What’s Your Lasting Image Of Game 6?
By now, everyone has probably seen photographer Robert Caplin’s time-lapse video of over 5,000 stills he took from Game 6 of the World Series. It’s been published, circulated, tweeted about, etc., but each time I watch it a different image catches my eye. (I love the music too.) Sometimes, it’s the fans filing through the turnstiles before the game. Sometimes, it’s the grounds crew preparing the field. Sometimes, it’s the flipping of the hot dogs. And sometimes, it’s the shots of Pedro on the mound. But always, it’s the appearance of Mo and the inevitability of the celebration.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7540666&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1
World Series Time-Lapse by Robert Caplin from Robert Caplin on Vimeo.
Does anyone else have thoughts about this video? Discuss!
Confessions of a She-Fan 
I love the part with the grounds crew too, Mike. They do perform a ritual that doesn’t change – and one that we usually take for granted. We show up at the games and the field looks perfect and, unless it’s been raining, we don’t think too much about it until the 7th inning when they do their “YMCA” thing. But here’s a question. If they use paint nowadays, how do they get it off after each playoff series?
well i’ve watched it about 4 times. I have two favorite spots. the crowds in the upper deck going up and down at about 2:30 or so but I have to say i really enjoy watching the grounds crew work on home plate area before the game. it’s such a beautiful ritual that perhaps has been one of the things that has changed the least about baseball over the years…except i guess that they use paint now instead of chalk.
Oh, great. I see my response is appearing before a comment – again. Maybe someday MLBlogs will fix this. Sigh.
Robert Caplin did an excellent job with this time-lapse, it really is an art to editing the right moments into time-lapse… I also have to go with the home plate preparations, there was one point before they put the lines down it almost looks like they created a rough drawing of an apple….
~peter
Outside the Phillies Looking In
http://devilabrit.mlblogs.com
I hadn’t seen this, so thanks Jane. It was great! I also liked the home plate preparations. And watching Andy pitch.
What really struck me were the scenes of the crowd leaving at the end. All I could think of was “How could they bear to leave?”
Melissa
Wow, Melissa, you said all the things I was planning on saying. Great minds think alike. The only other comment I can make is that we just saw on the news that popcorn served in the movie theatres is equal to the caloric count in three McDonald’s quarter pounders. Whoa!
I had not seen this either. The music is perfect. Not to sound like I am jumping on the bandwagon but I think I like the home plate preperations the best. Although I also love seeing all the fans arriving.
On a grounds crew note, I have to confess I can’t stand the whole YMCA thing they do. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t that song about men cruising for other men at the YMCA? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is an odd choice of a song to play at a sporting event. I also believe Cotton Eye Joe needs to go.
That video sure makes it less dramatic then it actually was, I’ll give ya that. Any time Mo comes in a game it sends pain down the opposing team’s limbs. Of course, I watched that last inning with my hands covering my face. That’s the magic of baseball: it can make me feel something no matter what. I love football, but it just ain’t the same.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
http://mtrredstatebluestate.com
“But always, it’s the appearance of Mo and the inevitability of the celebration.”When Mo came into the game, I was sitting in the main lounge at school with a bunch of Yankees fans (the Phillies fans had already admitted defeat… it’s true), and I was on the verge of bawling. Just knowing that, with a four-run lead, there was next to no way the series wasn’t ending that night … having not seen a World Championship since I was nine years old …it was so emotionally intense. The appearance of Mo was the final shift in confidence. That particular “Enter Sandman” … ugh it still gives me chills to think about it, LOL. A kid who was with me dimmed the lights, only somewhat tongue-in-cheek proclaiming the lounge a “place of worship.” :)There were so many lasting images of Game 6 (I agree with all of the above who said “the fans leaving” … I wouldn’t have been able to bring myself to leave), but the way it ended … you couldn’t have scripted it better. It was so perfect.:),Ana
yes it is a song about guys cruising at the y..and i’m gay and a gay DJ at that…and i hate that stupid song. why the grounds crew enjoy prancing around to it is beyond me…. maybe they could change it up and go with Hot Shot by Karen Young… 🙂
as far as leaving the stadium…well i couldn’t get out of the old place fast enough…it was SO hideously cramped. and worse was getting around the side to get to the train in that narrow alley. UGH. but i love lingering in the new place afterwards. it’s a completely different and wonderful vibe. ( after a W )
oh and i think they use a combination of paint, chalk and water..
Jane, Jane…thanx once again for your always-unique perspectives on All That…the video was fascinating, and funny in many spots…but a bit frustrating too (I’d have loved to see some moments m-u-c-h s-l-o-w-e-r to savor ’em, but I know that’s not the point, and also I’m O-L-D too). What are my lasting images? Joba waving that big flag around, like the great big kid that he is…the Fab Four together with The trophy…Girardi and the coaches in the dugout, right after the last out, doing a big group hug…the absolute joy of Tex, A-Rod, Swish…all those starry-eyed first-timers…Matsui like the silent proud papa, standing quietly in the background until his richly deserved honor is bestowed…and all Da Boyz doin’ a victory lap for the fans…other than that, not much!
