30 Hours, 3 Games

  This week could've been rougher than it turned out to be if not for the help of my mother and in-laws. You see Cathy was in Ocean City, MD working with a bank while I juggled Gymboree classes and shoots.

  All this culminated at the end of the week when I had to shoot Games 1 & 2 of the ALDS as well as USF's Thursday night game against Pitt. Luckily with some help of the grandparents I was able to make sure Benjamin was left in good hands while I was away working.

  For the first time in franchise history the Tampa Bay Rays were playing in a MLB playoff game when they hosted the Chicago White Sox for Game 1 Thursday afternoon at Tropicana Field in St. Pete. The game was electric. Fans were crazy with their cowbells.

  The Rays didn't disappoint either as they beat the Sox 6-4. It allowed me to get 22 images moved to my client before packing up and driving across the Howard Franklin Bridge to shoot the Pitt v USF game in Tampa.

  I missed the Bulls first touchdown but wouldn't of mind missing the rest of the lackluster performance against the Panthers. It seemed like the Bulls thought they could just mail this one in. Too bad Pitt came to win. And win they did 26-21.

  After Thursday's long day it was back to the Residence Inn to fall asleep watching the rebroadcast of the VP nominee debate. "Do ya mind if I call ya Joe?"

  Five hours of sleep later I was in the hotel's gym doing 8.5 miles on the bike and 3.5 on the treadmill before heading over to the Trop to help resolve a technical issue on a friends overhead remote. (BTW the very top of the Trop is scary. I stood on the catwalk 210' above the baseball field and thought briefly, "What the heck am I doing up here?")

  Later Friday night the Rays played game 2 and they came to command the series. I was able to get some good images out by the second inning before venturing to a new "up" position to shoot the action on the field. 

  My friend Gary told me about how he shot a couple inning up in the Whitney Bank loge during Game 1. Apparently our photographer credential gets us in to the loge section. So during fifth inning I went up to see what it was all about. 

  Wow! It was a pretty good angle from which to shoot. Not to mention there were several buffet bars easily accessible from my position. I spent the 5th-7th innings up in the Whitney Bank loge and got some nice images but the best part was when I left. I grabbed a macadamia nut cookie and a bratwurst. I might have to shoot from the loge for the rest of the post season.

  With a full tummy I headed back down to the field to complete my coverage with images of the Rays celebrating their second straight victory and head to Chicago to close things out against the Sox.

  As I was driving home drinking a Monster energy drink and nibbling on some beef jerky I was just content with the thought of being able to sleep in my bed. I also looked forward to having a few days off. Not to mention the fact that Cathy was home.

  It was a busy week for the Livingston house. Benjamin was exhausted from entertaining his grandparents. Cathy was tired from working with a bank in Maryland and not being able to see her little boy. And I was wiped from running around stadiums shooting three games in 30 hours. But in the end I couldn't have been happier.