James Venes

Finally, the last game of the trip. May in particular was packed with games I could cover (ten), but now that we’re getting more into the summer months most teams scale back drastically on their day games except for Sundays. Also, many of the midweek day games I look for early in the season end up being “education days” where kids from local schools attend. That makes for an interesting setting when the first 2/3 of the game is filled with kids making a lot of noise then the place suddenly goes silent as they all file back to their buses around the 7th inning, which I don’t really get. If you’re going to bring a group of kids to the game, let them see the whole thing.

Anyway, Lancaster changed over to an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox not too long ago and they definitely make sure people know about it (and why not?). They have their “Jethawk Nation,” a “mini-monster” sign above the scoreboard in right, plus they play “Sweet Caroline” and then “Dirty Water” following a win.

Clear Channel Stadium, also known as The Hangar, has a full-size jet mounted in front of the main entrance and it calls attention to the aerospace legacy and military presence in the area, particularly Edwards Air Force Base. The design of the stadium itself is nearly identical to the one the Inland Empire 66ers use in San Bernardino, probably no surprise as both opened in 1996 and I’m certain they were designed by the same architecture firm. The concourse and seating setup is very similar and both have the same general roof design. There’s nothing wrong with it – they’re both cozy places to watch a game in.

The Ports and Jethawks engaged in a game of “Anything you can do I can do” as both scored single runs in the 3rd and 4th. Then Lancaster added the “better” part when they scored 4 in the 7th after Stockton took a brief lead on a solo home run by Matt Sulentic. Jorge Jimenez tied it with a single, Josh Reddick gave the Jethawks the lead with another, then Chih-Hsien Chiang’s double plated the final two as Lancaster won 6-3.

After being a little displeased with some of the results in Visalia and Fresno, I went back to shooting with an ISO setting that got me better photos before and it worked well again here. The early part of the game had a decent cloud cover so the shadows were easier to deal with, but by the time the sun came out I got the usual brightness I’m used to working with during the middle of day. I also had the best weather of any place on the trip: 70s.

This 10-day, 7-game trip ended with 474 photos uploaded along with 55 more from an afternoon/evening in Joshua Tree National Park. Thanks to those who have looked. If you visit Scout.com, you should eventually see many of these on various player pages as well. Without them and the occasional work I do for SFDugout.com, I don’t get this kind of access.

5/22/08: Stockton Ports at Lancaster Jethawks

Of the seven games on my week and a half trip to the southern part of the state, this was the only Triple-A game I covered. While it was another hot day, it wasn’t quite at the level it was in Lake Elsinore, Rancho Cucamonga or Visalia. Mid-90s, decent breeze, lots of water.

It was my second time in Fresno this month and also the second time Nick Pereira threw for the Grizzlies. While he wasn’t quite as good as he was the first time against Omaha he pitched more than well enough for another win, working into the 7th inning and allowing two runs. Justin Leone went deep for Fresno, Brett Harper and Scott McClain had 2 hits apiece, and so did Brandon Wood for the Bees. 6-2 final.

This was another one of those games where I ended up with fewer action shots in the field than I was hoping for but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I hadn’t shot a game featuring Salt Lake before so I spent a little more time trying to make sure I got their hitters accounted for. Occasionally, that left me without enough room to switch over to the infield to set up in time for a shot. Still, I’m mostly pleased with the results. The stuff I tried in Visalia with the ISO settings did work a bit better here but I don’t think I’m going to play around with that as much down the line.

5/20/08: Salt Lake Bees at Fresno Grizzlies

The good news? I finally got a high-scoring game to shoot.

The bad news? It was about 100 degrees at this game and it lasted nearly three and a half hours.

Sometimes I have to be careful what I ask for because on a day like this I’d have taken a quick pitcher’s duel without much offense. I don’t like to leave a game early so it was vital to get a lot of water and what shade I could.

Visalia scored 5 in the 2nd and 3 more in the 3rd and had an early 8-4 lead, but Modesto kept chipping away before overcoming a 9-7 deficit in the 8th inning by plating 4 of their own for an 11-9 win. After Michael McKenry tied it on a walk, Matt Repec gave the Nuts the lead for good with a 2-run bloop single to right, doubling his RBI count on the day to 4. McKenry had 3 of his own. Visalia’s Steve Mena homered and drove in 3 for the Oaks.

I tried shooting a little differently by upping the ISO settings to let in more light, allowing me to work with a faster shutter speed in exchange, but in many cases the digital noise it added left it not worth the trouble. I figured Visalia would be the place to try it since it’s already a bit of a difficult place to shoot in and I did it again in Fresno the next day with some better results. It’s something I can use here and there if I’m careful about the conditions.

