Best Seat in the House
Photography, sports and life as seen through the lens of Seattle Times photographer Rod Mar.
August 29, 2007 9:02 PM
Attitude Adjustment
Posted by Rod Mar
Been having a cruddy coupla weeks at work.
Haven't been playing in the sandbox well with others.
Many mentions in the office about my "attitude".
Hmmmmm.
Thought it was time for a self-imposed attitude adjustment, so I made my way out to the Washington Special Olympics Summer Sports Classic and photographed the finals of the softball tournament.
I found what I was looking for. A reminder that just because I want to do my best work doesn't mean I have to flagellate myself to the point of making myself and my teammates at work miserable.
And that any day taken too seriously is a day wasted.
The players I watched played hard and had fun hard. They listened to their coaches and followed instructions to play the game the right way.
Mike Lyngstad of Spokane tags out Davey Gonzales of the Lake Stevens during the final inning on a double-play:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 300mm f2.8 lens, ISO 200, 1/1000 sec, f2.8)
Robin Ainsworth, a player on the Spokane team that won the Masters 3 Level of the tournament, celebrates after the final out. Her team, the CCS Spokane Sasquatches defeated the Lake Stevens Vikings, 7-4.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIn, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 35mm, ISO 200, 1/640 sec., f4.0)
"We won! We won! Finally! After three years!" yelled Ainsworth after the final out. Spokane had finished second for the previous two years before prevailing in their third try for the title.
After the final out of a taut, 7-4 victory, the Sasquatches tossed hats and gloves in the air and celebrated.
I sought out my boss today and pledged to work hard, have fun, and to play the game the right way.
Posted by Rod Mar
11:36 PM, Aug 29, 2007
Sean,
Thanks for your note, and thanks for checking out the blog.
Not sure how awesome it is to have your attitude be the subject of the office talk.
:)
Cheers,
Rod
Posted by Steve
8:22 AM, Aug 30, 2007
Better to be able to talk about, it proves that they care. The alternative would be getting canned and what would that do for the ole' attitude?
Posted by Rod Mar
12:57 PM, Aug 30, 2007
Steve,
Thanks -- yes, getting canned would suck.
I have a great Director of Photography, and I love working at the paper.
I feel a little like a baseball pitcher whose arm angle has changed on his delivery, and now he's getting shelled.
A little correction on my delivery, and I'll be fine.
Thanks for reading,
Rod
Posted by J
1:49 PM, Aug 30, 2007
Rod,
Next time you're wandering the sidelines, just look up at those of us in the stands and remember how great it is to be a sports photog, and how many people, even for a day, would love to be in your shoes.
As a former colleague of mine once said, "Pictures tells great stories, and they're a lot more fun than words." You tell great stories, so keep it up.
Posted by Rod Mar
3:23 PM, Aug 30, 2007
J,
Good advice, and well-taken.
I love my job, and am thankful for it every day. I'm appreciative of this great opportunity and I don't take it for granted.
I'm sure that little quibbles I'm having have to do more with me just needing more sleep.
Thanks so much for the feedback, and the encouragement.
Rod
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Posted by Sean S
10:50 PM, Aug 29, 2007
Just awesome. I appreciate your transparency.