Say cheese…*yawn*

        MESA, Ariz.–It was still dark this morning when staff photographer Steve Green and I made our way to Fitch Park. Though it was 5:30 a.m., to me it was more like 7:30 in Chicago. I felt pretty good. After a short stop at Starbucks, we arrived at the Cubs’ minor-league facility.

Things were still soggy after it rained virtually all day on Sunday. I never have seen so much rain in Arizona, but by the afternoon, most of it had dried up.

Photo Day is when teams take care of photos for MLB security IDs, standard headshots that other teams use on their jumbotrons.

 Also on hand to shoot the players were Topps trading cards, Getty photo services and the Associated Press.

Three stations crammed into a room that usually serves as the coaches’ meeting room. We move all of the tables and chairs to make room.

Xavier Nady, a newcomer to the Cubs, asked “Are these the headshots used on the jumbotron?”

He was worried about how his face looked on a big screen after inspecting one headshot on the photographer’s digital camera.

But when he was reminded that Wrigley Field does not have a jumbotron, he retorted, “Hey, that’s right. Well, in that case, I guess that’s OK.”

In his first big-league camp, rookie Starlin Castro was quiet, but did everything Steve asked.

We were doing a special shoot for our April issue of Vine Line, which will feature our 2010 season preview. He’s a good-looking athlete and certainly has merited all the hype he’s attracted.

Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg takes over our Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. Always accommodating, “Ryno” is a veteran of these photo days, and knew exactly what to do.

No Geovany Soto, he was sent home with a 102-degree fever. Ouch.

–Michael Huang 

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