Some Days You're The Windshield, Some Days You're The Bug

That's kinda how I felt this weekend.
Like a bug splattered on the windshield of a big ol' truck.
I was just flyin' along minding my own business, when SPLATT!!!!!
Right out of nowhere, my camera started having major problems.
Just as Saturdays game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers was about to begin.
I got the dreaded ERR99 message.
The note on the digital back of the camera told me to turn the camera off and replace the batteries.
WOW....maybe it'll go away when I do that.
So, I turn it off, change the batteries, and hold my breath as I turn the camera back on.
It powers up, I look through the viewfinder and it focuses, I squeeze the shutter button, and it fires!
One time.
And one time only.
And ERR99 shows back up on the digital back.
This is how my day was going, and it ain't even got started yet!
Every time I shot a frame, I had to shut it down, change the batteries, fire it back up, hope I time the shot just at the peak of the action, and do it again.
Instead of firing off more than a thousand shots during the course of the game, Saturday, I only fired off 68 shots. I had to very carefully pick and choose which images I wanted as I was watching through the viewfinder.
I also discovered that I am more impatient than I thought I was.
It was a frustrating day for me.
Very frustrating.


Tennessee's Montario Hardesty played a big part in Saturday's game. He is one of the SEC's top backs this year. He always runs hard.


Quarterback Jonathan Crompton came alive and could do no wrong for this game. He was a windshield Saturday.


Volunteer fullback Kevin Cooper gets stripped of the ball by Georgia linebacker Darius Dewberry as Bryan Evans hurries in to get him some action.


Look....I'm doin' the best I can. It's difficult trying to get a good usable image when you can only shoot one image per play. How did the old timers shoot such great images with the equipmet they had.
Here, Georgia quarterback Joe Cox sets up to pass.


Bulldog receiver Michael Moore is wrapped up by Tennessee safety Prentiss Waggner, with All-American strong safety Eric Berry and cornerback Art Evans helping out.


Quarterback Jonathan Crompton looks to pass to receiver Gerald Jones.


OK....it's not the same play, but the same drive, Gerald Jones dive into the endzone for a Tennessee touchdown.
See....I could have lied about the TD and told you it was the same play, but what good would that do me?


On the next drive, Tennessee receiver Demarius Moore tries to do a Gerald Jones impersonation, but his dive for a touchdown wasn't as impressive.


I'm beginning to like Lane Kiffen. He can get animated, which is good!


See.....I'm looking for any type of easy image as I'm getting more and more frustrated.


I've been sitting back behind the offense hoping for a good easy image of a quarterback sack when Eric Berry blitzed from the far side. Mr. Cox didn't see it coming, but I did.
Even a blind hog can find an acorn.


Volunteer receiver Gerald Jones runs for extra yardage after making a catch.


I almost caught this image like Mr. Jones almost caught the ball.
Close, but no cigar.
Or, close only counts in horseshoes, handgranades and napalm.


See how bad my day was going. Now i'm stretching it trying to find good images one at a time.


It's not a good image, but sometimes if it's newsworthy, you have to include it anyway. Here Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry takes the ball away from Georgia split end Michael Moore. This play set the all-time NCAA record for interceptions. It's not the best image i've ever shot, but I did manage to capture it while history was being made.


And last but not least, Georgia's AJ Green may be the best receiver in the Southeastern Conference.


OK....just for funsies, before my camera died, I was walking around Neyland Stadium just looking for something to get into, when I spotted the drum major changing shoes. One shoe was shiny patton leather, the other shoe was dull and black. So....I checked it out.


He was putting on his cleats. I never thought about the drum major wearing cleats, but considering the condition of the field, slick sole shoes would have been ugly about half way thru his goose march across the field. Or it may have been hilarious.