OOOPS…I did it again…like my ADHD son, I read your directions too quickly…you wanted to get thoughts on THE VIDEO…well, to me it had a great opening idea, showing the rush-rush fast pace of Noo Yawk…the pitching and ground crew sequences seemed pretty funny…but it also smacked of some impatience, like “Hurry…let’s squeeze a long and sometimes boring baseball game into FAST FAST 21ST CENTURY ON-LINE REAL TIME! NOW!!”…and I don’t want that…I’m too old for that hype…my prior comments, moments frozen in time, not flashed in fast-forward, leisurely like the game itself, like the old geezer that I am…guess that’s where I’m stuck, eh?
thanks, jane. i hadn’t seen it so it was fun but i am with the writer above it way too fast. i wanted to savor some of the moments ways more. i guess i’ll have to watch the video of jon sterlings calls of the best parts of the game for the hundredth time.
barbara
I love your image of the grounds crew drawing an apple, Peter. I know you’re an artist yourself, so I enjoy your take on all this. There must be quite an art to stitching together all those thousands of photographs. Amazing.
Interesting, Melissa. I didn’t feel sad about the crowd leaving. I imagined them rushing out and cheering and feeling on top of the world!
LOL, Diane. I heard the popcorn report on the news last night and didn’t make the connection. But you can bet I won’t be buying a bucket the next time I’m at the movies. Gross!
I’m not a fan of YMCA either, cheshirecat, and Cotton Eyed Joe is just plain stupid. At first I thought it had something to do with Roger Clemens – I sort of remember them playing it after he rejoined the team – but now I see they’re sticking with it. No clue why!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t get the same thrill from football, Jeff. Every fall I TRY to like it, but the magic never happens.
Ana, I did start crying when Mo came in at that point! It really hit home that the game would be over soon and the Yanks would win the World Series. I couldn’t help myself. It was such an emotional moment.
Mike, there are so many other songs the grounds crew could dance to (as a DJ you’ve heard them all). I have no idea why they came up with YMCA in the first place, but why not change it up every year to keep things fresh? They play it at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa too. So strange.
Thanks for your memorable moments, Dave – in spite of the fact that they had nothing to do with the video. HAHAHAHA! Yes, the rush-rush was perfect for New York. I like that observation. But I also love the time-lapse concept, particularly because it IS so counter to the slow pace of the game itself.
I agree that it’s more fun to savor the moments of the actual game in real time, Barbara. But this was a unique piece of art that I absolutely loved. I’m fascinated by the technology of it and the fact that one person could take thousands of shots from all over the stadium and then put them together – in 24 hours no less!
Me too, Jason. Really ingenious. And I’m with you about Mo, of course. Can you imagine any other closer throwing the final pitch of a championship game and being able to stay cool AND express unbridled joy at the same time? And Tex – did you see how big his eyes got? He was certainly enthusiastic. What a great acquistion he was for us.
I thought this was really one of the most tremendous, ingenious things I have seen in a long time, Jane. I loved the ground crew, but also the images of Pettite in repetition. The fan scenes were fabulous.
On the game itself, I think Mariano running to first, then trotting when he saw the play would be made without him, them calmly pumping his fist, was tremendous. I also loved the unbridled enthusiasm of Teixeira after the final out, but really throughout the whole playoffs. The guy is a terrific, enthusiastic teammate, a positive, rah-rah guy. I love that. After A-Rod laced that go-ahead double in the 9th in Game 4, you could clearly hear Teixeira yell, “Atta Baby!” in the quiet din of the stadium. Beautiful.
Jason from The Heartland
http://heartlandpinstripes.wordpress.com
I just returned from my hunting trip, Bambie still lives, although my 89 year old dad did shoot one of Bambie’s older relatives. I just wanted to say congrats on your team winning the WS!
Hi Jane and fellow bloggers …
I have to say I’m with Dave…I loved all he said but then I love EVERYTHING about the Yankees… :o). It was fun watching the game speed by but only once for me because I don’t want any of it speeding by…I like to savor it and that’s why I’m going to the Ziegfeld to see the movie on Monday. I’m so excited to relive it once again …can’t wait !!! As others said …I started crying too when Mo entered knowing we just won our 27th Championship because there was no way Mo was going to lose with that big a lead …even if it was just one run I knew Mo was going to save it once again. There never was and never will be another one like Mo so we truly should relish every chance we get to see him. He’s a once in a lifetime player as well as person.
