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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2005-09-15
'Phearon 2, Nikki 1, Deanne 1'
Thearon Henderson, Mickey Palmer and Deanne Fitzmaurice took part in the Pop-Fly Challenge in San Francisco.
By Brad Mangin, SportsShooter.com
Photo by Jeff Chiu / Associated Press
The scoreboard says it all midway through the Pop-Fly Challenge in San Francisco as Mickey Palmer is shown on the JumboTron falling down on the turf.
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What started out as a normal day at SBC Park in San Francisco covering a rather dull San Francisco Giants team playing without Barry Bonds on Wednesday afternoon turned into one of the most memorable days at the yard EVER for many Bay Area SportsShooter.com members. They were able to witness three of their colleagues take part in the Pop-Fly Challenge before the game in front of thousands of spectators and many members of the visiting San Diego Padres and homestanding Giants.
Many of us gathered at the park our usual two hours before the first pitch only to find that there was no batting practice, so we headed upstairs to the Sam Skinner Press Dining Room for an early lunch. We could never imagine the hijinks that would be awaiting us when we returned to the field.
Click here to see a special gallery of 20 images from the Pop-Fly Challenge:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/brad/flyball
After lunch San Francisco Giants team photographer and SportsShooter.com member Andy Kuno, Upper Deck contract photographer Thearon Henderson, Topps contract photographer Mickey Palmer and myself headed onto the field about 45 minutes before the first pitch. As soon as we hit the field we noticed that the ballpark was empty- there were no fans in the park yet. It turns out the computerized turnstiles were broken and the ushers were going to have to start letting fans in the old fashioned way by tearing the tickets in half, etc. This meant that there were no fans available to take part in the Giants Pop-Fly Challenge that takes place occasionally before day games.
Kuno volunteered to help out his marketing department and decided to round up some photographers to play along with the challenge. In order to participate they would have four chances to catch a fly ball ejected out of a machine about 300 feet away as they patrolled right field on this grey and overcast day. Thearon Henderson was the first to jump at the opportunity. Mickey Palmer was right behind him and before we all knew it Mickey and Thearon had Giants batting helmets on as they started playing catch on the field.
Photo by Brad Mangin
Thearon Henderson has a fly ball glance off his shoulder.
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Kuno still needed a third photographer to step up to the plate when San Francisco Chronicle staff photographer, Pulitzer Prize winner and SportsShooter.com member Deanne Fitzmaurice wandered onto the field. Before she knew it, Kuno had signed her up to be the third contestant.
"I had to push her- she didn't want to do it at first," said Kuno.
Deanne was covering her FIRST Giants game of the season. She has been so busy working the rubber chicken circuit after winning her Pulitzer that she had not had a chance to photograph the local ballclub at all in 2005. Not only would she get the chance to shoot the ballgame and hang out with some friends, she would get the chance to show off her baseball skills in right field while wearing cowboy boots, expensive jeans and a fancy cashmere sweater. At one point Deanne thought about ditching the boots and going barefoot during the competition, but thought better of it.
"The boots are Lucchese Cowboy Boots, the sweater is a black Vince Cashmere Zip-up Hooded Sweater and the jeans are green Citizens of Humanity jeans I bought at Barney's in New York City back in May when I was in town to pick up the Pulitzer prize at Columbia University," Fitzmaurice said while sipping a glass of wine during a post-game gathering at Paragon, a restaurant near the ballpark.
"They are my favorite, most comfortable pants," said Fitzmaurice about the jeans that were later described as a cross between Key Lime Pie Green and Granny Smith Sour Apple Green.
"When I look at those pants I think of an Appletini at the Famous Door in Scottsdale," said Eric Risberg
When the competition began a large group of photographers gathered down the rightfield line to shoot pictures and laugh hysterically at the proceedings. On hand to watch were SportsShooter.com members Eric Risberg and Jeff Chiu from the Associated Press, Don Smith from MLB Photos, Andy Kuno from the Giants and Jed Jacobsohn from Getty Images.
The fun started when the scoreboard butchered two of the three names. Thearon was called "Phearon," Mickey was called "Nikki" and Deanne was called by her real name "Deanne." To add insult to injury public address announcer Renel also called Thearon and Mickey by the wrong names.
