Sun photographer Gene Sweeney Jr. says farewell after 30 years

75 photos

As my time at The Baltimore Sun comes to a close, I was asked to encapsulate the 30 years (half my life) in a few paragraphs – which is impossible. If added together, I’ve spent years at a variety of stadiums, arenas and gyms around the country, with an up-close view of sports history. I’ve covered World Series, Super Bowls, Final Fours, Stanley Cup Finals, etc., and I’ve been paid to be there — what a job! My career in Baltimore lasted longer then Cal Ripken Jr.’s, and I have thousands of photos to prove it.

My very first assignment with The Sun in 1983 was the induction of Brooks Robinson into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Twenty-seven photos were used in our two papers. Last February covering the Super Bowl, hundreds of photos were used in galleries on our websites. From film to digital cards, from newsprint to the Internet, how times have changed. Through it all, hopefully I brought a little bit of the scene back to you, our readers and now “viewers” too.

So as I head into the sunset (literally, I’m moving out west), I want to thank you, the readers, for letting me take you along for the ride. That is a journalist’s job, and I hope I have done it well. Finally, to that cute blond who I met in the first row at Memorial Stadium (yes, while I was working), thanks for hanging with me all these years as my wife. That was my best day at any stadium.

So goodbye, so long and thanks to all of you. It was one heck of a ride.