Kentucky Derby 2010

If you can't have fun at the Kentucky Derby then there's something wrong with you and you should have that looked at. I'm just saying. Even with the rain (and probably because of it for some of these folks) that kept up at a steady drizzle until 20 minutes before post time for the Big Race. It's impossible to not be entertained by everything that's on display in front of you. Sure it helps to go there in the company of ten friends (many of whom you've known since the '60's). And yes a good mixture of Budwieser, Bloody Mary's and Mint Juleps is always called for. I mean really . . .why not?


Here's 7 out of 11 hangin out on the paddock just moments after arriving. First Juleps of the Day.
(left to right; Tom Hollis, Phil Johnson, Todd Farwell, Todd Daniels, Peter Daniels, Bob Nelson, Ross Daniels.)




Half an hour before post time of The Race and the sun comes out. Perfect timing.



Todd Phil and Joe all happy as pigs in mud
at our great spot we found a half hour before The Race.
(NOTE: if you look closely in the background you can see
rich people on the balcony looking down on us.
Literally & figuratively)



Here Todd D and Phil discuss the next race while
Jeff W (middle) contemplates ways to get under
Todd's skin.



Joe is not afraid to show you how
he feels without saying a word.




Here we see Joe, Phil & myself considering our next wager. After all our options were weighed I bet $7 on Budweiser and they both bet $10 on Mint Juleps.


Jeff proclaims wisdom about whatever is happening here in the moment
while Ross (far right) looks on, bemused. Todd checks to see
if he has a winning ticket while secretly hoping for no immigration discussions around the fire tonight.








Here we are hanging out on the first turn waiting for the big one. Phil hiked us all over to this spot and halfway there he stopped to tell us if we couldn't get into this section he didn't want to be responsible for any missed race and have to hear about it for ten years. I told him he was Golden and could do no wrong, but we would still blame him for ten years. Luckilly we all got in OK and watched the race from a great spot on the first turn. (see short clip of race from this location at bottom)





Bring out a camera and 9 times out of 10 Todd will try and pose like a tough guy. The key word there, of course, is "try".




Ladies and roses and garbage bags.


Cuties in big hats EVERYWHERE.







When asked Can I take your picture? 99 out of 100 folks at the Derby answer in the affirmative. Friendliest damn place on the planet . . .Is it southern hospitality? Mint Juleps? The sight of so many tiny men on horses? who cares!! it works.



Another smiling couple enjoy Churchill Downs on a Saturday in May.

Snapping away on the infield . . .






And my favorite section in Churchill Downs....the Paddock.
Here you see it all: Southern Belles. Infielders on their way to the tunnel. Horses. Jockeys. Searsucker. Movers. Shakers. Down & Outers. Young inebriates. Old school southern gentlemen with accents like Foghorn Leghorn. Gawkers. and Hats. Did I mention the hats?






Many girls enjoy jumping in front
of your lens when you least expect it.




A well dressed gent cops a feel of his
well dressed Belle between races.




Every once in awhile a group of six to twelve or so really short guys in loud outfits would walk by and people would yell mostly positive things at them.



Then there are the Mudders. Groups of young inebriates sliding around in the mud on the infield.
One of the guys in our group (Peter) was (and still is) a young 24 year old. After 10 minutes on the infield he said to a couple of us . . ."I'd like to apologize in advance for my entire generation". great line and big laugh inducer... - but really no apology needed. 99.9% were smiling big goofy happy smiles and having the time of their lives.









My $5 on Super Saver paid $45. of course my $5 on Awesome Act, American Lion and Deans Kitten didn't pay shit but hey that put me $25 ahead on my wagers.
And yes it is down to a Science this wagering on horses. What you do is this:
Look down the list of the names of the horses and whichever one speaks to a part of your life in any way is the horse that will win. I've done alot of my shopping at Savers and so this one was a no brainer. Like I said . . .Science.


Here's about 1/6th of the race right at the first and second turns. Not a bad view for paying general admission. Notice the young guys near the end of the shot who aren't even watching the race after the horses pass by in front of them. The F@#!ing Kentucky Derby is going on right in front of them but they're talking about some other shit. sheesh.




All in all a great day with great friends in Louisville, Kentucky.

And Sara in B-Town if you're reading this, your dream hasn't come true yet!
Nyah nyah!

Street Stencils from Argentina

I've been into making stencils lately and recently found this site of Argentine street art

here's some that blew me away or were just inspiring in some way

Deirdre Makes Faces.

