AN AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPH OF JORGE POSADA

I’m moved by a great photograph.  In fact, I find more pleasure looking at a photograph and all that it offers than a piece of video sometimes.  There are so many things to look at; the eyes, smiles, the hand gesture, the backdrop... emotion runs deep in a great photograph.  It also lasts a lifetime; You can look at it for hours and the reflection and emotion doesn’t change.  Sometimes you might see yourself, or maybe the people involved will remind you of a friend or a child you know.  It’s all how a photo is perceived and these days, many people, even non-photographers are taking amazing pictures.  Sure, it’s a memory for them, but sometimes there is so much more.

I wanted to share this with you. It’s raw emotion here!  This photo was taken by Laura Posada.  That’s a picture of a Yankee fan, no doubt a Jorge Posada fan, and there’s our guy, Jorge Posada.  So what’s happening here? Logically, it appears that this lucky fan is getting an autograph signed by Posada.  But look at it, look at this young man’s eyes. Check out his smile. Maybe Jorge was one of his heroes or just a New York Yankee to him, but there is no question that now, this young man will idolize Jorge forever.  It’s innocent.  It’s wonderful.

You could go further.  Maybe you can give it a title. Maybe you want to call it, “Staring at your future.” Maybe you call it, “A quiet moment between a Yankee & fan.”  Maybe you call it “Eyes wide open”.  There it is again... emotion... it comes out of in this photograph.

There are many photographs that I’ve fallen in love with over the years.  This one by far is my favorites right now. It belongs on Yankee Magazine. I would put it on my wall. There are others that Laura had tweeted in the past too. I remember last year Laura tweeted the photo below of Jorge at home plate.

Another classic and a wonderful moment of our warrior in his playing days.  I even took a screenshot a few years ago when Jesus Montero was with us.  Now, while the quality of the picture below is terrible, this was a moment that lasted 3 seconds in the Yankee dugout after a Jesus Montero home run.

Like I said, the moment was brief, but it’s the curiosity of it all that got me.  What were they talking about?  I suggested then that Posada, the mentor, was teaching in that split second: "It wasn't Jorge Posada yelling at the young 21 year old phenom. No, no. It was an image of Jesus Montero picking up where Jorge Posada left off.  To me, this photograph symbolizes true leadership."  Read more HERE.

It’s a coincidence that Posada is filling up your screen right now, but I probably did it unconsciously.  You see, there was something that I always admired about Jorge all his years in pinstripes. Sure, I appreciated his grit and and guts, but I love his emotion.  The dude is real.  What does that mean?  It's means he puts it out there for the world to see, and shows us how the game needs to be played.  He shows everyone the raw emotion of victory…

Or defeat…

(Read WHY REAL MEN CRY)

It’s there for us all to see.  He’s not afraid to cry.  He’s not afraid to get in an opponents face… especially if it’s warranted.

After all, there are 24 guys out there that are his brothers… and being a catcher who calls the game, he’s the most knowledgeable one on the field. Logically, he’s the team leader, even if there isn't an official "C" on his chest. ( I find that "C" silly anyway.)

The fact is, Jorge Posada is real.  They both are. Laura took an amazing photograph of her man and a fan, not because she just wanted to Tweet something to the fans... No. She took that picture of that young, innocent boy getting an autograph from his hero because it was real, sweet, adorable… and it’s baseball.

The connection still exists… even if it’s brief, she captured it.  In this world of autograph signings, big business and arranged appearances… something real happened here… true baseball.  Yup, it is alive and well.

Love that picture Laura.

Hey Jorge… keep grinding.

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