“Holding on to yesterday” Ambrosia
“Sign of the Gypsy Queen” April Wine
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, it was my golden age of Baseball. Yes my favorite team, the Red Sox have won 4 World Series in the new century, but the game has changed for the worse in my opinion.
I graduated Fullerton Union High School in 1976 and enrolled at Fullerton College which is across the street from FUHS. To be honest, school did not do it for me. I did take a photo class there from Al Devito. He wreaked of cigarettes but knew his shit! He taught me one thing I remember to this day..there is no right or wrong photo (yes you have to have exposure etc all set right). He said its what YOU see in the viewfinder. Make it your own…develop your own style…so I did. I found my niche in life. Starting out with my first film camera, a Canon AE-1.
“Fantasy” Aldo Nova
I was a very shy goofy kid (read about my upbringing in why me) and was very awkward. BUT I found joy in my camera and sports venues. As a kid, I collected all the baseball cards, guides etc. I devoured stats and locations were venues were. As a kid, I had no idea it would turn into a career. It was May of 1977, the Red Sox were in town, Anaheim, to play the Angels. Anaheim stadium is a 15 minute ride down the 57 freeway for me. I called the Angels, and (to be honest) bullshitted my way into a media credential for the night of May 16th. I told the media guy I was in a photo class in college (which I was) and some other lame excuses. To my surprise, they got me that credential. I had field access.
“Good Times Roll” the Cars
The day comes May 16,1977….The Angels used to start games at 7:30 and that night was no exception. I was so excited, I got to Anaheim stadium at 3:30 for the 7:30 game. I got my pass from the front desk and walked into an empty (except for the players) Anaheim Stadium. My heart was racing as I walked down the aisle by the first base dugout. The Red Sox had already taken the field for warmups and bp. Scared to death, I walk on the field. Not knowing what to do and being all of 18 years old, I just gazed at my heroes… Pudge, Dewey and Yaz. After a few minutes Fergie Jenkins walks over to me and says hey I love photography too. He made me feel so at ease.. introduced me to Yaz personally (Yaz is my favorite of all time) and answered the tons of questions I had. Fergie was pitching the next night, so (back when pitchers did this) he was charting the game that night. I clicked away during bp, not wanting to miss anything. Right behind the batting cage was Don Drysdale, the Dodgers hall of famer and Angels broadcaster. I was in awe. He and Koufax were the best 2 starters ever for one team. Sandy was unhittable, Don was just mean…meaning he would drill you just to drill you and keep you off the plate. I was intimidated. I took his pic but wished I would have said hello.
“Dream Police” Cheap Trick
The grounds crew was getting the field ready and I was trying to figure out where I would be during the game. Fergie, before he headed to the clubhouse, says you can sit with US in the dugout. I was floored. In my mind, I am thinking NONE of my friends are gonna buy this! But there I was…in the dugout at the start of the game. Fergie sits next to me and calls over George Scott.. he says he Boomer, we want him in the dugout tonight.. lets block him from Popeye (manager Don Zimmer)… all night long, Sox players would sit next to the kid. I got to talk to these guys during the game. I was the kid in a candy store. Just 2 years earlier, I saw the Sox in the 1975 World Series, then in July of 1976, I saw my first ever game at Fenway park in Boston. My head was spinning. The guys were so cool to me that I felt like their little brother.