As far as the YMCA …even tho’ many of us are tired of it when I am at the games (around 40 a season) it still brings the crowd to it’s feet mimicking the motions of the grounds crew. As long as that happens it would seem they will keep it going assuming it’s a fan favorite. I can’t stand the wave but the majority still seem to get a kick out of it even when it’s a 1-0 game with bases loaded. I cringe whenever someone gets up to start it especially when that last strike is thrown to save the game and I miss it because they stood up to do THE WAVE !!!! GRRRRRRRRRR
Anyway …Happy Weekend to all …I LOVE FRIDAYS !!!
Go Yankees 2010 !!!!
Jane,
I liked reading about how the author of the video created it but can’t remember which blog it was on. If I come across it, I’ll post it. It really had an old-time feel to it, making it seems as though it took place many years ago. The amazing thing about the World Series is that when it is happening, it seems like another game, packed with incredible tension but as time passes it takes on mythical proportions.
I wanted to see Matsui hit the home run but I could never find it. Is there any way to slow it down?
I have started reading The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty. I bought this book a when it was published in 2004 but could not bring myself to read – it was too painful. Winning another championship has taken away the pain of the 2001 series. I have to admit that I stopped following the Yankees in the early 80’s partly because I moved to the west but more because I couldn’t stand George Steinbrenner, and as I read this book, I have to think that he was mentally ill or that he had early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. It is so sad. It was hard to turn my back on the Yankees but I couldn’t stand how he treated his people. Gabe Paul sticks out to me in particular.
On a brighter note, as I said a few days ago, I finished your book and I enjoyed all of it. I felt like you wrote it for me. I was thrilled to learn the identity of your contact and went back and reread all the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I thought your chapter on the last game was so touching. Because you totally gave your heart to the team you experienced tremendous grief. Using your divorce analogy, there’s a book about marriage from the 80’s that talks about not having any exits (such as divorce) then and only then can you wholly give yourself to the relationship. After you publicly proclaimed divorce, you went back in with both feet and only then could you love fully. And the risk of loving fully is a broken heart.
You talked about how everyone left that game and it got me thinking about Game 4 in Philly when A-Rod got the hit to drive in Damon. I bet they left in droves after that. We all sort of knew that was the series.
As far as your new book idea, aren’t there possibly other publishers interested?
Keep up the great work. Are you enjoying your walks on the beach?
Laurie
I liked it! It was very different than most other videos. It kind of reminded me of a silent movie thing set to old fashioned music. Very nice, though.
http://martelli.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/11/yankee-stadium-a-piece-of-cake.html
Thanks, wetfeet. Welcome back and glad you had a good trip.
Peggy, I do understand your feeling about the video (and Dave’s and Barbara’s), but I think it stands alone as an artistic piece that’s separate and apart from the game experience. And even though it does speed by, there are moments that are special for me. I know you’ll have a great time seeing our boys on the big screen at the Ziegfeld – I so wish I could be there for that – so enjoy and savor, especially Mo at the end. BOO HOO. I’m crying just thinking about him and how special he is.
Laurie, the photographer has his own blog and that’s probably where you read about how he created the video. Go to robertcaplin.com and there’s a link to the blog, I think. I’m very touched by how much you connected to my book and related to my experiences. You certainly “got” what I was trying to say. I did, indeed, throw my heart into that season, knowing it could get broken. The illustrated book idea was submitted to many publishers, all of whom thought the audience was too narrow, plus there was an issue of production for them; books are difficult to “crash out” in a short time and they felt the book had to be out for Christmas, which would have been impossible. We do have another iron in the fire, but if it doesn’t happen, so be it. Yes, I am enjoying my walks on the beach. It’s supposed to turn cold and windy over the weekend (not like Colorado, of course, but chilly for here), and I’m such a wimp I’ll probably stay inside!
I liked it too, A.J. It was so different from anything I’d seen. And it did remind me of those silent movies where everything is speeded up. Good point!
Very interesting video. Music was good and scenery was good.
Vig
http://yankeeholics.mlblogs.com/
Yeah, the scenery was great, Vig. LOL.
Seeing Pedro and Andy pitch in fast-mo is so cool!! The music keeps up with the pase of the game too. Very cool!!
-Holly
http://irishsoxkid19.mlblogs.com
I’m with you, Holly. I love how the music follows the action!
Jane,
I could not post on today’s posting. It was in a loop that would not end.
I watched her on Oprah and she also really, really didn’t want to talk about it. She did reveal that they had met a long time ago. It’s pretty obvious that she has made the decision not to talk about it. The Centaur question was out of line. I’ve been wondering where she was but haven’t seen anything about that. She was around at the very beginning of the playoffs. Anyone remember the last game she attended? I think it was Game 1 of the ALDS.
Laurie
My husband hates musicals too. Hate is a mild word here.
Sorry you couldn’t post here earlier, Laurie. I’ve been having trouble leaving comments myself. Grrrr. Just answered this one on the Kate Hudson post – fyi.