Rounding Up Support!

My friend Kevin found this sports photography contest that ESPN the Magazine is having so I'm gonna give this a go and see what happens. Included in the six categories is People's Choice, where anyone can hop on and vote for their favorite picture. I submitted a couple, but I'm trying to garner some votes for the picture below, which I took last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

This is where I need to round up some support! Please head over to my photo (http://theshot.espn.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1008500145) and vote for me. The system will send you a quick confirmation email with another link to click and confirm your vote (so I don't cheat or anything).

Voting is limited to one per email address so please spread the word and/or register for as many email addresses as gmail allows and keep voting!

Thanks!

Gillette Panoramic

Thanks, Photoshop photomerge tool.

Gettin' Behind on This

My Uncle Don and Aunt Nancy, Patriots season ticket holders, were nice enough to pass along their dynamite tickets to the Pats vs. Cinci preseason game last week. I don't get to many Patriots games so it was nice to take a few pictures at Gillette. Of course, it's no Fenway Park, but I don't argue with free tickets. Here are a few of my favorites. Full gallery up @ http://jeffvalois.smugmug.com.

Next up...the Deutsche Bank Championship next Wednesday and back to Fenway for the Rays game (first time in the Monster seats...thanks Jay) on the 11th. I'm looking forward to taking a few pictures at both.

RIP, Teddy

This is one of my all-time favorite moments I've seen in person at Fenway Park. While battling serious health issues, Senator Kennedy threw out the first pitch to soon-to-be hall of famer Jim Rice at Fenway Opening Day '09.

RIP, Teddy...a true Massachusetts legend.

Diggin' through the Archives

I'm getting ready to head down to Foxboro with Sarah for tonight's Patriots preseason game vs. the Bengals. Of course, the camera's coming with me.

This is my first Pats game since I went to a couple games in '07, one of which turned out to be a preseason Super Bowl preview against the Giants (the other was the AFC Championship...great experience). That game fell in the middle of my 'sports vacation'...a week during which I went to back-to-back Sox games (including the Buchholz no-hitter) and the Deutsche Bank Championship. That week was also the first time I can remember thinking that I took some pretty kickass pictures on purpose.

I went through some of my pictures from that Pats game and forgot how much I liked a few of them. I think they're still some of my favorite pictures I've taken...not to mention some of the most time-consuming to edit.

Tom Brady and Eli Manning

The "Backerhood," as they called themselves. Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Adalius Thomas

Adalius Thomas checking out the crowd

Stay Classy, Worcester State

I hadn't been back to Worcester State, my alma mater, since I graduated a few years ago (coincidentally, the last time I was there was the last day of Photography I with Don Bullens. Thanks Don).

I heard the college had done a ton of construction and renovation in some areas so I wanted to swing by to check it out and take a few pictures.

They did a really nice job on the Administration Building (pictured above, from the back). If the school looked this nice when I went there, I probably would have spent more time studying and less time playing Madden and Tiger Woods on Playstation. Fine...prolly not, but it would've been nice.

Sox Day Trip

Day games during the week @ Fenway are pretty rare, so I had been eyeing the July 30th game for a couple months. I was pretty determined to catch this game, even if I had to go by myself. As it turned out...I went by myself (that's alright, Jay).

I got to the park around 10am to catch a tour. $12 for some good photo opportunities is well worth it. Unfortunately, the tarps were out and, once we reached our first stop - the right field roof - the skies were open. There goes that idea.


It cleared off once the gates opened at 11:30 so I got in a good pregame walk around Fenway to grab a few pictures.







It ain't easy getting good pictures from a grandstand seat but I was pretty happy with how they came out. Here are a few of my favorites:

Nomar doing his thing with the things

Nick Green showing off his arm

Jacoby caught in a double play by old friend Orlando Cabrera

Ortiz homers to put the Sox ahead...and proceeds to jump on Mike Lowell

Jonathan Papelbon comes in to seal the deal

I found out before the game about David Ortiz's positive test in '03 so breaking that news to some Sox fans was strange. It felt a little like telling grown men there was no Santa Claus.

Great game and possibly my last for the year unless I stumble into some tickets.

Full game gallery up at http://jeffvalois.smugmug.com.