Assorted Cupcakes

Little things amuse little minds.

The last line on Sundays pre-race menu kept me amused most of the day.
In fact, I'm still thinking about it.
Everywhere I looked Sunday, I saw assorted cupcakes.
Take a look.......


See the last line of the menu.....
Assorted Cupcakes


A tray of assorted cupcakes with a sweet lil' cupcake.


A cupcake and a pro rassler.
Hey cupcake.......I lost your e-mail address. Resend it to me.


Me and my posse' went on a swag hunt in the VIP village before the race.
Here, some cupcake named Jeff, entertains the crowd.


This little boy had a question for Mr. Gordon.
He asked, "Has Mr. Hendrick ever fussed at you during the race over the radio?
Everyone, including Mr. Gordon, rolled in the floor laughing.

Out of the mouths of babes....


Tony put on a good show for the crowds, too.


A cupcake that thinks he is a motorsports photographer.


Now, this cupcake knows what he is doing.
WOOooOOoooOOOOooo


These are no cupcakes. They are real motorsports photographers. Rusty Jarrett in the red shirt and my buddy Jerry Markland in the orange shirt. Both work for Getty Images.


The only action I saw Saturday during the Craftsman Tools Truck race.


Dammit, they did it again......i'm having a bad night trying to post images.
Never mind my thinking outloud.
Back to the topic at hand.
My inner Getty slips out occasionally.


Cupcake.


Cupcake.


Cupcake wrecks a ledgend.


Just a boring shot of a pack of trucks during Saturdays race.
I kinda expected a typical boring race this time of year from Atlanta.
It always is. Boring.
And cold as a witches tittie.
It was the cupcakes that kept me from getting bored this weekend.
At least it wasn't cold.

I got shafted but I didn't drink the koolaid

Yep......
I got to play around this afternoon with a couple of shafts of light shining through the stadium exits in Tuscalooser.
It was fun to see what I could come up with.
Very interesting.
But remember from last weeks post about how much love they show me in Athens, Georgia?
I don't get the same kind of love in T-town, but I did find a sign.
It was on the bottom floor of the elevator.
It was marked with a 'G'
I found that when I went up in the pressbox to eat lunch. Caesar Salad and Lasagna. And plenty of koolaid.
I sat at a table to eat my lunch with a sportswriter who was a major koolaid drinker. He stated that anyone could not possibly be more left leaning than he was. He was already beginning to plan his celebration for the election. I almost lost my lunch. He was sickening.
I didn't drink his koolaid.

Oh well......back to the show.


I thought this was a cool shot of Bama fans cheering for their team.


See what I mean by the cool shaft of light?


There were about three shafts illuminating the field is certain areas.


It would highlight a player if he was in the right place.


Or highlight the fans.


Or my 'G' spot, I mean it would highlight the majorettes.


Or hydrate an official.


No, not these officials, they are self hydrating.


Notice the student section cheering for their team? Not only did I learn some new words today, I learned how to creatively use the word M-t-e-F-c-eR from them. If you look closely, you can see one student cheering with his middle finger.


Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead loses the ball after a sack by Bama linebacker Eryk Anders.


Bama runningback Mark Ingram rushes around right end and is stopped short of the endzone.

I promise to do better next week 'cause I'll be shooting the Cup race at Atlanta.
No koolaid, but plenty of adult beverages and more action than todays game.
Now I hope I can live up to the hype.

My personal 'G' spot

Yep.....this is my personal 'G' spot.
Athens Georgia.
I love to be in Athens during football season, and the good folk over there love me, as well. The welcome signs are all around.
Not only is Athens a great atmosphere for football during the fall, everyone here really shows me some love by wearing my initial somewhere on their clothing (or body).
Yep, everywhere you look, someone is wearing a big capital 'G' on their hat, shirts, pants, shoes, and painted on their faces (I bet a few good lookin' babydolls have a 'G' on their unmentionables).


When I first walked into Sanford Stadium for the annual battle between the Bulldogs and Volunteers on Saturday, I noticed that thousands of people were trying to save me a seat. Look at all the stadium seats with my initials on them. Bless their hearts, they were even trying to show me which section of the stadium to sit in (pssst, they were all marked with a 'G').


Then I entered the media work room where my initials greeted me on the door and on the carpet. Boy, they really go the extra mile to make me feel at home, don't they?


A 'G' on they trash can. OOOhhhh Kaayyyy......


