Chuck Solomon on baseball cards

Chuck Solomon is one of the country's leading sports photographers. His photos have made the cover of Sports Illustrated more than 40 times, and his famous photo of Kirk Gibson and Pat Borders colliding at home plate was named of of SI's 100 Greatest Sports Photos. Early in his career he worked as a photographer for Topps. He kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"A few anecdotes during spring training:

I remember having to shoot Darrell Evans who wore glasses while playing but wanted to have his pictures taken without glasses. He put them on the ground as I was posing him and turning him around for better light… I stepped on them and broke them. I felt terrible and thought he was going to yell at me..He couldn’t have been nicer about it and said not to worry about it.

(I am guessing it is this card. - BR)

When Mark Fidrych was trying to hang on and in camp for the Red Sox I had to shoot some posed action of him… Always the prankster he went through his delivery and windup left handed… I knew he was right handed but let him go through his delivery left handed…. Upon the conclusion and as he was getting ready to walk back to the clubhouse, I said "Mark, that was good; now let’s do it again the right way.”… He was fine and we did it again.

One of my first spring trainings… I always got to the camp early and tried to get players out of the clubhouse before workouts actually began… I was sitting outside the Red Sox clubhouse in Winter Haven and some guy sits next to me with sunglasses wearing a windbreaker… He starts talking cameras and film to me and knew photography very well. I suddenly realize it was Ted Williams…. Could not have been nicer. Had to photograph him several times after that for Sports Illustrated. Always a gentleman.

Pain in the ass department and all time jerk list…. Tim Foli, Steve Carlton and Ron Reed"

Thanks!