Warriors Championship Parade

Not to sound spoiled (even though I am), I've covered my fair share of championship parades. I covered two Giants World Series parades. (I wasn't yet working with USA Today Sports Images [then still US Presswire] during their 2010 win, but have quite the memory of kayaking to McCovey Cove for game 1). The 2012 parade Giants one was fair enough, I was stationed to the stage and got some pretty standard photos. Nothing portfolio. The 2014 parade, I had a pass to join the players on the double decker bus and made some photos I'm really proud of and enjoyed taking.

I covered the Warriors 2015 parade and it was a total nightmare. The event management team designed to organize was anything but. Maps were wrong, credentials weren't there nor were staff. They said you could shoot parade -or- rally and that no photographers would be allowed in the rally area after a certain time so anyone covering parade route wouldn't be let in. Myself and a few other photographers sat on a raised platform in the sun for HOURS waiting for the parade to reach the rally location, only to find that contrary to their stated rules, they let photographers who were walking the route walk right up to the base of the stage. My photos of the rally were garbage compared to anything taken from that vantage point, and certainly compared to anything on the parade route. And there wasn't wifi so it was an extra nightmare.

I hoped to never photograph a parade again and managed to get out of it in 2017. But when my assignment editor asked if I could, I caved and agreed.

Early wake up to beat the crowds, walking to Bart with my gear on my back (MindShift makes fantastic backpacks but I always prefer to roll when I can), standing around for HOURS waiting for the parade to start (20 minutes late) I was a bit of a Krabby Patty (understatement). Klay Thompson was just on his phone before the parade because a) that's how engaging a parade it b) phone addiction is so real c) his mom was texting him d) all of the above?

As I would photograph each double decker bus with players (poor Patrick who? accompany Stephen Curry) and follow them along the route for a while, while the other community/Warriors staff groups that I didn't need photos of were in between. I had plenty of time to then walk back to the start and grab the next player bus.

But then suddenly, well before I planned to walk back towards the next double decker of players, is JaVale McGhee walking along the route high fiving fans, taking off his shirt, tossing into the fans and just LIVING it!

Then Nick Young, in his silk robe and cigar in mouth, feeling himself!

Their energy, enthusiasm, and engagement with the fans totally turned around my mood.

Like Draymond Green's trolling t-shirt MOOD... 

I went to edit from Specialty's Cafe (free public wifi!) hung around to let the crowds (I think there's people somewhere behind all those phones) die down while Cary stayed along the route, and then caught BART home.

I still wouldn't say I have any desire to shoot a championship parade in the future, but it was as terrible as I dreaded it would be.

In better news, even though my new MacBook Pro (don't buy unless you have to) doesn't fit in My 2nd Brain 11 that use to love to bring my MacBook Air in, it DOES fit in my MindShift Gear Rotation Panorama 22L. Along with an EM-1 Mark II body in the main compartment. And then I had another EM-1 Mark II and two lenses (40-150mm f/2.8 and 7-14mm f/2.8... in retrospect the 12-100mm f/4 may have served me even better if I had it) in the rotating waist pack. Nick Wong caught me in action. Don't mind my really cool visor and expertly coiffed hair ;)

View More Photos from the parade

San Francisco Giants 2 - Boston Red Sox 1

From the south bay back up to San Francisco - covered the San Francisco Giants vs the Boston Red Sox on a breezy Wednesday evening.

A game which lacked a lot of action apart from a home run by each team

Brandon Belt's being a splash hit. Always fun, though not something I can actually capture.

Then Mac Williamson hit a home run (his first MLB home run!) in the eighth which made for some fun photos as the ball went over the wall and everyone watched... including the Chevron cars ;)

Though perhaps he was still too excited from his first MLB home run, that it got to his head, causing him to drop this ball, to put Boston with a runner on 2nd and no outs. Whoops!

Boston tried to send in pinch-hitter "Big Papi" David Ortiz, in what would be his last at bat at AT&T Park.

And he ended up earning a walk against Javier Lopez.

Bochy let Lopez strike out Travis Shaw before going to the third pitcher of the inning, Hunter Strikland to finish it off.

San Francisco Giants defeated the Boston Red Sox 2-1

Warriors Stay Alive in Game Five

As unexpected (or predicted) as it was, after splitting the first two games in Oakland, the Golden State Warriors lost both games in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, meaning game 5 was a win or go home situation.

And Warriors showed up for a tough win!

Cary Edmondson and I were covering the game together for USA Today Sports Images and were able to share time on the floor v time shooting elevated. Him covering the 1st and 4th quarters on the floor and me covering the 2nd and the 3rd. This meant each of us had a chance to cover both teams on offense and defense.

As luck would have, Curry scored a three (finally get his shot back) and then followed up with a layup against Steve Adams on the next play and went crazy!

They were able to hold on for the 120-111 win.

They will head back to OKC for Game 6... and hopefully win and then return to Oakland for potential Game 7 on Monday!

Cal Men's Basketball defeat Weber State 77-57

Headed over to Haas Pavilion for Cal Men's Basketball vs Weber State.

Cal was facing a tough opponent in Weber State's Damien Lillard who leads the NCAA in scoring, averaging 26.9 points per game.

But Montgomery assigned Jorge Gutierrez to guard him... and you can guess what happened.

Jorge was all over him without getting into foul trouble.

And held Lillard to 4 for 17 and only 14 points... when asked in postgame (youtube clip here) whether Jorge could tell if Lillard was frustrated at all when his shots weren't falling, Jorge replied "he didn't look like it... he took 17 shots!" haha

In the meantime, Jorge put up 24 of his own points.

Scott Bamforth was guarding Jorge, and while he had a good game...

I was just waiting for Jorge to let his emotions get the best of him (like in the Kansas game last year) as there was a lot extra elbows and words exchanged between him and Bamforth.

Jorge might have got a little frazzled.

But was able to hold back.

Though I focused on the match up with Jorge and Lillard, it was definitely a team effort as Cal defeated Weber State 77-57. Including Richard Solomon who contributed 7 rebounds and 11 points... but for me, contributed to one of my favorite photos of the night, a big backwards somersault after being fouled.