1. Once again today, I spent a lot of time working with pictures. When I used to take more street pictures, I developed a sense of how I wanted to compose those pictures. I'm not sure I have words for what I learned, but I do know that, for me, composing pictures is always the last concern I have when getting ready to open the shutter. (That's not good.) My primary concerns, which are fine, have always been focus and light -- aperture, shutter, and ISO settings. But, on Thursday, as I took more pictures of the landscape up the Little North Fork, I became more aware of how I was composing my shots.
I know that I got a little bit fixated on mist but I wasn't paying enough attention to how I framed the mist cozying up to the trees and leaves on the hillsides or my attempts at framing often didn't work very well. But, at some point, I thought about the pictures I took on Wednesday on the Health and Wellness Trail. My best shots were ones with the trail running through the frame -- I don't really have words for what the trail's purpose was in these compositions, but, on Thursday, as I started composing with the road or the river in the frame, I thought my compositions were better and I spent time yesterday and today studying this.
The pictures I snapped up the Little North Fork are collected in an album over at flickr. It's right here.
2. The technical ways really good photographers write about composition doesn't stick with me. In all things (writing, teaching, taking pictures, cooking), I'm not much of a technician. I tend to develop a feel for things. So, when taking pictures, I have to rely on making myself go beyond pointing and shooting -- which, for me, means not just photographing what looks good to my eye, but trying to imagine what will make a decently composed picture (my success at this is mixed) and I have to pretty much trust my instincts because all those things I've read about composition technique never makes its way to my consciousness while I take pictures. I have to trust, I guess, that what I've read and learned is at work somewhere inside me. I know while I'm taking pictures, what I've learned about composition is not often occupying my train of thought -- if I even have a train of thought while shooting.
3. I closed my Chromebook and my PC later in the afternoon and settled into watching Game 6 of the ACLS. In one way, at least, this game was going to be very different from baseball games I've watched over most of the years of my life.
Neither team employed what is commonly called a starting pitcher. Rather than looking to the pitchers who opened tonight's game to pitch anywhere from 5-7 innings, both teams were planning on employing a parade of pitchers, each of them pitching one or two innings, or maybe a little more. Both the Yankees and the Astros carry numerous short inning pitchers (what we used to call relievers) on their roster. Both teams needed to rest their traditional starting pitchers. So, what is now called "a bullpen game" got underway.
Byrdman and I agreed that this game might turn into a slugfest and, in the beginning, it looked like we might be right as Yuri Gurriel powered a three run homer into the left field seats in the bottom of the first, catapulting the Astros to an early 3-0 lead. But, until the ninth inning, the game progressed without a lot of fireworks. The Yankees scratched out a run on a couple of hits in the second inning; Gio Urshela slammed a solo shot in the fourth and the Astros scored on a fielder's choice in the sixth.
Over the first eight innings, both teams left several runners on base who were in scoring position. The Astros left six, the Yankees left five. The slugfest never really materialized, well, until the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, with the Astro's top reliever, Roberto Osuna on the mound, Gio Urshela rapped a sharp single to left to open the inning. Osuna struck out Brett Gardner. Then DJ LeMahieu, one of baseball's most disciplined and dangerous hitters, strode to the plate. LeMahieu battled Osuna; he took a ball, swung and missed on the next pitch, and then fouled off five of Orsuna's next six offerings. LaMahieu took Orsuna's ninth pitch of this at bat for a ball. With the count 3-2, on Orsuna's tenth pitch, LaMahieu muscled a cutter on the outer edge of the plate the opposite way to right field. Right fielder George Springer drifted back to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, stretched his left arm as far as it would go, and LaMahieu's blast dropped into the stands, just inches out of Springer's reach.
LaMahieu's two-run shot tied the game, 4-4. Now Osuna had to gather himself and face slugger Aaron Judge. He struck him out. Osuna ended the inning when he coaxed Gleyber Torres to fly out harmlessly to left field.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees had their best reliever, Aroldus Chapman, rested and ready to pitch. I figured this game was headed to extra innings when Chapman mowed down Martin Maldonado on strikes and overpowered Josh Reddick, who hit a weak pop-up to third. I didn't have confidence that the slumping George Springer would reach base against the dominating Aroldus Chapman, but Chapman got a little wild and walked Springer.
Jose Altuve marched to the plate. As with Springer, Chapman was wild. His first two fastballs were high and outside. With the count 2-0, Chapman delivered a slider that dropped over the plate and Altuve took a strike. Chapman then delivered another slider and it hung ever so slightly out over the plate and Altuve pounced on it and launched a missile 407 feet to left field for a game winning two-run home run.
I texted Byrdman: ALTUVE IS THE GREATEST! OMG
I meant it. As Jose Altuve stood in against Aroldus Chapman, I knew Altuve had a history of getting big hits in pressure-packed, dramatic situations. Honestly, I just couldn't bring myself to believe he'd do it again. Not against Aroldus Chapman. My jaw dropped, I sat in stunned silence, and, so as not to scare Charly, I didn't scream in joy when Altuve homered.
And then giddiness consumed me.
I watched the Astros celebrate and marveled how the game of baseball has never been one reserved only for behemoths. Sure, the huge guys like Aaron Judge or muscular players like Mike Trout excel, but Jose Altuve is just 5' 6" tall and weighs no more than 168 pounds. Somehow, he's learned to generate great power out of his slight physcial stature -- I mean, get this: over the last three years (2017-19), in 7 playoff series, totaling 37 games, Altuve has hit thirteen home runs. He's hit them against the Red Sox, Indians, Yankees, Rays, and Dodgers -- elite teams and elite pitchers.
There's not another player in the major leagues the Astros would rather have than Jose Altuve.
I want the Washington Nationals to win the World Series.
The Nationals face a daunting test playing the Astros, but if the Nationals' starting pitchers continue to excel and if they can get timely hitting the way they did in the NLCS, they will be competitive and, as they say, in baseball you just never know.
I really like the Astros, but in my house, the rallying cry will be, "Stay in the fight" and "Go Nats!"
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