Thearon Henderson was the first contestant and he impressed most of us with his athletic ability.
"Thearon looked like a natural out there," Chiu said while drinking a Sierra Nevada at Paragon.
Henderson caught two out of four fly balls, with one hitting him in the shoulder.
"It brushed across my shoulder- it grazed me," said Henderson when he was reached at his home Wednesday night.
Photo by Brad Mangin
Mickey Palmer falls down and hits his head on the outfield grass while trying to catch a fly ball.
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"It's understandable why it's so hard for the Giants to find a good right fielder. It's understandable why Jose Cruz Jr. dropped that fly ball (Game Three of the 2003 NLDS against the Marlins in Florida). It was hard to see out there," Henderson added.
Henderson was decked out in his traditional Nike gear, wearing Jordan everything from his shirt to his shorts to his shoes.
Next up was Mickey Palmer, who claimed that he had not caught a fly ball in over 40 years. Palmer looked good out there in his Big Daddy attire and drew howls of laughter when he fell backwards chasing a deep drive.
"It was like watching America's Funniest Home Videos except it was live, real and in person. It was too unbelievable to be true," Risberg said while sipping his Mojito during the gathering at Paragon.
"I was literally in tears. It was great and it was so funny. I had to sit down for a second when Mickey fell down," Chiu said.
"My stomach is still hurting from laughing so hard. Mickey was awesome," said Kuno while drinking a Fat Tire at Paragon after the game.
"Mickey should be on ESPN's Baseball Tonight," Risberg said.
"Mickey was very entertaining- he really knows how to fall!" said Fitzmaurice.
Palmer, who broke his glasses into pieces (they were in his back pocket) when he fell over backwards, received a call on his cell phone early in the game from his very good friend and Giants assistant general manager Ned Colletti. Colletti told Palmer that he was watching the contest from the GM's box with Giants GM Brian Sabean. While watching Mickey fall over, Colletti asked Sabean, "Who the heck is that?"
Photo by Brad Mangin
Deanne Fitzmaurice glides across the outfield grass in her Lucchese Cowboy Boots while tracking a fly ball.
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"It's your friend Mickey," Sabean answered.
Coletti also told Palmer that some scouts were impressed with his fielding and would be calling him soon.
When reached Wednesday night Palmer admitted that he might have suffered a slight concussion when he fell, as he did not remember much that happened during the first six innings of the ballgame. "Where the heck did the game go?" Palmer asked himself in the seventh inning.
"My eyes got better after I hit my head," Palmer joked while talking about how good his pictures looked as he was editing his digital images late into the evening.
"Seeing Mickey fall back and hit his head, and THEN seeing the replay on the JumboTron was so funny! It had me in tears," said Don Smith.
"Mickey looked like Sargeant Schultz from Hogan's Heroes in that helmet," Smith added.
"I had flashbacks of Michael Dukakis in the tank," said Risberg about the sight of Palmer wearing the batting helmet.
Palmer ended up with one catch so Fitzmaurice was next up.
Deanne whiffed on the first three fly balls but hauled in the fourth and final try as her helmet flew off during her run (ala Willie Mays), drawing cheers from many of the fans.
"I came within a millimeter of making a fool of myself. If I had dropped the last ball it would have been absolutely embarrassing," Fitzmaurice said.
Disappointed that he missed all the fun was Oakland Tribune staffer and SportsShooter.com member D. Ross Cameron. Cameron got to the ballgame in the second inning and went straight to the overhead first base basket without talking to any of the other photographers.
"That looks so much like Deanne," thought Cameron to himself when he saw the replay on the JumboTron in the second inning. "I was really jealous that I missed the chance to participate," said Cameron after the ballgame.
After the game Colletti got his friends Palmer and Sports Illustrated staff photographer and SportsShooter.com member Johnny Iacono on a conference call to talk about what happened during the contest. "They never had us sign a waiver- I told Ned I was gonna sue his ass!" Palmer joked.
Related Links:
Photo Gallery: Phearon 2, Nikki 1, Deanne 1
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