Goodbye, baseball! See you in the spring...

I've been collecting a few baseball-related images and thoughts over the last few weeks, intending to post them here. As I say a lingering farewell to the 2009 season, this seemed as good a time as any to scrap them together into a post...

1. CURRENT WORK: I spent some time today sketching the greatest baseball player of my childhood, as rumors of his retirement continue to swirl. I may do this in pastels eventually. With apologies to anyone in Seattle, I'll be doing it in red.


2. FLASHBACK #1: The recent 10-year anniversary of an incredibly exciting game (and the equally exciting but ultimately disappointing 1999 Reds season) sent me foraging in the attic for this old drawing.

It's my 16-year-old take on a photo of second baseman Pokey Reese that ran in the Cincinnati Enquirer at the time. I called it "Twelfth Inning Triumph." There are parts of it I still really like (the treatment of the uniform and the arm, the title) and others I cringe at (it doesn't look a thing like Pokey! And that red and yellow glow...hmmm. No comment.)

3. FLASHBACK #2: Seeing my flashback Reds art led my Dad to do some foraging in the attic of his own, and he came up with this grease pencil and watercolor portrait of the great Pete Rose.

This coincided nicely with the recent release of this fantastic book. And it also gives me a chance to show off my artistic genealogy! :)

4. I LOVE PUBLIC ART: One of my favorite things about Great American Ballpark is these two beautiful mosaics. They're the first thing you see when you walk into the stadium, which just makes me all kinds of happy. I mean, how could I not love the intersection of baseball and art?

The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, first professional baseball team.

The 1975-76 Big Red Machine, last National League team to win back to back World Series.

5. A LITTLE CRAFTING: I don't really have any craft skills--all my creative energy gets used up in art and, to a lesser extent, cooking--so this is about as crafty as I get. After years of absentmindedly using baseball ticket stubs for bookmarks, I decided to be more intentional about it. Ticket stub+contact paper+ribbon=voila!


6. HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: 144 days until pitchers and catchers report. In the meantime, I can always watch this on a loop. Love that hint of a smile at the end. And love that team!