Sugarland Space Cowboys AAA Baseball
Back in early May, I traveled down to Houston for a work trip. Knowing that there was the AAA Sugarland Space Cowboys in town, I brought along some of my photo equipment. A few days before the game, I applied for a Press Pass, and didn’t hear back from the team until 3 pm the day of the game. I got a call and email that I was approved and my press pass would be at will call.
There are a few other CHR employees that live in the Houston area and I sent a couple of texts out to see if we there was any interest in attending the game. Jake and Mitch wanted to come out to the ballpark that muggy night in Sugarland. I headed into the Will Call office and got my press pass as Jake waited out in the parking lot for Mitch. As we entered Constellation Field, a rep for the ball club approached us and asked if anyone wanted to partake in the boxing match in the middle of the 3rd inning. Mitch agreed and we headed down to our seat in the first row on the third base side. Only a couple of thousand people showed up for the game which is sad in a city of 7 million people and the team is in first place.
As we get down to our seats, I see the other team photographer out in the photo hole attached to the third base dugout, so I set my camera up and headed out. I got to chatting with him. He’s originally from Toronto and married a Houston gal and moved down. Poor guy! We exchanged Instagram information and he takes some really good sports photos. He used to take photos for the Toronto Raptors.
As the game gets started, I start snapping some photos of the opposing team, the Oklahoma City Baseball team. I was attached to their dugout for the first couple innings. They had a lot of lefty hitters to start which worked out great for me sitting on the third base line. I work from shooting the hitters to the pitcher and try and catch a couple of plays out in the field as well. Shooting sports is a lot of luck and having a plan. It’s impossible to shoot all the action by just reacting. So you just try for some shots and situations. Knowing the game helps out as well.
As the third inning approached, we headed over to the first base side to watch Mitch get pummeled by a stay at home day in his 50s. Mitch is a young man, maybe 30 years old, in the prime of his life, albeit a life of a GIS professional. Mitch doesn’t get a lot of sun or exercise, and its was on full display for the world to see that night in Sugarland. It was hard to take photos because I was laughing so hard. I was out in the first base coaches box on the field, but I tried to get low to allow others to take photos. I wasn’t at a great angle to see those blows land in his grill, but I got a couple of shots of it.
After the crowd booed him when the announcer asked the crowd who won, his old man opponent raised his fists in excitement and Mitch’s head sunk in defeat. Sweaty and defeated, he walked back to us as we were rolling on the ground laughing…
The game continued on and I shot some more shots until around the 6th inning when I put my camera away and just sat and BSd with Mitch and Jake. It was great to catch up with them and just chat about life and baseball. No work talk allowed the ballpark!
Overall, the Space Cowboys were excellent hosts and the stadium was beautiful. I was super grateful for them allowing me to shoot photos. I bought a Space Cowboys hat and we left after the game got over and started the hour long drive back to the hotel. Poor Jake had to turn around and drive 30 minutes back the other direction after dropping me off. Houston sucks!
Equipment Used:
Sony a1
Sony 70-200mm f/2.8
