Sports Shooter Academy

By Robert Hanashiro, The Kahuna’s Please-Don’t-Call-It-A-Blog

The Yankees.

The Phillies.

The World Series.

Yankee Stadium.

Tradition.

Covering the World Series, especially having to make a cross country flight to get there, is one of the toughest events a photographer can have. I know,  know … how can I whine about being at one of the 4 best sports events* of the year?

Yankee Stadium at left is shrouded in scaffolding with the new Yankee Stadium basking in the late afternoon sun on the right. Photo by Robert Hanashiro/ COPYRIGHT USA TODAY

I am NOT whining. Well, maybe a little bit, but that is the nature of the beast, especially if it goes 7 games. The schedule is simply brutal.

After arriving in New York Tuesday —- leaving the house at 5am for LAX and landing on my delayed flight into LaGuardia at 7:30pm local time — I met up with my USA TODAY colleagues Bob Deutsch, H. Darr Beiser, Dave Cooper and Sean Dougherty at our hotel near Times Square. From there we walked a few blocks to Carimine’s and enjoyed an Italian dinner, served family style.

The next day is when the REAL fun began.

Freddy Bastone is part of a crew working on preparing the old Yankee Stadium for demolition. Photo by Robert Hanashiro/ COPYRIGHT USA TODAY

Here’s the USAT photo staff schedule for coverage of Game 1:
- Leave the hotel @ 1pm
- Press gate at Yankee Stadium opens @ 2pm
- Set up in the spacious Yankee Stadium photographer’s workroom
- Pre-game assignments 3 – 5:30pm:
* Bob shoots BP and warmups
* H. shoots a panorama of the “Great Hall” (during this time, Brad Mangin gives him a tip on a cool story on Yankees PA announcer Paul Olden, which H. turns into a fun little multimedia presentation)
* I work with reporter Seth Livingstone on a feature about the old Yankee Stadium, scheduled for demolition in a couple of weeks. I walk around the stadium a couple of times, shooting the old House That Ruth Built and talk to fans and workers.
- Edit and transmit 5:30-7pm
- Head out to photo positions around 7pm (H. spends more time in the announcing booth to work on his multimedia). I am on one of the 1st base risers next to a GREAT bunch of photographers: John Mabanglo, Johnny Iaoano and Micke Palmer!
- Pre-game festivities start around 7:25pm, the highlight is Yogi Berra walking out to the pitcher’s mound on the arms of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to be a part of the ceremonial throwing out of the first pitch
- The Yankees run onto the field at 7:55pm
- 7:57pm first pitch!

Phillies' starter Cliff Lee works fast. Photo by Robert Hanashiro/ COPYRIGHT USA TODAY

I wish all pitchers worked like the Phillies’ Cliff Lee: FAST. Lee is one of the few starters in baseball these days that doesn’t pace around the mound between pitches, bounces the rosin bag off his hand two, three, four time, kicks the dirt, paces some more and then steps on the rubber to take the sign … and shake it off a couple of times. Lee takes the pitchers mound and just throws…no wasted time.

- Game ends around 11:15pm, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blares from the speakers over and over — Phillies win 6-1.
- Sean and Coop continuing sending game photos and Darr works on editing his audio for the multimedia.
- At 1:15am, we pack up and head to the parking lot and drive back to our hotel.
- After getting back to the hotel, I pick up a large pizza from a 24-hour stand down the block; we eat and the guys continue working on the multimedia until 3.
- I turn in around 3:30am.

And the best part? We get to do it all over again in just a few more hours!

It's great to get nice game action early: Phillies Jimmy Rollins is tagged out by New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira on a bunt attempt in the first inning. Photo by Robert Hanashiro/ COPYRIGHT USA TODAY

LINKS:
Old Yankee Stadium story:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/2009-10-28-old-yankee-stadium-awaits-demolition_N.htm
Panorama of the Great Hall:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/2009-10-28-stadium-great-hall-panorama_N.htm
Gallery from Game 1:
http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/The-race-for-the-pennant/World-Series/G1254,A5714
Multimedia on Yankee Stadium Announcer
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/playoffs/2009-10-29-yankee-stadium-announcer-sights-and-sounds_N.htm

* The four events are (in no particular order):
- NCAA Men’s Final Four
- The Masters
- World Series
- BCS Championship Game