Hitting the Road with Joe

  Last week while I was transmitting my stuff from game 1 of the Red Sox v Rays series I got a call from my Sports Editor at USA Today. When I asked if I could call him back after I transmitted from the game he said, "Yeah I've got something right up your alley."

  Intrigued I phoned him back while sitting in traffic after the game. (I know go figure. When did you ever think traffic and Rays' game would go together.) I asked David what he had for me. He said they were working on a story about the Ray's Manager Joe Maddon. They wanted me to shoot some pictures of Joe as he headed out on his morning bike ride. 

  Apparently Joe likes to bike to help clear his mind which these days is probably filled with many things unlike last season when it was probably thinking about where he wanted to travel to once the season concluded. Now he's got to worry about wether the Rays get the Red or White Sox for the American League Divisional Series.

  I talked to the Rays PR person to make sure everyone was on the same page. I let them know that I wouldn't take away from Joe's personal time but would need him to ride back and forth a few times in order to give my editors a few different looking pictures from which to choose. Not a problem.

  So last Thursday morning I stood in the median along Bayshore Blvd. at a particular intersection and waited for the skipper. Around 11:40 am I looked over and there was Joe on his bike.

  Joe was great and very accommodating for me. He asked what I needed of him and directed him to a certain sport I had scouted earlier and just told him to ride his bike. I think I had Joe for about 3:30 minutes, thanked him for his time and off he went to work out his thoughts.

  This has been an exciting week for me. My baseball team is in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. I shot an interesting series between them and the Red Sox and got some personal time with their manager who I found to be a likable guy. Topped that all off with protective eye wear and a champagne-soaked locker room and you have a magical week.

  If you're curious to see the story it's the cover story of today USA Today's Sports section. More cowbell!!