![\"Cover\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Cover.jpg\")
<\/a>Grassroots Baseball<\/span><\/h2>\nWhere Legends Begin<\/span><\/h2>\nPhotographs by Jean Fruth<\/p>\n
Sports Publishing, 2019<\/p>\n
$60.00<\/p>\n
Home sweet home.\u00a0 What makes baseball such an important part of our lives is that the game constantly pays tribute to where the heart is. After all, the only way to score runs is to leave home and then return.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0From the foreword to Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIf anyone can bring home the special passion that beats in the heart of our national pastime, it is photographer Jean Fruth \u2013 one of baseball’s preeminent photographers.\u00a0 In her book,\u00a0Grassroots Baseball … Where Legends Begin,\u00a0<\/em>she does just that \u2013 presenting more than 250 heart-touching images from amateur fields and ball parks across the United States and from baseball-loving communities around the globe.\u00a0 You will be carried, visually, from the hot and dusty amateur ball fields of the Dominican Republic to the urban youth diamonds of New York City to the site of the Little League World Series in Williamsport to the colorful fields in Mexico upon which Caribbean Series is played \u2013 and plenty of places in between.\u00a0 BBRT Note:\u00a0 At the end of this post, you will find a BBRT interview with photograph Jean Fruth.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Kiddofruth\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Kiddofruth.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nJean Fruth\u2019s photographs tell an uplifting story about baseball in its purest form – played for the love of the game.\u00a0 If you are a fan of the national pastime, you should have this book.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Baseball Roundtable<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nFruth\u2019s photos tell the story of growing up with baseball \u2013 in communities and circumstances ranging from places where home plate is a discarded license plate and baseball gloves are fashioned from old milk cartons to communities where youngsters can take advantage of batting cages and pitching machines.\u00a0 But the real story here may be what the youngsters who play on these diverse fields and in these widely varying conditions have in common.\u00a0 As you look at the faces of the young ballplayers in these photos, you will see grit, determination and concentration; elation and disappointment; quiet reflection and fierce competition; but mostly you will see wide-eyed joy \u2013 the joy of being on the ball field playing a game they all love.<\/p>\n
The culture of Baseball is much more than what happens on the field.\u00a0 Shooting action is wonderful, but what makes baseball special and photo-worthy is how the sport shapes the culture in which it is played, and how local culture reflects the sport. The stories you can tell through pictures are often a direct reflection of the places in which the game is being played.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jean Fruth<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHow good is Jean Fruth\u2019s art? How well does her lens capture the heart and soul of the game?\u00a0 The list of those contributing the words that open and close the book and set the stage for each of its visual chapters tells that story.<\/p>\n
Consider this lineup of contributors:<\/p>\n
Introduction \u2013 Cal Ripken, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\nNew York \u2013 Whitey Ford<\/strong><\/p>\nMexico \u2013 Fernando Valenzuela<\/strong><\/p>\nMobile, Alabama \u2013 Hank Aaron<\/strong><\/p>\nJapan \u2013 Ichiro Suzuki<\/strong><\/p>\nCape Cod \u2013 Craig Biggio<\/strong><\/p>\nOakland \u2013 Rickey Henderson<\/strong><\/p>\nCuba \u2013 Tony P\u00e9rez<\/strong><\/p>\nWilliamsport, PA \u2013 Randy Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\nPuerto Rico \u2013 Iv\u00e1n Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong><\/p>\nTampa, FL \u2013 Wade Boggs<\/strong><\/p>\nCaribbean Series \u2013 Juan Marichal<\/strong><\/p>\nAberdeen, ML \u2013 Cap Ripken, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\nCura\u00e7ao \u2013 Hensley Meulens<\/strong><\/p>\nTexas \u2013 Nolan Ryan<\/strong><\/p>\nAfterward \u2013 Johnny Bench<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd what stories they share!\u00a0 Not so much about their accomplishments on the major-league level, but how they (like most of those pictured in the book) grew up with the game. I won\u2019t share too much, but here are a few examples from their stories.<\/p>\n
\n- Whitey Ford\u2019s earliest memories involved a broomstick bat, a pink rubber Spaldeen ball \u2013 and \u201cfields\u201d laid out on the streets of New York.<\/li>\n
- Hank Aaron was discovered playing semi-pro softball.<\/li>\n
- Ricky Henderson was born in the back of an Oldsmobile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Randy Johnson \u2013 from Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI remember my very first Little League practice. My parents were at work. My five brothers and sisters and I were raised to do things on our own, so I took myself to practice. There we so many people there that I just became confused and went home without playing. Fortunately, when I walked through the door my mom was there. She took me by the hand and made sure my life in baseball started that day \u2026 Thanks for getting me to practice, Mom.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"FruthStadium\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/FruthStadium.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n- Valdimir Guerrero left school in the fifth grade to help take care of his brothers and sisters.Wade Boggs began playing Little League ball (age 5),hit bat was taller than he was. Oh yes, and he had 26 hits in his last 32 high school at bats.<\/li>\n