5/19/08: Modesto Nuts at Visalia Oaks

The first (and last) time I was at The Epicenter in 2005 I saw Andy Sonnanstine dominate for the Visalia Oaks. In this game, Rancho’s Tommy Mendoza came close to one-upping him as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before allowing a 2-out, 2-run homer to Greg Halman. He’d end up going a full 7 before two relievers finished off a 6-5 Quakes win. Rancho was aided by 2 RBIs apiece from Anthony Norman and P.J. Phillips while Halman had 2 of the 3 hits on the day for the Mavericks.

Working in such a nice stadium is a lot of fun. Nothing against places like Visalia or Bakersfield, but they’re simply not equipped the same because of how old they are. To Visalia’s credit they’re in the middle of renovations but I’ll have to see if they allow for any field access or not. Like I said before, Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga have what I believe are the two best ballparks in the California League and I think the photos help show it. On another 100-degree day, the shade I was able to take advantage of in the dugouts helped beat the heat a lot.

You’ll see a lot of non-action shots because they’re easier to get and use later on for player pages and such on Scout.com, but I ended up posting a few more shots than usual here. Part of it was for the stadium itself but there are a few from the Maury Wills appearance as well. He threw out one of the first pitches and looked pretty good for 75 years young. As an aside, I also love Rancho’s uniforms. I think they’re among the best in the minors.

5/18/08: High Desert Mavericks at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Along with yesterday’s game in Rancho Cucamonga, Thursday’s in Lake Elsinore resulted in me working in what are, in my opinion, the two best ballparks the California League has to offer. In fact, the way they’re built and handled, they could pass for a Double-A facility, if not Triple-A (capacity notwithstanding).

On a day that neared 100 degrees, I watched Stockton’s Jason Fernandez dominate the Lake Elsinore hitters to the tune of 2 hits over 8 innings. He doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts, so he kept his defense active with a good mix of grounders and fly balls. The Ports rallied for a pair of runs and that was all Fernandez would need. He’s not getting as much attention as other pitching prospects like Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, James Simmons, Henry Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez or Fautino de los Santos are, but it looks like Fernandez has just as good a shot at progressing through the system as any of them.

I enjoyed shooting at the Lake Elsinore Diamond quite a bit. Though the sun was a little tough when it came to shadows caused by the hats, it was in a very good position for me to get a lot of good, sharp shots. I got more action away from the mound and the plate in this one, including a couple diving catches in the outfield (though just after the ball went into the glove). Still working on timing grounders about to be fielded, though. It’s definitely a place I’d like to work again sometime.

5/15/08: Stockton Ports at Lake Elsinore Storm

Yes, I do more than just sports photography, but this stuff usually means needing to be out of town for more than just part of a day.

The last time I was down in Southern California for a tour of minor league ballparks, I only had enough time to spend a couple hours in Joshua Tree National Park and fairly quickly do the upper loop drive from the Joshua Tree entrance to the Twentynine Palms one. I would’ve liked to go see some other things there but I just didn’t have the time.

On Friday I was able to put in closer to three and a half hours in there and I started out going in through the south entrance about 20 miles east of Indio. I got to check out some of the different desert terrain before it changed over to the higher desert that features the distinct Joshua trees. This time I also made it up to Keys View and that was pretty spectacular. I had just enough time to get back down to the main loop and head back toward the Joshua Tree entrance to try some sunset photography with and without the camera flash, and the results were pretty satisfying. All told, the drive from Indio through the southern entrance, then out the westernmost one and back to Indio was about 150 miles.

I want to get out to some more places and do work during the sunrise and/or sunset because of the lighting and shadow effects. I think you’ll see how much they can add to a photo. I also like to bring out the color in these a bit more. It’s a personal style when I shoot landscapes, nature, etc. compared to sports. With people, I have to be careful not to oversaturate them so their skin looks like they’ve been crossed with a lobster. When it’s just trees or rocks and stuff like that, I have more freedom to make it as colorful as I want.

55 photos in this gallery:

5/16/08: Joshua Tree National Park

Opening in 1941, Sam Lynn Ballpark is the oldest of the California League facilities and in ways it shows it. It’s also one of the most unique places you can visit and has had many stars play in it, most of them from the Dodgers organization. Two things stand out the most. First, the fact it was built such that the sun sets behind center field required the construction of a massive wall that serves as a sun shield. Even with that, sometimes games don’t start until closer to 8 PM. Second, center field is only 354 feet from home plate. The 15-foot high wall helps compensate for that, but the ballpark can be very unfriendly to pitchers.

While it’s not a place with a bunch of new amenities, there’s something unique about it. Sometimes I’ll take an older, different place over newer locations, at least as an occasional alternative. I definitely wouldn’t pick this place over most others though I’ll cover a game just about anywhere. While there’s no field access, there is ample room to work from the seating areas behind and to either side of the plate. The only problem from the sides is a chain link fence in the way, which makes getting good photos a bit of a challenge until you find enough of an opening that the fence itself doesn’t get in the way. The net behind the plate is much better. At least you can get good, low angles out of it. With the 10:30 start, the sun was behind the plate for most of the game.

It’s not unlike Wahconah Park given the orientation of the field, and you can read more about Sam Lynn Ballpark on the Bakersfield Blaze website or Wikipedia.

