It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any photos. While I work on processing all of the photos I took at last Saturday’s FanFest, here’s a photo of Brandon Belt, who I hope gets freed this season and finally gets regular playing time. (And by regular playing time, I don’t mean hanging out on the bench to gain valuable major league experience.)

When Will Clark left the Giants, I was crushed. Devastated. It didn’t help that the Giants had also just won 103 games and missed the playoffs by one game. Watching the season end in a heartbreaking fashion while knowing it was probably the last time I’d see Will Clark play for the team crushed me. It was then that I learned that as fun as it can be to follow a baseball team, it’s not so fun when you get attached to a particular player and they leave the team. Now that I’m older, I understand that it’s a part of baseball, but that still doesn’t make it any easier to see your favorite player play for another team.

I’ll always have a sentimental attachment to all of the players from the 2010 team (except for you, Jose Guillen), because that’s the Giants team that finally won the World Series here in San Francisco. I’ll always remember all of them (again, except you, Jose Guillen) fondly and wish them well wherever they end up. I have to admit that watching members of the 2010 team leave the Giants this offseason is making me somewhat sad and extremely sentimental. (As an unrelated, but sort of related side note, if Matt Cain ever leaves the Giants, I will be crushed in that same way I was when Will Clark left. Please don’t ever leave, Matt.)

One of my favorite players from that team will always be Andres Torres. I admit to expressing surprise (in a “who the hell is this guy?” kind of way) when Torres came out of nowhere and made the team in 2009. I’m pretty sure if you search the ol’ internet, you might even find proof of these comments. (I apologize, Andres. I didn’t know how awesome you could be.) And then Torres had his amazing breakout season in 2010, taking over as the starting centerfielder after Aaron Rowand was injured. In true superhuman fashion, Torres also had an appendectomy in September of 2010 and came back to the team two weeks later.

Torres became a fan favorite due in large part to his backstory and his incredibly friendly personality. I loved hearing stories about him saying hi to every single person every single day and seeing his smile in the dugout.  You couldn’t help but like and root for Torres. I know he had a disappointing 2011, but I still think he had some value to the team, especially defensively. I’m definitely going to miss watching him play, and I wish him the best of luck in New York. He’ll always be one of my favorites.

“We won the World Series. How would I ever forget the Giants, the fans, all the people? I’ll always respect them and always thank them for everything. I always said I’ll put some part of the Giants in my heart.” – Andres Torres

This week’s Illustration Friday topic is “round.” For me, the first thing that came to mind was a ball, specifically, because I’m baseball obsessed (and currently baseball deprived), a baseball. I drew a baseball, as you see on the left, but then decided to take things a step further. When I think baseball, I tend to think of the Giants first (because I’m biased), and when I think of the Giants or Giants players, the guy that usually comes to mind first is the one and only Willie Mays. So for this week’s Illustration Friday, it’s a double illustration with a baseball and the Say Hey Kid.

Now, how many days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training?

And now that I’m posting this photo, I realize that I never actually wrote a post with photos from opening night and the ring ceremony. Well, there’s something to do this offseason.

This was a fun night.

I kind of love the dreamy retro feel the Diana Mini gives photos. I look forward to playing with it a little more, especially now that I have a fresh bottle of HC110 to develop with.

I didn’t make this video, but I have to say, it’s one of my favorite fan made videos from last year.

Happy anniversary, my fellow Giants fans.

The song I used is “Human Qualities” by Explosions in the Sky from their new album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. If you watch Friday Night Lights, you may already be familiar with their music. If you don’t, well, be sure to check out Explosions in the Sky (excellent instrumental music) as well as Friday Night Lights (seasons 1-4 are available on Netflix Instant!). I got hooked on the show a few months ago (thanks, Netflix) and watched the first four seasons pretty much non-stop, just in time for the fifth and final season to start airing on NBC. It’s taking everything in my power to keep from buying the fifth season on DVD and watching it all in one sitting. The show is that good, and I’m sorry to see it end.

I’m heading to another Giants game tonight. I’ve been to six games so far this season. I’ve seen five wins and one loss. All five of those wins? Walk-off wins. The Giants are all about the dramatic endings so far this year. Not that I’m complaining.

View postA bunch more photos from the day over at my Zenfolio account. I’ll still post some of my favorite photos at Flickr, but I think this year, I’m going to upload most of my baseball-related photos at Zenfolio. We shall see.

Since it’s a new year and all, I figure it’s high time I update my site (and this blog) with more of my recent work.  I finally got around to sorting through the zillions of photos I took last baseball season and uploaded them.  If you’d like to give them a look, you can find them here under Baseball and then 2010.

I also set some of the photos to music and put them in a video slideshow, which I meant to post when it was still 2010.  (I am ridiculously good at this procrastination thing.)

I can’t wait for baseball season to start again.

I realize I’ve been neglecting my blog, but I have a good reason!  The San Francisco Giants, my absolute favorite baseball team, the team I’ve loved with all of my heart since I was eight-years-old and Will Clark was dazzling Candlestick crowds with his sweet swing, are not only in the playoffs, but have just won the National League pennant.  Yes, my beloved Giants are in the World Series.

That’s one of those things that I have to say, pause, reflect, and say again just to make myself believe it’s actually true.

The San Francisco Giants are playing in the World Series, which starts on Wednesday at AT&T Park.  It almost seems like fate that the National League wins the All-Star Game for the first time in forever and gets home field advantage in the World Series (an idea that I think is silly still) the year the Giants make it all the way to the end.

I’m so very proud of this team and so very excited about what’s to come.

I took the above photo at game three of the NLCS last week.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to swing World Series tickets, as they’re just slightly expensive, but trust that if I don’t make it to the park, I’ll be hooting and hollering as I watch at home.  Go get ‘em, Giants.  Time to introduce torture baseball to the folks in Texas.