Angels Haloed
I don’t know where you were for Game 1 of the ALCS this year, but I and about 50,000 other Yankee fans were freezing as it rained up at the Stadium (happily the Bombers won 4-1). Great game, well pitched by CC Sabathia (who went a full eight innings), but still, cold as can be and me without my gloves!
Besides CC”s exceptional performance, the game will probably be remembered for Robby Cano sporting a new look - covering himself up almost completely with a head warmer-sock that leaves only only the front part of his face uncovered. Ever the opportunists, they’ve also been selling Yankees versions of the Colorado Rockies caps with the built-in down ear flaps on the MLB Shop site because of the cold weather.
It all adds up to Cano’s “Ninja” look, which I’ve immortalized here along with Sabathia corralling Vlad Guerrero. In case you cant’ tell, he’s pulling the halo down over Vlad’s arms.
I really wanted to get Cano into the cartoon, but a) I didn’t want to do a second cartoon for Game 1, and b) couldn’t think of an appropriate enough situation for him to stand alone. The problem was I drew CC and Vlad taking up most of the sheet and wanting to include Cano, I drew him separately, combining the two images in the computer (I think I’m now calling this stage post-production). I do realize that Cano’s face wasn’t fully covered, but I wanted the look and feel of a ninja mask, covering up to his nose - I suspect there is a little hole for his bubblegum.
I really wanted a true “ninja” pose for the second baseman, so in looking over a few ninja poses, I settled on the one you see. Adding the bat as a faux sword was just a flash of inspiration I had.
Sports Cartoons
Saturday, October 17, 2009
