strive valiantly

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. 
--Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th US President.  

Believe it or not, baseball season is underway. The Milligan Buffaloes host the Johnson University Royals in a double header starting today at 1pm. This is a photo I took in my studio of Ernesto Fernandez, a Milligan College outfielder and pitcher from the city of Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Go Buffs!

the tie that binds

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.
 --John Fawcett (1740-1817) British theologian, pastor and hymn writer. 

Above: A shared, post-game prayer after yesterday's soccer match between Milligan College and Tennessee Wesleyan.

courage

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. 
~C.S. Lewis    

A mountain biker making a jump while going down the trail during yesterday's collegiate cycling meet at ETSU in Johnson City.

Our Game

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game. 
--Jacques Barzun (1907-2012) French-born, American Historian

Over the last few years I've been hanging out a lot at the baseball field -- partly because many of my students are on the team, partly for the sake of my love of sports photography, but there's a sentimental reason drawing me to the ball field -- my rekindled love for the game. They say the game is too slow, too methodical, too cerebral. The game moves at its own pace. There's a subtlety to it. It requires patience. And yet the game can turn with the crack of the bat. There aren't coin tosses, clocks counting down or cheerleaders. Here the defense controls the ball and on offense each batter stands alone. It's a game of individual achievement, and yet even the best player must depend on the other eight men who take the field. Music, clothes, hair styles, technology, labor strikes, recessions, even world wars come and go. Baseball remains. As Walt Whitman said, "It's our game -- the American game."

Recently I took some shots of one of our seniors, Cory Hilton (Johnson City, TN) -- it was the day before graduation. Toward the end of our shoot, we sat in the dugout and I asked him about baseball: what it meant to him, what his fondest memories were. He said he couldn't remember a time in his life when he didn't play baseball. He had played his last game that week. The conference tournament didn't go our way and as he walked off the field for the last time, he looked up, and there was his dad in the stands right above the dugout, standing and clapping. He said he lost it right then. And as he was telling me about it, I nearly did too. Such a poignant moment speaks volumes of their relationship. Am I wrong to think that that moment and that image of his father clapping will be the central image he returns to again and again in his life when the chips are down?  That he'll play that scene over in his mind when he has kids of his own who play ball? There's something about baseball. It bridges the generations.

balance

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
--Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born American Physicist

Above: Milligan College sophomore Branden Jones (Valley, AL) during a recent Mountain Biking meet at ETSU.

For information on mountain bike trails in the area, click here.

courage

I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their rackets and their courage as their weapons.
--Yannick Noah (b.1960) former professional tennis player 

A shot of Milligan College junior Matt Clark at the net. Matt's a business major from Kingsport, TN and a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School. Poor Matt has me for two classes this semester.  I've always found tennis to be one of the more difficult sports to photograph. You wouldn't think it, but getting the player, the racket and the ball in the frame is a challenge given the speed of the game. When shooting, it does no good to wait till you see the ball in the frame, by then it's too late to press the shutter -- and the shot will be missed. So it's better to watch the player and when the racket goes back, start shooting.  It's times like this I'm very thankful for digital -- can't image how much film I'd have wasted yesterday. By the end of the meet my timing was better and  I was getting much more efficient getting decent shoots, but still there were lots and lots of shots to edit and delete.

Details: Nikon D90 with 70-300mm VR lens at 140mm, f/4.8, 1/1250 sec., ISO 500

enthusiasm

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher 

Freshman Kyle Grisby (Charlotte, NC) is definitely one who plays with enthusiasm - here he is driving to the basket during Milligan's recent win over Montreat College. 

Remembering Ron Santo

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.
--Tommy Lasorda (b.1927) Former Major League baseball pitcher and manager

I was saddened to hear of the death of Ron Santo, who played third base for the Chicago Cubs from 1960-74.  After what many regard as a Hall of Fame career with the Cubs (including nine All Star Games), he eventually moved on to broadcasting, calling the Cubs games with the same enthusiasm on radio as he showed on the field. Throughout his life and career, Santo struggled with diabetes, a condition he somehow managed to keep hidden from his teammates for most of his playing career. Later in life he would lose both legs to the disease.  Throughout his ordeal, he never lost his passion for life or his love of baseball--his positive attitude, courage and determination inspired others with diabetes or other difficult conditions to never give up and to smile at life regardless of its struggles and sorrows. He was a hero to many both in and out of baseball -- and an inspiration to all of us whose lives he touched.

