Cape Classic

At the beginning of the Summer, I had the chance to shoot a wonderful one day, "just go there, and find something" shoot.  I visited the town of Wareham, MA to shoot a one day story on the Gatemen, the town's local Cape Cop Baseball League Franchise.  For those of you not familiar with the Cape League, for some time it was one of, if not the only summer league to use wooden bats.  For this reason, it has always been one of the most popular Summertime baseball destinations for upcoming college players and professional scouts alike.  Additionally, there is a deep connection to the local community, as demonstrated by the large crowd I witnessed.  The players are invited not only to play baseball, but they're also invited into the homes of various host families for the summer.  The players are not paid and they find jobs in the local community, sometimes with the help of John Wylde, the Gatemen's President and more importantly, PA announcer who has been with the club for 25 years now.  The local library often has players work there in the Summer, and its courtyard out back is named after Wylde.

He often gives his books to the library when he is finished with them and one librarian described them as 'like new' when she gets them.  The respect for all aspects of the baseball-community friendship, large and small, are honored by everyone involved.  This was evident on the night they honored John Wylde who is dying of liver cancer.

Now that it is out in print, I can share the photos with you.  You can also see it online at the NCAA's website.

I hope you get a feel for what I witnessed.  This wasn't an ordinary baseball game.  This was untainted East Coast Americana that brought everyone together to honor a man who has spent every ounce of his energy giving back.  I'll never forget this story.

Enjoy the pics...

TSB2

A pregame 'snack'...a gigantic chicken parm sandwich...

Heading out to the field...

Photo day...

I had to lean out of a balcony that had a slight angle into the press box to get this photo of John Wylde.  You'll see why in the photo after this one...

Since John is so susceptible to infection, they keep him as far away from people as possible...

A player and a team volunteer selling 50/50 raffle tickets.  50% of the proceeds go to the team, and the other 50% is the grand prize.  Local businesses also contribute various prizes to the raffle.  Tickets are 1 for a buck, three for two bucks, an arms length for fuve bucks, and a wingspan for ten bucks.  People complain when a pitcher isn't selling tickets since they have the longest arms...

It was a packed house on John Wylde night...

Scouts get ready for the game behind home plate...

I was exhausted at the end of the day, but I stuck around for a little while longer and got rewarded with an incredible sunset...