Into the Night

I brought a fast enough lens that I was able to continue shooting into the evening at Andre Dawson's celebrity softball game. Here we see Bear Steve McMichael ripping a single to left, followed by Dawson's second double of the game, right down the left field line.

Followers of this photoblog will recall that I attended two of Fergie Jenkins' charity baseball games in Arizona the past two springs. Comparing the two events, I prefer seeing the old-timers play with a baseball when possible. The softball feeling is such that it just takes the players an additional long step away from their days at Wrigley Field in the past. The catcher, above, is Gary Carter and he looks lost standing to wait for the pitch to bounce.

Or maybe it was just the pajama bottoms they wore instead of baseball pants.

Madlock and Dawson

Andre Dawson was the hitting star in his own softball game, rapping two balls that bounded to the fence for doubles. Here we see him scoring after one of his hits. Not surprisingly, Dawson does not run hard on those knees and while he batted and ran the bases, he did not play in the field.

Bill Madlock, though, did play third base as well as getting a couple of hits. Forgotten in the minds of many Cub fans, Madlock won two batting titles as a Cub and should be recognized as the best Cub third baseman since Ron Santo.