- Juan Marichal, while playing amateur ball, was one put in jail for six days (along with his teammates), after losing a doubleheader.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Iv\u00e1n Rodr\u00edguez\u2013 from Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nI always had a good arm, even as a little kid. When I was nine-years-old, I set my youth league record for strikeouts and no-hitters. At a regional tournament in La Llanura, I hit three batters. My dad pulled me from the game and told me from then on I was going to be a catcher.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"Actionfruth\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Actionfruth.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBy that enough about words \u2013 it\u2019s Jean Fruth\u2019s pictures that really tell the story.\u00a0 And, it\u2019s a great and uplifting story about baseball in its purest form.\u00a0 \u00a0Her photographs capture the colors and drama of the game \u2013 whether it\u2019s played on dusty sandlots or in stadiums that hold 45,000; whether the game action unfolds under blue skies and bright sunshine or against the contrast of blue-black skies and bright ballpark lights; and whether that participants are youngsters in short and T-shirts or adolescents in full uniforms. \u00a0\u00a0But mostly, again, Fruth\u2019s photographs capture the joy of the game, as it can only be expressed when you are playing for the love of the game.\u00a0 Again, if you are a fan of the game, you should have this book.<\/p>\n
Maybe Ken Griffey, Jr. put it best, \u201cPhotography and baseball are both arts. Jean beautifully captures the youthfulness and charisma of the game of baseball.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nYou can order Grassroots Baseball – Where Legends Begin (a signed copy for $55, including shipping and tax at www.grassrootsbaseball.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nBelow is a brief biography and a Baseball Roundtable interview with Jean Fruth..<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n___________________________________________________<\/p>\n
About Jean Fruth<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Fruthmug\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Fruthmug-209x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Jean Fruth is one of baseball\u2019s preeminent photographers.\u00a0 A talented and creative portrait, studio and on-location photographer, she first turned her focus intensely on baseball covering the Giants and A\u2019s for more than a decade. She then turned her attention to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, helping to build the museum\u2019s profile and photo archive by contributing her work to the Hall over a three-year period. While shooting for the Hall of Fame, her year-round baseball calendar started with the Caribbean Series; moved on to Spring Training, the MLB regular season and post season; and, finally, to winter ball in Latin America.<\/p>\nJean is a traveling photographer for La Vida Baseball and is honored to be recognized by Sony as one of its 41 Sony Artisans of Imagery<\/strong>, worldwide.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n—–BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW WITH JEAN FRUTH.—–<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 Your guest writers for each section provide readers with insight into how they developed their interest in baseball. Can you share some insight into how you first became interested in photography?\u00a0 And, later, what drew you to focus – bad pun intended – on baseball?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nI started with a portrait photography business that I owned with two women partners in Healdsburg, California.\u00a0 This was in the pre-digital era, so we worked exclusively with film. We offered portraits in-studio and on-location. We worked with black-and-white film, had a darkroom and would print all of our own work.<\/em><\/p>\nWhile in the portrait business, I started coaching my son’s rookie ball and Little League teams and started shooting his games for posterity. I later sent images of the League’s All-Star games to the local paper and eventually they asked me to shoot high-school sports for them. I shot all sports, but mainly football and baseball.\u00a0 My love for baseball photography started with my son and blossomed when I began shooting Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants games – and then for the Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/em><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong> \u00a0Baseball has often been called the most literary of sports, worthy of all the words written about it. From your perspective what also makes it photo-worthy?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nThe culture of Baseball is much more than what happens on the field.\u00a0 Shooting action is wonderful, but what makes baseball special and photo-worthy is how the sport shapes the culture in which it is played, and how local culture reflects the sport. The stories you can tell through pictures are often a direct reflection of the places in which the game is being played.<\/em><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 What do you try to capture when you are taking pictures of the game and those who play and watch it?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nMy goal is to tell stories.\u00a0 With action photos I want to capture the athlete in peak moments: ball on bat; jumping high in the air against the wall making a catch; running with a helmet flying off; or making the tag at home on a close play. With those shots, ideally they also give a sense of place. Fenway Park has the Green Monster; Wrigley has the ivy; the ballpark in Pittsburgh is surrounded by beautiful bridges; and the Giants have the signature Coca-Cola bottle in left field.