High Desert scored the first two runs in the second before Bakersfield got all the rest, winning by a score of 7-2. Starter Tommy Hunter was very effective, going 8 innings while allowing just 6 hits, no walks and 8 strikeouts. 6 of those came in two innings when he struck out the side, all swinging. Four Blaze hitters had 2 or more hits.

5/14/08: High Desert Mavericks at Bakersfield Blaze

Starting off about a week and a half in the Southern part of California, I worked a game at Recreation Park yesterday in Visalia. This is a place I’d been to before in 2005, but just from the point of view of a traveling fan wrapping up visits to all of the California League parks.

This time around, it was a little different. As small as it is, there is no field access so everything needs to be shot from the seats. On the plus side, they’re making renovations to the ballpark and some newer, lower seats are now down the third base line. The drawback to the current renovations is the entire first base side past the dugout is completely off limits as all the work is taking place there. That severely limits places to go but once it’s all done I’d like to get back there to check it out.

Regardless, it’s both interesting and challenging to shoot there. The position of the sun was tough at times and better on the first base side, but like I said that was the more restricted side. So, not my best set of work but not every game can be. This is also the first gallery I put together using the new laptop and drawing tablet I picked up last week. Doing that sure beats having to get multiple memory cards without the ability to do anything further until I get home again.

The game didn’t have a whole lot of action. Lancaster scored a run in the 5th and Visalia came back with a pair of their own in the bottom half for a 2-1 win. Good pitching by Cesar Valdez was enough for the win and three Oaks collected a pair of hits. Josh Papelbon ended up pitching for Lancaster so it was fun shooting his submarine style at different points.

5/13/08: Lancaster Jethawks at Visalia Oaks

Part two of the Wednesday doubleheader and I finally got more of a high-scoring game: 10-6, Bakersfield. Of course, that made the game three hours long instead of most of the other ones clocking in closer to 2:15 in length.

Julio Borbon, K.C. Herren and Manny Pina, with three hits apiece, accounted for half of Bakersfield’s 18-hit barrage and Borbon led the way with a pair of doubles, 4 RBI, a couple runs and a stolen base. Evan Reed pitched 6 solid innings for the win, leaving with a 10-2 lead before Modesto staged a brief comeback attempt. Nuts knuckleballer Simon Ferrer, an outfielder turned pitcher after the 2005 season, continued to struggle as he fell to 1-6. His battery mate Michael McKenry hit the only home run of the game.

Modesto is fast becoming one of my favorite places to work. Between the bases, the photo wells are closer to the mound and the plate than other ballparks I’ve been to and as the late afternoon sun moved more behind the first base seating it made for some great light behind me when I shot from that side. I was able to crank up the shutter speed to 1/4000 for some shots and I was rewarded for it with a great broken bat photo on a swing by Modesto’s Jay Cox. Earlier, I also got my best hit by pitch photo when Modesto’s Victor Ferrante was plunked. Overall, the number of other things I got in the field such as stolen bases, a rundown, Herren chugging around third and more was probably my best collection from a single game this season.

5/7/08: Bakersfield Blaze at Modesto Nuts

Sorry, Mr. Banks. I had to.

As part one of a personal doubleheader for me, I went to Stockton for a morning game against Visalia. About half a day after the Ports shut out the Oaks 14-0 behind a start from rehabbing Oakland starter Rich Harden, Stockton’s bats didn’t show up. Visalia’s Eddie Romero shut the Ports down as he pitched into the seventh and Ed Easley homered twice and drove in 4 to help the Oaks win 6-0.

The first was highly controversial as it looked like the ball hit just below the top of the wall in left field and a fan made a timely reach to catch it, with the umpires ruling it went out. That brought Ports manager Darren Bush out for a lengthy argument he somehow avoided getting the thumb over. Later, Easley took Oakland’s Keith Foulke (also in town on a rehab assignment) deep.

On a personal note, I was somewhat disappointed I missed seeing either Brett Anderson or Trevor Cahill throw for Stockton. The way it turned out, a day off Monday and Harden’s start Tuesday ended up pushing both of them back a couple days. That’s just how it goes sometimes, though I probably would have focused more on taking shots of them and I may have missed some of what I got instead.

As nice as Banner Island Ballpark is, I think it’s proving to be a little tough to shoot during the early starts because of the position of the sun. Early in the game pitching shots came out well from the first base side but there was enough glare on the seats behind the hitters that it was difficult to get a really good balance. I just find it changes a lot as noon approaches and beyond and with the sun mostly shining from behind the players most of the photos have to be shot into the brightness.

The comparison will be clear when you see some shots from the second game in Modesto when the sun was behind me a lot more. The lighting there was enough that I could shoot with a 1/4000 shutter speed and still get some very well-balanced results. I don’t know how much it will stand out to people in general but it’s something I notice right away.

5/7/08: Visalia Oaks at Stockton Ports