The above photo of me was taken by my dad at Wrigley Field in 1978.

Ron's son, Jeff, wrote and produced an inspiring video documentary of his dad entitled "This Old Cub" -- the trailer is below. Other web tributes to Santo are linked here and here.

excellence

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. 
--Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

Milligan College junior Cordero Seymour (Matthew Town, Bahamas) takes it to the hoop in the Buffaloes home opener again Cincinnati Christian University.

The Coach

Some favorite quotes from Coach John Wooden (1910-2010), the Hall of Fame UCLA basketball coach, revered by many as the greatest basketball coach ever -- who passed away yesterday at age 99. (Article here, inspiring speech by Coach Wooden here).

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”

“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”

“If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

"Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow."

"Talent is God given. Be humble. 
Fame is man-given. Be grateful. 
Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

something to prove

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.
--Nolan Ryan (b.1947) Major League pitcher.

Today was the first start for Milligan College freshman Sean Robinson (Knoxville) -- he did a terrific job -- pitching 6 innings and leading the Buffaloes to a 9-5 win over Brevard College.

Howard Johnson Field

Howard Johnson Field is home to the Johnson City Cardinals, a rookie league affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. Built in 1956, its stands hold 3,800 people. The most unique attribute of the stadium is the steep, curving bank in right field (click thumbnail photo to enlarge). On long fly balls fans enjoy watching fielders attempt to negotiate the hill and make the out. But what a complete nightmare for the outfielders! Parking is free and tickets are cheap -- so stop by and catch a game. Click here to learn about the namesake of the stadium.

Directions: The ballpark is located at the corner of Legion and Cranberry Streets in Johnson City, TN. From I-26, take exit 23 to East Main. Turn right onto Legion Street, the ballpark will be on your left. Map.

Play Ball!

The hardest thing to do in baseball is to hit a round baseball with a round bat, squarely.
--Ted Williams (1918-2002)

Can you believe baseball season has begun? This weekend, the Milligan College Buffaloes played host to the Lambuth University Eagles, and won two of the three games. Pictured above is Milligan shortstop Brian Busby from Lexington, SC.

mind vs. body

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going.
--George S. Patton (1885-1945) U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

This past weekend, ETSU played host to the Niswonger Invitational and to over 1,400 athletes from 105 top collegiate, post collegiate, and professional athletic teams. And, as if that wasn't enough activity for the Memorial Center, there was a second event taking place concurrently there with over 1,000 high school students competing in the KTC High School Indoor Track Classic.

Work and Success

The only place that success is before work is in the dictionary.
--John Wooden (b.1910) UCLA Head Basketball Coach from 1948-75

This is a photo of Milligan College senior Tyler Estepp (Limestone, TN) that I took a week or so ago at a game against Bluefield College. Basketball is notoriously a difficult sport to photograph because of its fast pace and usually poor lighting. You need a fast lens (at least f/2.8), a high ISO (800+), and a shutter speed of at least 1/250 sec (preferably faster). You'll want to set your camera to auto focus continuous so the camera will continue to focus as the subject moves through the frame. White balance is always another issue -- gym lights give off their own distinctive colored glow. You can either shoot raw and adjust this later or use a gray card to remove the color cast while shooting. Obviously every court is different, so it takes some experimentation. You can forget using a flash. First, it's a distraction and many teams won't allow them, and second, the court is huge and the reach of the flash is limited.

