September 2013, summer ends, boys of summer out, Leafs rise.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Rose and Amin Ghaemi hang upside down on the apex of the Bonsai ride  during the final weekend of the Canadian National Exhibition.

Tribute to the fans that rode the Toronto Blue Jays roller coaster of a season.

Remember Opening Day, so much promise,

 

DAVID COOPER - Captain Blue Jays - aka - Warren Baxter of Oakville gets ready for the game as  the Toronto Blue Jays play their home opener against the Cleveland Indians.

Riveria helps Yankees dump the Blue Jays 4-3

Steve Russell - @RussellPhotos with Richard Lautens, @rlautens & Carlos Osorio, @carlososorio - Staff Photographers

 

The layars edition of the Toronto Star allowed us to cover a baseball game in a manner that is usually reserved for covering a sporting play-off game.

We sat in the two photo dug-outs, at first and third, and placed another photographer up high.

While we hoped to capture an exciting play for the Layars project, the photo gods and baseball gods failed to align for us. 

 

STEVE RUSSELL - New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera warms up before the game.

A look back at August in photos

 

We begin with a look back at Jack...

RANDY RISLING - Olivia Chow works on the Jack Layton Memorial sculpture titled "Jack's Got Your Back" at MST Bronze in Etobicoke. The sculpture was unveiled on the second anniversary of Jack's death, August 22 at the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal. Olivia holds a Fine Arts degree and is a trained sculptor. 

Toronto Blue Jays games 99 &100, it was like Déjà Jay, er, vu.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

"It's like déjà vu all over again."

                                        -Yogi Berra

If you missed the Blue Jays 99th game of the season, you need not have worried, the Jays offered up a rerun for game 100.

The two games were almost identical, the Los Angels Dodgers jump out to am early lead, Jays come back, Dodgers come back and win.

If the fans on that emotional roller coaster that ends with a puch to the solar plexus noticed it, photographers notice it too.

But we have the added stress that game story is being re-written by the half inning in a game that is well into its fourth hour.

The pressure to file is tempered by the fact that we fear being stuck under the stands missing a pivotal play.

Here are the two games in photos,

Déjà vu - Brett Lawrie's pregame stretch

Blue Jays game 99

Blue Jays game 100

 

Our Best of June, Super Moon, Rob Ford, Blue Jays, MMVA, etc.

 

RANDY RISLING -  Cyclists get a rare opportunity to ride traffic-free along the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway for the Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart. June 2, 2013.

 

Our Favourites from May 2013: Jays, Leafs, Ford

 

RICK MADONIK - Mick Jagger, of The Rolling Stones, on tour in their 50th year of playing as a band. More on the Rolling Stones!

 

Our April, Trudeau wins, Leafs playoff bound and Jays are back, kind of...

 

DAVID COOPER - Justin Trudeau walks into the federal Liberal showcase at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

 

John Farrell and the Red Sox spoil the Boo Birds' party

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

 

The list of athletes that have asked out of Toronto teams is a long one.

The return of athletes like Chris Bosh, A.J. Burnett, Vince Carter to Toronto, on the other side of the Ice/floor/court/diamond brings out the boo birds in force.

The return of John Farrell is the first ime I have seen the boo birds for a former manager.

Sure we have seen some coaches and managers that the fans don't like get booed, but how rare is for a manager to demand a trade for his "dream job"?

Former Jays manager John Farrell talks to media before the game.

 

The 2013 Toronto Blue Jays drop their home opener.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion relaxes before batting practice as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Cleveland Indians to kick off the 2013 MLB season at Rogers Centre.