Farewell #51

Trading Aces: Halladay for Lee

Chone "Gone" Figgins to Seattle

THIS ONE WAS TOUGH to stomach as an Angels fan, Chone Figgins as a Seattle Mariner, wreaking havoc alongside Ichiro throughout the American League. In this day and age when true leadoff hitters are so hard to find, the Angels weren't all that interested in the end. Yes, the up-and-coming Brandon Wood was out of options and needed to be given a chance to truly prove himself, but sheesh...I can't help but feel like Reagins let a good, no, a great one get away.

A Pictorial Memo to Adrian Beltre

IT CAUGHT UP WITH ADRIAN BELTRE in his twelfth big league season—a torn testicle as a result of shunning the cup all those years. Beltre swears that he'd rather give up a year's salary rather than wear a jock strap, but was it worth it? There's a reason why infielders wear a cup, but you never really think of the ball hitting them in the groin mainly because it rarely ever happens. That may be Beltre's argument, just that he paid the ultimate price the other week.

Griffey Sails Home

Safeco Field: A Well Rounded View

KNOWN AS A PITCHER'S PARK, Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, in this picture, is vast yet intimate. This fish eye lens shot not only gives us that sense of peering into a ball game, it also captures the wonderful tension between a warmly lit ball field and the cool weather above. There are many wide angle shots of stadiums out there, but the majority of them are taken behind homeplate. This one is refreshing because the shot was taken relatively high up, thus making the shot less claustrophobic, and because the vastness of the outfield grass is at center stage rather than the infield. It effectively makes the ballpark seem larger to the naked eye.

In addition to the field itself, my eye is naturally drawn to the man with the cutoff tee and grey cap. Isn't Seattle too cold at night to be wearing short sleeves? Or is this one of those rare warm summer nights we've been hearing about up there? Whatever the case may be, the man looks comfortable and engaged in the game, and his proximity makes me feel like I'm there next to him watching the ball game.

(Photo credit: flickr/ArtBrom)