I saw my good friend Deirdre while I was up in Minneapolis last week. Rest assured if you bring out a camera she WILL make faces. (and she will correct you if you misspell her name)

MLB: Characters of the Game

Baseball season is just a few days away. The game doesn’t hold me as it once did, growing up and playing at every opportunity. It used to be that I'd go to a newspaper's Sports section first, but that was a long time ago - a lifetime, really. I tired of reading about salary caps, trade deadlines and even designated hitters. This said, one particular player has kept some spark of my old interest in the game alive : San Francisco's young pitcher Tim Lincecum.

A few years back while in a hotel room flipping channels, I saw this kid throw one pitch and was immediately taken. His delivery was unlike anything I'd ever seen .. a stride that defied physics. In the two years since he's logged up two Cy Young Awards and a pot bust, and I'm a big fan. In truth, it wouldn't have taken much more than that first pitch. This long-haired, flame-throwing Freak (not just my word, but the nickname bestowed upon him by teammates) is something to watch. I'll leave it at that.

Back to baseball. Lincecum certainly isn't the only character to grace the game over the years. Being a Cubs fan ( a trait I inherited as did 99% of the population - by virtue of being my father's son), I have a soft spot in my heart for the likes of Joe Pepitone, Jose Cardenal, and "Wild Thing" Mitch Williams. But my fondness is not limited to former Cubs, and I also think back on Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Mark "Bird" Fidrych and Bo Belinskly (who pitched a no hitter in his fourth start for the '62 Angels and was soon up to his knuckles in Hollywood starlets.) Yogi Berra, John Kruk, Jim Bouton, Earl Weaver - these names all make me smile. I still have a video of Weaver, the Baltimore Manager, losing his shit after a first base umpire ruled against him. Watching this tape brings guaranteed laughs from me and anyone else in the room. The hapless ump ejects Earl and then watches as he retreats to the dugout at least a half-dozen times before spinning on his heel to march back out and deliver a few more choice words. Any fan of the game will tell you that the mere mention of certain names can bring back a flood of thoughts, emotion and memories.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on the South Side is a character, as is the Cub's Lou on the North Side. (Though Lou's a bit more literate and therefore not quite as much fun.) For sheer spectacle though, Oz has the edge. A middle aged homophobic greaser pimp in a baseball uniform who will say anything is an indisputable entertainment value. Throw a twitterball into the mix and you got some good reading. That’s right .. Ozzie tweets. With this in mind let’s take a look into some of the all time best manager quotes over the years. Yogi Berra always merits first mention. "Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical" and "Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded" come to mind among many. But Ozzie is no slouch. And so, without further ado..


I call this game . . .

Ozzie quote or Not an Ozzie quote?

1. “Most ball games are lost, not won.”

2. “Good seasons start with good beginnings.”

3. “Going to get my chevy transverse dark blue grey interior nice wheels luck good for the summer”

4. “Win any way you can as long as you can get away with it.”

5. “Humanity is the keystone that holds nations and men together. When that collapses, the whole structure crumbles. This is as true of baseball teams as any other pursuit in life.”

6. “let's eat suchi now”

7. “The Yankees don't pay me to win every day, just two out of three.”

8. “Why I love this town so much very cool town very calm to bad is my last to game fort me hear for now lol”

9. “There is but one game and that game is baseball.”

10. “My fav you tube video is ced the entertainer on zab judah don't ever play with matchessss”

11. “People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I've got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There's no future in it.”

12. “I want a corona polar presidente now please this trafic lord”




answers

1. Casey Stengel
2. Sparky Anderson
3. OZZIE!
4. Leo Durocher
5. Connie Mack
6. OZZIE!
7. Casey Stengel
8. OZZIE!
9. John McGraw
10. OZZIE
11. Sparky Anderson
12. OZZIE!

1940's picnic

I found an old negative in a shoebox here and took it down to the local library. Printed out 8 X 10's of sections on a microfiche printer then stuck em together.

stencils stencils stencils

here's a shot of the studio area with the stencils...bunch of self portraits, friends, thumbtacks, doilies, etc.

Digital camera

My good friend Tom Myers sent me a camera today. One week he's at the Academy Awards (nominated for Best Sound Editing) the next he's sending me a digital camera. YowZa!!
This is the first test.

old photos #37

Taken about one year ago in Soho as I waited for my Shwarma. A great day this was. Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, listening to music in Times Square subway station, etc., etc., etc..


(photographer: Sarah Stephens)

It's Frank's World, Ronnie. You Just Lived In It.

Still one of my all time favorite photos.
Ronald looking pathetic, Nancy can't be bothered and Frank's having a ball with it.
Never has a pecking order been so visually demonstrated.

Two or three things to know about Malurus cyaneus