My dad and I went to San Diego during my break from school on October 12-13, 2003. We played golf at Torrey Pines, the South course of which will be the site of the U.S. Open in 2008, and I was able to relax and escape for two days. It was an awesome trip.
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The hang gliders and parasailers were out in force off the cliffs overlooking the golf courses. These were some of them off in the distance; however, one parasailer floated down very close to us.
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This photo shows a neat effect of the sun over the ocean behind the South course's cliffs. I've used this one as my computer's wallpaper ever since I got back from the trip.
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I'm killing my drive off the 13th tee of the South course Sunday afternoon, October 12th. Actually, I hit it into the bunkers on the right, even though I didn't hit it all that badly.
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I'm hitting my tee shot on the 3rd hole of the South course the next morning. This hole was one of the prettiest on the golf course. This photo, also, is significant because it shows, along with the next one, how quickly the fog rolled in during that round.
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This photo was taken less than 10 minutes after I took the last one, looking back the 4th hole of the South course. It was unbelievable how quickly the fog came in on us. The fog in this photo, as it turned out, was only the tip of the iceberg; I played the North course there later that afternoon, and for the last eight holes of that round, I could not see fifty yards in front of me.
Purdue vs. Illinois Football Game
I took some pictures during Purdue's pasting of Illinois on October 4th, 2003.
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A panorama of Ross-Ade Stadium, showing Purdue's stellar defense preparing to shut down Illinois' offense.
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This was my favorite moment of the game. At the end of the third quarter, with the score 37-3 in favor of Purdue, a small section of orange-clad Illinois fans (who somehow managed to get seats in the student section) decided to leave the game early. The orange trickle down the steps leading to the exit is classic.
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Perhaps this was why they left early: the final result on the scoreboard.
Baseball Pictures
I took pictures at some of the many baseball games I've attended in 2003 (30 games) and 2004 (51). Pictures 1-4 were taken during the 2003 season, pictures 5-17 were taken on August 26 and 27, 2004, in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and pictures 18-24 were taken at Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS on October 21 in St. Louis.
Photo 1 --
This picture is one of my favorites. I caught the sun at just the right time during an afternoon game in St. Louis in September 2003, to catch Scott Rolen batting in a "halo" due to shadows formed by Busch Stadium's arched roof. This was during extra innings in one of the more exciting games I attended in 2003.
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This is from the same game as the previous photo, showing Chris Widger (I think) at bat against an unknown Astros pitcher. The Cardinals won the game in the 13th inning on an Albert Pujols home run
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My friend Al and I took a trip to Milwaukee to see the Cardinals play the Brewers on a Tuesday evening in September 2003. This picture shows Albert Pujols at bat in that game, in Miller Park.
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This photo shows the Cardinals doing their victory handshakes after the game in Milwaukee, which they won 5 to 1. I attended 27 Cardinals games during the 2003 season, of which they won 19. I only wish I'd attended more; perhaps that trend would have continued and they'd have won the division.
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I went on a road trip following the Cardinals to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh (one game in each city) in August 2004, and I brought my camera along. Here's me at the Great American Ball Park in Cincy the first night.
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Cards pitcher Chris Carpenter warms up before the game in Cincinnati. Carp pitched great that evening, giving up only a solo home run among three hits, with one walk and eleven strikeouts in an eight-inning complete game. Unfortunately, Aaron Harang, the Reds' starter, pitched a shutout for the victory.
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The big portion of the scoreboard at the Great American Ball Park literally did not work the entire game. No kidding. This was the image for the first 4-5 innings and during the ninth. It was blank in between.
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The final score of the first game of my trip. Tough loss.
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In Pittsburgh, I walked around a lot before the game, since I had never been to PNC Park before. Here's a panorama picture of the stadium, taken from the Roberto Clemente bridge (which is the yellow one closest to the stadium in the background of later pictures).
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A statue of Clemente ("The Great One") outside the ballpark, with his namesake bridge in the background.
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Me walking around the lower level of PNC. Not a very good shot. Goofy facial expression too.
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I stood down next to the Cards relievers playing catch in the outfield before the game, and snapped a picture. Ray King (left) is a big man. He's awesome though... awesome enough for me to sponsor his Baseball-Reference.com page. Julian Tavarez is on the right.
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A view of PNC Park and downtown Pittsburgh from the third base side on the lower level.
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Another view of PNC Park, this time from the upper deck.
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Yet another view of downtown Pittsburgh beyond the right field terrace, taken from the upper deck. PNC is a heck of a place. Too bad the Pirates have sucked lately.
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Jim Edmonds (at bat) hit home runs in his first two trips to the plate that night. Here's his third plate appearance, in which he drives in Albert Pujols (on third base), his fifth RBI of the night, with a sacrifice fly.
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Thankfully, the Cards won one of the games I drove all the way up for, as shown by the final score. If you can't read that, the score was 8-5.
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This picture shows Jeff Suppan, the Cardinals' starting pitcher, warming up before pitching Game 7 of the 2004 National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. I attended the game with my mom.
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The Fort Leonard Wood Band performed the national anthem for this game, which I believe was the only home game during the Cards' 2004 playoff run where the Fox network didn't ship in some up-and-coming "pop sensation" to sing the anthem.
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A few of the Astros' best players were Beltran, Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman -- a.k.a. the "Killer B's". So, a couple of Cardinals fans got a clever idea, and dressed up as "the Beekeepers" and walked around the stadium giving people high-fives. Here they are as they walked past our section.
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Two future Hall of Famers battle it out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Scott Rolen, batting, face Roger Clemens, pitching. Another future Hall of Famer stands near first base (Jeff Bagwell), while two other potential future Hall of Famers (Jim Edmonds, on deck, and Jeff Kent) are also in the picture. Heck of a group. Brad Ausmus (the catcher), however, isn't gonna make it.
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Jason Isringhausen (on mound) prepares to pitch to Jose Vizcaino, the last batter of the game, with two outs in the top of the 9th inning. The crowd is on its feet.
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The Cardinal players celebrate their National League pennant on the field.
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The final result of Game 7 on the scoreboard. The final score was 5-2, Cardinals. While the Cards played in the Series, this was my computer's wallpaper.
Other Pictures
These are some random pictures I've taken.
Photo 1 --
This is Billy, my fish. He is named after the mascot of the Florida Marlins, because they provided me with a boost by beating the hated Cubs in the playoffs back in 2003. Plus, he is at least sort of the same color.
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This photo shows Phi Kappa Theta's "house band" (from what I've gathered, they never had a name set in stone) at a party they performed, on October 17th, 2003.
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This is Hanley, the newer of my family's two cats. He is one of the most adorable cats I've ever been around, although he can be a bit out of control at times. Still, how could you hate a face like that? Also, note the stub where his tail should be -- he was found as a stray, and his tail had to be amputated. It's sad, but it makes him a little bit more adorable.
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I'm batting in a softball game during the Tri-Delts' Frats at Bat philanthropy sometime in September 2003. I probably made an out, but it's all good because I was the pitcher and pitchers aren't supposed to be able to hit, right?
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This photo shows the final results of a game of RBI Baseball 3 that I played. Yes, I was Boston. I won't divulge who played as Chicago, however, as to not tarnish anyone's image. This game was the biggest win I've ever had.
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My "senior lunch" was awesome. I got to pick everything on the menu, and pick it I did. That day, I managed to eat too much, but before that I definitely snapped a photo of the spread. This photo WILL make your mouth water.