Back In The Air

I'm back with the blog after a break following the exciting baseball season which ended with a Yankees World Series win and the ticker tape parade.

Here's a shot of Brooklyn (lower) and Manhattan (middle) as I arrived home from Tampa and the Yankees' Fantasy Camp. The two bridges are the Brooklyn (left) and Manhattan (right). Having a window seat and your camera at the ready will produce shots like this. I had to really pump up the contrast to cut through the haze and sharpen the view.




And this is a shot I always try to get. The shadow of the jet on the ground as the plane gets closer and closer to landing. Getting this shot is easy IF you have a window seat and fly either early in the morning or late in the day when the sun is low in the sky.

2009 New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parade

It was 'snowing' paper in lower Manhattan on Friday as the Yankees were given the 178th ticker tape parade down Broadway through the "Canyon of Heroes." All this for winning the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies. Our scoreboard operations crew - thanks to our boss Mike Bonner - scored an invite to the party and we'll gladly owe him big time the rest of our lives.

Here's the link to my YouTube channel:

2009 New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parade

I'm With A Winner!

Since I've been with many a team that had no chance of winning a championship of any kind, it's almost beyond belief for me to be connected with the new champs of baseball - the New York Yankees. It's been a great ride from The Phone Call in January to gauge my interest in working for the team as public address announcer to the chilly night in November when the Yankees sealed the deal with a 7-3 win over the Phillies for their 27th World Championship.

This is the jubilation pile moments after the final out with Nick Swisher - on the right - taking flight so as to land on top of his teammates. Number 55, Hideki Matsui - on the left - drove in six runs and was named Most Valuable Player. I'm glad the Yankees - in their first season in the new Yankee Stadium - won the title at home and not on the road in Philadelphia which would have happened had they won Monday night.

The World Series trophy is held aloft and a newspaper proclaiming the 27th World Championship is already in the hands of a member of the team. This picture of joy makes all the work towards a championship - starting in the hot days of spring training in February to the cold nights of November - worthwhile.

The Countdown Is On

After seeing the first actual Christmas themed TV commercial - thanks to Walmart - I was reminded again that the holiday season is upon us when I walked past the Official Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Christmas Countdown Sign.

The Well Dressed NYC Marathon Runner Wears ...

I guess it depends on what's in the closet the morning of the race. A nice crisp suit is enough for some. But others need to make a stronger statement, So donning a famous landmark is the obvious way to go.

Staying properly hydrated during the 26 mile run is important and the volunteers at the water stations were kept busy with the thousands of participants of the 40th annual NYC Marathon.

Having photographed many parade, street race and protest marches, I've learned to look for interesting backgrounds ahead of time to help add a different touch to an otherwise mundane photo of people running or walking or carrying picket signs.. This mural is in Brooklyn and gives the viewer a flavor of the neighborhoods that make the NYC Marathon unique.

Many of the spectators brought their dogs to the sidewalks of the five boroughs of New York to watch the annual spectacle. This dog - I'm not sure of the breed - was too photogenic to pass up.

Here's the look down 4th avenue in Brooklyn from thethe mile-7 marker of the 26 miles the participants must negotiate. The so-called elite runners - the pros who can run 26 miles well under two and a half hours - have long since passed this point of the course.