I've recently been reading an excellent book on photographic composition and design by Michael Freeman entitled "The Photographer's Eye." It's very well written with lots of wonderful images. I highly recommend it if you love photography -- you'll never look at a photo the same again! As I was sorting through the photos from the basketball game, this photo stood out because it illustrates some basic aspects of composition I had been reading about. For example, I noticed how Tyler is framed by two arms and by the curved bodies of his two defenders -- frames draw attention to whatever they enclose, while curves convey a sense of flow and smoothness. Next, I noticed what the author calls 'eye lines' - the viewer is automatically drawn to the eyes and then follows to see where each subject is looking -- notice the way in which #22 is looking at #42 draws your attention to #42. I recommend this book if you want to understand and articulate what makes an image compelling -- which will then help you make stronger, more effective, more successful photos. (And isn't that what we're all working for?!)

Photo Details: Nikon D90, Tamron 28-75mm lens at 55mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec., ISO 1600.

championship run

God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.
--Attributed to Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire, the 1981 Academy Award winning film about two British athletes competing in the 1924 Olympics.

This weekend the Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship was held at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton, TN. Seventy-three men and 58 women from eight colleges competed. Above are the top three finishers (left to right) in the men's 8K race, Wilbourn Kosgei (Montreat College), Austin Ellis (Milligan College), and Wegene Degefa (Milligan College). Kosgei finished the 8K (5 mile) race in just under 26 minutes, averaging 5:13 per mile! Congrats to the Milligan men's and women's cross country teams for winning the overall conference titles! (News release here).

the courage to start

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.
--John Bingham (b.1948) runner and author

Above: Members of the Milligan College Women's Cross Country team enjoying a run on campus.

need for speed

When we set out to take pictures of cyclists, I thought I knew what to expect. I often pass them on my drive home from work, so I thought I knew. Nope. This group of cyclists were absolutely flying down the road behind Buffalo Mountain outside of Johnson City, TN. Just watching (and listening to) them whiz by is enough to get the adrenalin going. I wanted the background blurred, and the cyclists sharp -- but it was ridiculously hard trying to match the camera to their speed as they flew by. Those experienced in the technique known as panning say to start panning before you press the shutter in order to match the speed of your subject and then continue to follow through after the subject leaves the frame. With these riders (about fifty of them) screaming down the road, I honesty didn't have a whole lot of time to think about technique. I was just shooting away, hoping to catch some of them in the frame now and then. This is one of the shots that sorta turned out. I'm looking forward to trying this again soon. The Tri-Cities Road Club is a very active group -- so I should have lots of opportunities to practice!

It never gets easier, you just go faster.
--Greg LeMond (b. 1961)

Photo info: 28mm, 1/15 sec. f/4.5 ISO:200

A Good Catcher...

A good catcher is the quarterback, the carburetor, the lead dog, the pulse taker, the traffic cop and sometimes a lot of unprintable things, but no team gets very far without one.
--Miller Huggins (1879-1929) Baseball player and manager

Above: Milligan College junior Brandon Murphy (Johnson City, TN) visits the mound to talk with senior Jon Stoudt (Marietta, GA) during a recent game. Each of the descriptions mentioned in this quote fits Murphy perfectly (well, except for the part that mentions "unprintable things"). I have enormous respect for students like Murphy and Stoudt who are truly 'scholar athletes' -- who excel both on the field and in the classroom. Today, Milligan faces rival King College in the opening round of the AAC Conference Tournament at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, TN. Go Buffaloes!

To learn how to make a presentation frame like this using Photoshop, click here for photographer John Shaw's helpful step-by-step directions. [click photo to enlarge]

Bound 4 Beijing

The USA National Softball team was in town yesterday and took on Milligan College as part of their national tour leading into the Olympic games this summer. The second highest tour attendance (3,476) turned out at Cardinal Park on a frigid, rainy day to watch the competition. The Olympic Team dominated, winning 24-0. In the various interviews I read today, the Lady Buffs and their coach all said to play a team of this caliber was a great honor, a tremendous experience and a memory they'll always treasure. Above, Milligan sophomore Leah White (Fall Branch, TN) catches while USA's Jennie Finch (La Mirada, California) takes aim. After the game Finch, an Olympic gold medalist, remarked, “Playing teams like Milligan and other colleges is helping us prepare for the Olympics tremendously, because it is allowing us to get several innings in on the field and at the plate."