INSTANT REPLAY... ANATOMY OF A SLIDE

When shooting sports, photogs use a high speed multi frame mode which helps to capture the best moment in a fast developing play. Only one of a series will get picked for publication while the rest fall to the cutting room floor. So I thought I would post all the frames of several series to show how a play develops from start until the dust settles. Having been both a District Umpire (Little League) and a National Federation Umpire (High School & College) for 10 years, I will be compelled to comment later on the officiating of this game... stay tuned for that... but first the pix. This is Girls Softball. It is ferocious... fast paced... and some of the best baseball you will ever see. The girls are athletes, some better than any guys I have ever seen. The plays develop quickly on a smaller field and the action is non stop. A coach left me with an anecdote about the difference between boys and girls... He said, "Boys need to be happy in order to play well... while girls need to play well in order to be happy." This is Marin Catholic Wildcats playing in the North Coast Sectionals against St Josephs of Alameda. The Wildcats shut them out 9-0 and are advancing to the NCS Championship.