Every napkin I used was personalized.


Students painted their bodys with my initials on them.


Even this cute lil' ol' doggie had a 'G' on his sweater.


Members of the color guard had my initials painted on their cute little faces!


And the drum corps were playing that 'G' note.


Cute baby dolls love the Dawgs, 'G', and McCain.


More cute baby dolls painted 'specially for me....


Just look at all the fans that I got!!!!
Thats why I like Athens during football season.
I feel 'G'reatly appreciated in these parts.


See, I ain't the only one up to nonsense, this past Saturday. Whats with the 'stach?


It seemed to be only drum corps members wit' 'staches.


If he had a couple more days notice, he coulda had a real one.


Didja ever wonder what equipment managers did before the game? They put jersey's on shoulder pads and talk about how many beers they drank the night before.


Some people come for the exciting crossword puzzle competition.


And before I go, an image inside the media workroom taken just before lunch.


I know it don't go with the theme, but for some reason I kinda like this image.
I was shooting from the back of the endzone, laying on the ground, when Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry(14) intercepted the pass from Georgia's Michael Moore(82) in the endzone and returned it 54 yards. I just like the way Moore has fallen to the ground with Berry returning the ball in the background.
It's my image taken in my 'G' spot.

Later dudes and dudettes.........

If you're gonna do it anyway........

you might as well do it in front of me.
That's what the inhabitants of our turn 2 tower were talking about this weekend as we were shooting the AMP ENERGY 500 at Talladega SuperSpeedway yesterday.
I had to start off with this image of the sun setting over Talladega SuperSpeedway Friday. I thought it was pretty cool.


It got really crowded on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone wanted to capture the 'BIG UN' like I did twice during the ARCA event Friday afternoon, so we had lots of impatient shooters visit us the rest of the weekend.
Just remember......sometimes you get the doughnut, sometimes you get the hole!
Friday, I got the whole box of doughnuts, Saturday, I got the holes.


As you know by now, Junior crashed during practice on Friday and he had to use his back-up car for the race. One of the promotions that AMP Energy was running for this event, you could have been one of 73,000 lucky people to have your name on Juniors car. Now I know what the big deal was with him going to his back-up car. Look at all the names!!!!


At Talladega, you know they're gonna have the 'BIG UN', and it can happen anywhere, anytime.
I captured this one on lap 13.


Ken Butler III was involved in the lap 13 wreck and came to a stop almost in front of the tower we were on before the fire extinguished itself.


Ken Butler III exits his toasted racecar.


After that, about halfway through the race, the 99 car got airborne going down the backstretch. WOW!!!!! Three money shots in the first half of the ARCA race with lots more racing to go this weekend.


On Saturday, the 10 getting sideways was the only excitement (on the racetrack) that we saw. There was other interesting things going on in the grandstands that I can't post in this blog. Really!!!!!


See how boring it was on the track...... who wants to see a pack of trucks?


Sunday started off with a patriotic showing by a couple of good ol' boys. Thanks Guys...


I heart 48
He heart 88
We are still married

ain't that sweet?



After a disappointing Saturday, we were hoping if they were gonna do it, that it would happen in front of us. We went from three photographers on Friday, to eleven, at one point, on Sunday. Our turn 2 tower was full with photographers wanting to capture the 'BIG UN'. Oh, they tried several times. All we were getting was a few crumbs like a blown tire on the 33 car mid-way through the race.


And I caught it hitting the 55 car of Michael Waltrip.


My brain starts to wander in my thick ol' noggin' when the race gets boring. Our picture editor, Mr. Bazemore, always tells me to keep that Getty shit to myself. Sometimes you have to try and make your own doughnuts.


Just another case of my 'inner Getty' coming out.


And again........ here come my Getty


Then Denny Hamlin blows a tire and hits the wall going in to turn 2 and his car stays against the wall before coming to a stop directly in front of our tower. The safety workers ran up to his car and realized he was hurt. I shot this image as they were putting Hamlin on the gurney to take him to the ambulance. Hamlin was hospitilized overnight for observation, and released early today.
They decided to give the doughnuts to others, but they did break off some crumbs for us to nibble on.
This image of Hamlin has been published today in the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Anchorage Daily News, News Observer from the Raliegh/Durham/Cary N.C. area, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle, and USA Today.
I've had better weekends, image wise, but i've had lots worse, also.