Central Cabarrus vs Hopewell 4-21-06

How refreshing and exciting to witness such a great game that had a little bit of everything good about the sport, and none of the junk. As a photographer on the field, too many times in high school fastpitch the disparity between the two teams is so great in all aspects that the game itself is rather boring to watch unless you have a personal interest. Before you throw rocks at me just look at any rundown of the typical scores in fastpitch...alot to nothing, alot to nothing, etc. etc.

Sometimes I don't have a dog in the hunt, and I'm only there to photograph the 'action', it can be tedious. I do alot of Central's games and to be truthful some are not that exciting. Friday's game was anything but. There was tension, excitement, and it was obvious the players stepped up their game a notch on both sides. The two outstanding pitchers did not dominate though they both had their moments. The defense on both sides was nothing short of spectacular, with running all-out catches, pickoff throws, rundowns, and even a textbook double play.

My photographer's position often puts me right among the fans, near enough to overhear them during games. I sometimes hear alot of garbage, slander, and insults directed at opposing players, coaches, and umpires. Friday I didn't hear anything out of line. I know it can't always be that way, but sure wish it could become more the norm rather than the exception.

The players, coaches, and umpires are out there doing their best and as fans we should appreciate the effort no matter who the victors are. Friday was a real treat to watch and a privilege to chronicle. Thanks to everyone who made that game so much fun.

 

Selling

I am a school teacher and all of my photos are viewable free of charge. I do not have a pay-to-view site. Anyone with a computer can view any of my slideshows for free anytime they want. I do this (and spend many hours of my own time) for the players, who otherwise get very little media attention. I do want the players that I don't routinely cover to know that they may see themselves for free on my site anytime they want. If I did this for a living I would be very broke.

It is obvious to me that some regulars on these boards are ready to disparage at any time without knowing the facts. If you don't want to look at my photos, don't go there.

 

Read It

If you care to read the information without jumping to conclusions, the $10 CD fee is only if someone chooses to purchase the original photo files for their own use in printing. Odd to me that you send personal posts to your friend "jack" who is selling soccer equipment through this board and yet you take exception to my free photo site. What that means to me is that any of your posts are probably without merit. You call things like you want to see them, but you don't take care of your own back yard. What a joke.

 

My Bad

I am truly sorry if I insulted you. The facts appeared a little hypocritical to me. But that is just my opinion. At least now I know what your problem is and I will be more sensitive to that in the future. Let me make this perfectly clear, my site is free to view and no one ever has to spend one thin dime to look at the product of my work. My reward is the scores of players, family members, coaches, and even umpires who have thanked me personally for showing them in action for the internet world to see. Free of charge. I have had people from California, Ohio, and even Canada emailing me and thanking me for my efforts, without ever paying me anything but a compliment. And that's perfectly ok with me. But just for you, I will remove my web address from my signature, as soon as your friend removes his blatant advertisement from his. Then if I visit a school that I haven't ever covered and take 150 photos of the game and put them up for free on my website, the players who don't know about it will never know what they are missing. They can thank you for that. By the way, what positive thing are you doing to give these players the notice they wouldn't get without your efforts?

 

Consistent

That's all quite wonderful. It would be nice if you could also be consistent with your criticism. Anyway, that's enough for me. I plan to cover the state finals in Raleigh. Maybe I'll have the privilege of covering your team there, free of charge.