I never played little league baseball when I was a kid. My friends and I would play baseball, but not in a structured / coached environment. I was asked recently if I would photograph a game for a friend of mine who was a coach for his son’s team. I agreed.

I’ve watched baseball on TV and have been to a few games, but I hadn’t realized how heady the game actually is, especially from a photographer’s position. Making sure I got pictures of all the players, was easy compared to predicting the action, and I’m sure that the logical conclusions arising from every intricacy on the field are plain to see for someone deeply immersed in the sport.

For instance... players are on first and second bases and there are two outs. If the batter hits the ball, an out at any base (except home) would end the inning. The best odds are at first base because the runners at first and second have taken leads and have closed the gap to the next base by a few yards. Meanwhile the batter has to redirect his concentration and energy from hitting to running to first. If the runners are equally fast this should take longer and therefore be the best place for the final out. Unless of course the hit ball is a grounder to the second base man who would then tag second for the out, or the third base man could do the same if the ball came to him, especially because the throw from third to first would burn away tenths of seconds that a speedy runner could take advantage of. The possibilities seem finite, and yet grow exponentially with every nuance of change.

I have a new respect for not only the kids of little league, but also for the sport of Baseball, and if that’s one of the goals of children's athletics, I admire it.

Nikon D4 Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8@ 160mm f/4 ISO 100 1/1000