<\/em><\/p>\nFor grassroots baseball, in the south, maybe there was a church in the background to include. In Texas, a billboard promoting barbecue. And then there are the stories. A father and son sitting in a dugout taking a breather from practice in the late afternoon sun.\u00a0 In the Dominican Republic, maybe it’s a kid catching with one shin guard because equipment is hard to come by, or a training facility where players are pulling tires with a rope around their waist to strengthen legs and core, versus having access to a weight room.<\/em><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong> Is there anything you find especially unique about baseball – from a photographer’s perspective – versus other sports?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nBaseball’s ties to community tend to run deep, because of the long connection the sport has in helping to shape culture and values. Those intrinsic links allow photographers to story-tell in more expansive and interesting ways that extend well beyond the ball field.<\/em><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong> \u00a0You have quite a lineup of players sharing their stories in the book.\u00a0 How did you choose them?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nThe goal was to have a legend from each area tell his “grassroots story.”\u00a0 There are so many wonderful legends from all of these areas.\u00a0 Each legend was asked to participate for different reasons.\u00a0 The wonderful part was that when the project was explained and they learned that focus was on kids and the grassroots game, everyone happily accepted my invitation. I already had relationships with many of the legends from photographing them and seeing them in ballparks over the years.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nPudge Rodriguez was one of them. Because we knew each other well, he allowed me to join him when he returned home to Puerto Rico from the New York City press conference announcing that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u00a0 I had the privilege of spending a week documenting his return, not only to his home town, but everywhere on the island that he was celebrated.<\/em><\/p>\nI had the wonderful opportunity to meet and take portraits of so many Hall of Famers including Craig Biggio, Hank Aaron, Whitey Ford, Tony Perez and their families during Hall of Fame Weekend, and develop relationships with them all.<\/em><\/p>\nBBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 Finally, any hints you’d give to all of us amateurs who occasionally try to capture a baseball scene?<\/p>\nFruth:<\/strong><\/p>\nThink about your backgrounds. Can you give your image a sense of place?<\/em><\/p>\nThink about your angle. Don’t shoot in the same old place each time. Everyone shoots from down first or third base lines.\u00a0 Can you shoot from a different angle? There are lots of images to be made behind a fence. Can you put your lens against the fence around home plate? Try to capture the batter with the runner on third base taking a lead. Can you get the beautiful chalked lines in your shot “down the line?”\u00a0 Can you get down at a low angle making your subject look heroic?\u00a0 Or from up high with a bird’s-eye view?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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Home sweet home.\u00a0 What makes baseball such an important part of our lives is that the game constantly pays tribute to where the heart is. After all, the only way to score runs is to leave home and then return.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0From the foreword to Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If anyone can bring home the special passion that beats in the heart of our national pastime, it is photographer Jean Fruth \u2013 one of baseball’s preeminent photographers.\u00a0 In her book,\u00a0Grassroots Baseball … Where Legends Begin,\u00a0<\/em>she does just that \u2013 presenting more than 250 heart-touching images from amateur fields and ball parks across the United States and from baseball-loving communities around the globe.\u00a0 You will be carried, visually, from the hot and dusty amateur ball fields of the Dominican Republic to the urban youth diamonds of New York City to the site of the Little League World Series in Williamsport to the colorful fields in Mexico upon which Caribbean Series is played \u2013 and plenty of places in between.\u00a0 BBRT Note:\u00a0 At the end of this post, you will find a BBRT interview with photograph Jean Fruth.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Jean Fruth\u2019s photographs tell an uplifting story about baseball in its purest form – played for the love of the game.\u00a0 If you are a fan of the national pastime, you should have this book.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Baseball Roundtable<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fruth\u2019s photos tell the story of growing up with baseball \u2013 in communities and circumstances ranging from places where home plate is a discarded license plate and baseball gloves are fashioned from old milk cartons to communities where youngsters can take advantage of batting cages and pitching machines.\u00a0 But the real story here may be what the youngsters who play on these diverse fields and in these widely varying conditions have in common.\u00a0 As you look at the faces of the young ballplayers in these photos, you will see grit, determination and concentration; elation and disappointment; quiet reflection and fierce competition; but mostly you will see wide-eyed joy \u2013 the joy of being on the ball field playing a game they all love.