Friday, November 08, 2013

Friday Five: 2013 Player Pics

It's no secret I love baseball. And I'm known to take a photograph (or 200) on occasion. When I get the opportunity to mix these two passions of mine, I get really carried away. I'm far from anything but an enthusiast with a Nikon, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again. 

When it comes to capturing my baseball boys, I've determined that a major factor in getting good results, as with real estate, is location, location, location. Luckily, I often attend games with #twitterlessIrene, who we've nicknamed "The Seat Whisperer." Most of my best shots have been taken with her at my side. 

Today's Friday Five features the player portraits that I am most proud of this season. These are the shots I took that I feel really represent them and their personalities. I have tons more from the more than 20 games I attended this summer, and I have some other ideas how to highlight them later on. For now, enjoy! 

Stand up & Shout!! This guy always gave us a little too much excitement but usually pulled through in the end. Going to miss him if he's gone for good. If he doesn't come back, my lasting memory of him will be of Game 162, in the pouring rain, shaking off water to shut down the hated LAA Halos, giving us all a last glimmer of hope. I was there and it was incredible.

Mmmmm. Hello, Neal. Besides his hypnotically beautiful eyes, Neal got the job done on the mound, proving to be a valuable fixture in the bullpen. Good pitching is baseball sexy. Great pitching is just plain Hotts, y'all. 

Oh, Kins. Killing us. We want to love him unconditionally but his uneven performance at the plate and a few more errors than we wanted to see were frustrating on & off through the season. But the faces & the playfulness with his shortstop made it hard to resist. Plus, the boy isn't afraid to get dirty! 


Favorite & Future. That's what these two represent to me. Seeing Leonys' Cuban Missile arm gun down someone silly enough to risk it never got old. Plus his engaging smile &  "I'm just happy to be here" attitude were contagious. 

I'm a little concerned about whether JP fits in the organization long-term, whether we split up Kindrus to make room for him or if he gets traded to fill an immediate need. I'd love to see him mature as a Ranger but I'm glad we got to see a glimpse this season. 


Sigh. My sweet baboo. They visited us only once, for three days in May, and the beard was thick but hadn't quite taken on its own persona yet. Yet, the fire and grit and determination, along with the unbuttoned jersey, was there, like it was when he was a Ranger. 

He finally got his ring, two years after he poured his heart, soul & body into earning it with us. I'm still holding on to a sliver of hope he will come back. But even if he doesn't, I'm always and forever a #NapFanForLife. 

Are you a baseball fan? Who is your favorite player? 

No comments: