New Faces, Same Vibes

It's finally that time of year.

For most of us baseball starts in March with pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida or Arizona. But if you're like me, watching my beloved Boston Red Sox round out the bottom of the basement, it's all about the local, minor league teams.

It's a shorter season, but in Montana, starting baseball in March is like ice fishing in September... the weather is gonna make you miserable.

But for Missoulians, May brings unpredictable weather and the start of the Pioneer Baseball League season.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to do photography for the Missoula Paddleheads again this season and I could not be more excited.

While hockey is my sport of choice, it's hard not to love baseball; especially with players still on the trail to the Bigs, still fighting for a spot to prove they can play at that elite level.

They're still chasing that dream.

And after hanging out with them the past three days during spring training, I'm reminded why I love this particular team: they're just dudes. Some of the nicest, most easy-going guys I've gotten to be around. From the coaches, to the grounds crew, to the GM, they just love baseball and they love seeing teammates succeed.

In the words of Kevin Millar, "we're just dudes who love showing up to the ballpark everyday."

Yes, it's a competitive environment, everyone wants to play, everyone wants to win. But they want everyone else around them to win, too.

It reminds me of the (non-toxic) artist/ photography community in a way. There's little intentional gate-keeping. Knowledge is shared not hoarded. Success for one person doesn't mean there's less success available for others.

Victories are celebrated, bad breaks are mourned... together.

So here's to another season of wins, losses, home runs, and long roadtrips.

#goPaddleHeads