<\/p>\n The culture of Baseball is much more than what happens on the field.\u00a0 Shooting action is wonderful, but what makes baseball special and photo-worthy is how the sport shapes the culture in which it is played, and how local culture reflects the sport. The stories you can tell through pictures are often a direct reflection of the places in which the game is being played.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jean Fruth<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n How good is Jean Fruth\u2019s art? How well does her lens capture the heart and soul of the game?\u00a0 The list of those contributing the words that open and close the book and set the stage for each of its visual chapters tells that story.<\/p>\n Consider this lineup of contributors:<\/p>\n Introduction \u2013 Cal Ripken, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n New York \u2013 Whitey Ford<\/strong><\/p>\n Mexico \u2013 Fernando Valenzuela<\/strong><\/p>\n Mobile, Alabama \u2013 Hank Aaron<\/strong><\/p>\n Japan \u2013 Ichiro Suzuki<\/strong><\/p>\n Cape Cod \u2013 Craig Biggio<\/strong><\/p>\n Oakland \u2013 Rickey Henderson<\/strong><\/p>\n Cuba \u2013 Tony P\u00e9rez<\/strong><\/p>\n Williamsport, PA \u2013 Randy Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n Puerto Rico \u2013 Iv\u00e1n Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong><\/p>\n Tampa, FL \u2013 Wade Boggs<\/strong><\/p>\n Caribbean Series \u2013 Juan Marichal<\/strong><\/p>\n Aberdeen, ML \u2013 Cap Ripken, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n Cura\u00e7ao \u2013 Hensley Meulens<\/strong><\/p>\n Texas \u2013 Nolan Ryan<\/strong><\/p>\n Afterward \u2013 Johnny Bench<\/strong><\/p>\n And what stories they share!\u00a0 Not so much about their accomplishments on the major-league level, but how they (like most of those pictured in the book) grew up with the game. I won\u2019t share too much, but here are a few examples from their stories.<\/p>\n Randy Johnson \u2013 from Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI remember my very first Little League practice. My parents were at work. My five brothers and sisters and I were raised to do things on our own, so I took myself to practice. There we so many people there that I just became confused and went home without playing. Fortunately, when I walked through the door my mom was there. She took me by the hand and made sure my life in baseball started that day \u2026 Thanks for getting me to practice, Mom.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Iv\u00e1n Rodr\u00edguez\u2013 from Grassroots Baseball<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I always had a good arm, even as a little kid. When I was nine-years-old, I set my youth league record for strikeouts and no-hitters. At a regional tournament in La Llanura, I hit three batters. My dad pulled me from the game and told me from then on I was going to be a catcher.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n By that enough about words \u2013 it\u2019s Jean Fruth\u2019s pictures that really tell the story.\u00a0 And, it\u2019s a great and uplifting story about baseball in its purest form.\u00a0 \u00a0Her photographs capture the colors and drama of the game \u2013 whether it\u2019s played on dusty sandlots or in stadiums that hold 45,000; whether the game action unfolds under blue skies and bright sunshine or against the contrast of blue-black skies and bright ballpark lights; and whether that participants are youngsters in short and T-shirts or adolescents in full uniforms. \u00a0\u00a0But mostly, again, Fruth\u2019s photographs capture the joy of the game, as it can only be expressed when you are playing for the love of the game.\u00a0 Again, if you are a fan of the game, you should have this book.<\/p>\n Maybe Ken Griffey, Jr. put it best, \u201cPhotography and baseball are both arts. Jean beautifully captures the youthfulness and charisma of the game of baseball.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n You can order Grassroots Baseball – Where Legends Begin (a signed copy for $55, including shipping and tax at www.grassrootsbaseball.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Below is a brief biography and a Baseball Roundtable interview with Jean Fruth..<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ___________________________________________________<\/p>\n About Jean Fruth<\/strong><\/p>\n Jean is a traveling photographer for La Vida Baseball and is honored to be recognized by Sony as one of its 41 Sony Artisans of Imagery<\/strong>, worldwide.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n —–BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW WITH JEAN FRUTH.—–<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 Your guest writers for each section provide readers with insight into how they developed their interest in baseball. Can you share some insight into how you first became interested in photography?\u00a0 And, later, what drew you to focus – bad pun intended – on baseball?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n I started with a portrait photography business that I owned with two women partners in Healdsburg, California.\u00a0 This was in the pre-digital era, so we worked exclusively with film. We offered portraits in-studio and on-location. We worked with black-and-white film, had a darkroom and would print all of our own work.<\/em><\/p>\n While in the portrait business, I started coaching my son’s rookie ball and Little League teams and started shooting his games for posterity. I later sent images of the League’s All-Star games to the local paper and eventually they asked me to shoot high-school sports for them. I shot all sports, but mainly football and baseball.\u00a0 My love for baseball photography started with my son and blossomed when I began shooting Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants games – and then for the Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/em><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong> \u00a0Baseball has often been called the most literary of sports, worthy of all the words written about it. From your perspective what also makes it photo-worthy?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n The culture of Baseball is much more than what happens on the field.\u00a0 Shooting action is wonderful, but what makes baseball special and photo-worthy is how the sport shapes the culture in which it is played, and how local culture reflects the sport. The stories you can tell through pictures are often a direct reflection of the places in which the game is being played.<\/em><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 What do you try to capture when you are taking pictures of the game and those who play and watch it?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n My goal is to tell stories.\u00a0 With action photos I want to capture the athlete in peak moments: ball on bat; jumping high in the air against the wall making a catch; running with a helmet flying off; or making the tag at home on a close play. With those shots, ideally they also give a sense of place. Fenway Park has the Green Monster; Wrigley has the ivy; the ballpark in Pittsburgh is surrounded by beautiful bridges; and the Giants have the signature Coca-Cola bottle in left field.<\/em><\/p>\n For grassroots baseball, in the south, maybe there was a church in the background to include. In Texas, a billboard promoting barbecue. And then there are the stories. A father and son sitting in a dugout taking a breather from practice in the late afternoon sun.\u00a0 In the Dominican Republic, maybe it’s a kid catching with one shin guard because equipment is hard to come by, or a training facility where players are pulling tires with a rope around their waist to strengthen legs and core, versus having access to a weight room.<\/em><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong> Is there anything you find especially unique about baseball – from a photographer’s perspective – versus other sports?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n Baseball’s ties to community tend to run deep, because of the long connection the sport has in helping to shape culture and values. Those intrinsic links allow photographers to story-tell in more expansive and interesting ways that extend well beyond the ball field.<\/em><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong> \u00a0You have quite a lineup of players sharing their stories in the book.\u00a0 How did you choose them?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n The goal was to have a legend from each area tell his “grassroots story.”\u00a0 There are so many wonderful legends from all of these areas.\u00a0 Each legend was asked to participate for different reasons.\u00a0 The wonderful part was that when the project was explained and they learned that focus was on kids and the grassroots game, everyone happily accepted my invitation. I already had relationships with many of the legends from photographing them and seeing them in ballparks over the years.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Pudge Rodriguez was one of them. Because we knew each other well, he allowed me to join him when he returned home to Puerto Rico from the New York City press conference announcing that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u00a0 I had the privilege of spending a week documenting his return, not only to his home town, but everywhere on the island that he was celebrated.<\/em><\/p>\n I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and take portraits of so many Hall of Famers including Craig Biggio, Hank Aaron, Whitey Ford, Tony Perez and their families during Hall of Fame Weekend, and develop relationships with them all.<\/em><\/p>\n BBRT:<\/strong>\u00a0 Finally, any hints you’d give to all of us amateurs who occasionally try to capture a baseball scene?<\/p>\n Fruth:<\/strong><\/p>\n Think about your backgrounds. Can you give your image a sense of place?<\/em><\/p>\n Think about your angle. Don’t shoot in the same old place each time. Everyone shoots from down first or third base lines.\u00a0 Can you shoot from a different angle? There are lots of images to be made behind a fence. Can you put your lens against the fence around home plate? Try to capture the batter with the runner on third base taking a lead. Can you get the beautiful chalked lines in your shot “down the line?”\u00a0 Can you get down at a low angle making your subject look heroic?\u00a0 Or from up high with a bird’s-eye view?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For additional baseball book reviews, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE ON THE TOP 100 BASEBALL BLOG LIST<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Jean Fruth is one of baseball\u2019s preeminent photographers.\u00a0 A talented and creative portrait, studio and on-location photographer, she first turned her focus intensely on baseball covering the Giants and A\u2019s for more than a decade. She then turned her attention to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, helping to build the museum\u2019s profile and photo archive by contributing her work to the Hall over a three-year period. While shooting for the Hall of Fame, her year-round baseball calendar started with the Caribbean Series; moved on to Spring Training, the MLB regular season and post season; and, finally, to winter ball in Latin America.<\/p>\n<\/a>Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs.\u00a0 To see the full list, click\u00a0here.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nI tweet baseball @DavidBBRT<\/h3>\n