The situation is fluid . . .

. . . which is simply a fancy way of saying you'll be chasing your own tail all day. My day started off heading over to cover the American baseball team play the Netherlands. Since they lost their opener to S. Korea, it was conceivable they'd be knocked out before the medal round so it was important we made a few pictures. And that's exactly what I did. The Dutch are a bad baseball team. The only thing keeping photographers and scribes interested was the fact that the US pitcher had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning. When he lost that, things went down hill. The skies opened up and I retreated to cover. Unfortunately our game was in stadium 2. Photo offices are in stadium 1. So I covered up about $25K worth of camera gear with $.03 worth of plastic garbage bags and ran to the office. While downloading my photos onto the computer, I got an "S.O.S." call about the U.S. softball team. They were down to Canada and it would be a huge story if they lost. In theory, there is a shuttle bus from the baseball venue to the softball venue. Both are quite a ways West and South of the main Olympic complex. I check and the shuttle bus didn't leave baseball until 3:05pm. I look at my watch and it reads 1:20pm. I make some calculation in my head. If I wait for the 3:05 shuttle, it'll get me to softball at 3:30. Who knows what the game situation will be at that point. If I take a cab, I'll have to walk outside of the security gate at baseball to hail a cab and then be dropped off outside the softball venue . . . then I would have to hoof it through security. In the rain. Carrying gear protect only by garbage bags. No thanks. So I hop on the bus back to the MPC. This is 35 minutes in the opposite direction of softball. Back at the MPC, I get on the direct bus to softball and fall asleep. I wake up as we pull into the venue and the rain is coming down in buckets. I scurry into the photo office and look at my watch. It's 3:05pm. Just as I set my gear down, another photographer who was at baseball with me (and probably got the same "S.O.S." about the U.S. softball team) trudged in. He had taken a cab and had to deal with all the crap I listed above. He looks like a cat pulled out of a storm drain. I ask what that game situation is and am told U.S. still behind 1-0 in the 4th inning. Ironically, the U.S. pitcher has a no-hitter. The lone Canadian tally is the result of an error and is an unearned run. As all the photographers sit tight and try to look busy in front of our computers, the volunteers - all young women - take pity on us and offer us cup-o-noodle. Unfortunately, the hot water is in a different building. Across the parking lot. Through the rain. Some people brave the rain to fill up their cups. I don't. Then we are offered cookies. I raise my hand. Then coffee. I yell out in bad Chinese, "I'll take one." Then the hard sell comes in. Pizza available, but at a cost of 15 RMB. No takers. We photographers are cheap bunch. Just as we start munching our goodies, the word comes down that the game has been postponed. The game will be finished after the U.S. plays Japan today. I guzzle the remaining coffee in my cup and pack up to return to the MPC. Once back, I have to plan what I will shoot in the evening. Options are fencing, judo, basketball and baseball. I choose fencing because in involves no bus, only a 5 minute walk. I have no idea what the rotation is for the team event, nor to I know how many points it takes to win. But at least the light is good. And the fencers reactions make for good photos. They fist-pump and celebrate after every touch (that's what it's called when you poke your opponent) more than Chad Johnson dances in the end zone. Kind of silly if you ask me. Well, our women win bronze which is bittersweet as the three U.S. women swept the medals in individual competition. With the bronze secured, the Chinese and Ukrainians were set to battle for gold with the loser earning silver. I had had enough of the poking, fist-pumping and posturing so I bolted and hopped a bus (yes I am a glutton for punishment) to basketball. But not before making a cheeseburger run as a favor for a fellow photographer shooting his umpteenth game. Hamburgers were NOT ready and the 3 minute wait caused me to miss the 7:30pm bus. So I had to wait for the 8pm. I rolled into basketball at the half. Not much of a game as the U.S. was handling Greece with ease. With burgers delivered, my work at basketball was done. I didn't want to sit through another half of ugly, uncompetitive basketball. So I headed back to where my day started; baseball. One volunteer told me I had to walk there (about 500 meters). I didn't like her answer so I asked another volunteer. She barked into her walkie talkie and along came a golf cart to shuttle me to baseball. This time I was in stadium 1. Taiwan vs. Japan. Taiwan took an early 1-0 lead but immediately gave it back and then fell behind 2-1. No fun. Plus the photographers' positions sucked. We were up between home plate and the on deck circle on the third base side. Behind protective netting. Ugh. After the Taiwanese fell behind, I decided to pack it in for the day. My watch read 10pm and I was beat. I hop on an over-crowded bus and have to stand holding my 40 lbs of gear. Appropriate end to a fluid day.