“Sultans of Swing” Dire Straits
The game starts… Reggie Cleveland of the Sox vs. Gary Ross of the Angels. Yes this Angels team had Nolan Ryan. Alas, he would not pitch in this short 2 game series. Only about 11,000 were there that night. It was a pitchers duel thru 4..then the scoring started. They were back and forth trading runs, and home runs. George Scott of the Sox hit 2, Rice hit one and Bobby Bonds hit one for the Angels. About the top of the 5th Dwight Evans gets called out on strikes by Larry McCoy the home plate ump. He comes back to the dugout LIVID. Slams his helmet and bat in the bat rack. He comes over to me, steam coming out of his ears, and he says..”THAT really burns my FUCKING ASS”. I do not know why I said this but..I told Dewey..you will get them next time…. Top of 7, Evans at the plate…and DAMN if he does not hit a home run. The photo at the top of the page is after that home run and he is coming in the dugout. He hand slaps his teammates…and I kid you not, comes and gives me a high 5… sits down with a HUGE grin on his face. Jim Rice is standing next to me..and says, you are our good luck charm, will you be here tomorrow? I blurted out..I don’t have tickets yet.. he said, how many do you need? I said 2…that started a 10 year friendship with Rice..he would always get me tickets in Anaheim and at Fenway. Rice had a reputation with the media, as did Yaz..but they were both very nice to me. I am forever grateful. They made this long time Red Sox fan dream come true.
“That was yesterday” Foreigner
That night in Anaheim will always be with me. This was 1977, so no cellphone cameras or internet. Just memories from the photos I took and the guys I met. What I did was uncommon (sitting in the dugout for the whole game). You cannot do that anymore per MLB rules. Baseball was different back then, and I really got the feel of what went on during a game from the players perspective. In November of 1977, I got my dream car, a 1978 Martinique blue Trans Am, with t tops…. When the Sox were in Anaheim, I would give a few a ride to the big A.. and of course they got me tickets. It was a great trade off. I know my longtime buddy of almost 50 years now, Howard Haberman, can back this up!
“Living in the past” Jethro Tull
Fast forward to March of 1985. I had the bug. I wanted to photograph and see games in EVERY major and minor league venue…colleges too. That April, I called the Detroit Red Wings PR department to ask about the old Olympia stadium. Their former home. They told me its in VERY bad shape and about to be razed. Me being the free spirit, I got a plane ticket to Detroit, the Paris of the midwest, to go see the Olympia…and that is another story coming. While in Detroit, I got to go see the Tigers in Tiger stadium and drove the 5 hours to Chicago to see the White Sox in old Comiskey park. Back in Detroit, I found out where former Red Sox player and cult hero Bernie Carbo, cut hair after baseball. I stopped in (the shop is long gone now) and sonofabitch, Bernie is in there. I told him the story of 77 and he remembered my blue Trans Am. He was one of the guys I took to the ballparks. We start chatting about game 6 in the 75 World Series. He told me when he hit the home run to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th..he was high as a kite. Bernie had his demons, but they are gone now. He says, here is the bat I hit that HR with. I got to hold it… he then says.. lemme give u a haircut…and he did… and would NOT let me pay. Bernie and I always got along. I have more on getting into the Olympia in another upcoming story.
“One fine morning” Lighthouse
August, 1994 Houston Astrodome. I was doing a photo shoot on the Astrodome for a now defunct magazine called the Diamond. The issue never got published as it folded. I got my media pass from the Astros for 2 games. First was against the Rockies, the second was a game against the Giants. After getting my pass, I went into both clubhouses, then down to the field. The Rockies were taking BP. Behind the cage was Dwight Evans who was then the hitting coach for the Rockies. I went up to him and said Hey Dewey…he looked at me, then shocked the shit out of me by saying “You had a blue trans am in California didn’t you”. We reminisced about that night, and his home run…did the chit chat like two long lost friends. Dewey is one helluva guy..and you did NOT run on his arm! He was deadly accurate with it. Another great memory.
“Take me out to the ballgame” Carly Simon
I feel I have had a blessed life with my career. One person I met has been a friend for over 45 years now. The big ol righthander from Chatham, Ontario… Fergie Jenkins. I see Fergie every now and then and we pick up right where we left off. Fergie has stories! I am forever grateful to everyone who has assisted me in my career. The friendships I have made last forever. During my almost 50 year career of this, I have amassed over 150,000 stadia imagery. I have it on my website. ballparks.smugmug.com IF you have a passion for something …. GO FOR IT! You live one life, make it your OWN.
