family and I hope everyone can respect that. If you do want to purchase an image, contact me!

allan_e@efn.org

And please post any comments you may have, or email me with comments, suggestions, kudos or criticisms. Thanks and enjoy!