A prince of a first baseman

It's fun to photograph a rising baseball star when he's still in the minor leagues.

When I saw Prince Fielder play in 2004, he was a 20-year-old first baseman for the Huntsville Stars of the Southern League.

It was apparent that this hefty slugger was a shoo-in for the majors. And he's proven his worth with the Milwaukee Brewers, slamming 84 home runs over the past two seasons.

I took this photo on Aug. 27, 2004, during a game Fielder played against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn.

1995 Baseball Vacation: Day 5

Looking back at a baseball vacation taken 13 years ago...

Thursday, August 10, 1995

We got up at 6 a.m. and ate the hotel's continental breakfast before beginning the five-hour drive to Milwaukee.

We arrived 30 minutes before the Brewers met Toronto in a matinee game.

The atmosphere outside County Stadium was nothing short of festive. Hundreds of people were drinking beer (imagine that in Milwaukee!) and grilling hamburgers and bratwursts.

While standing in line to buy tickets, a woman approached us and gave us a pair of tickets.

It was at least 90 degrees at game time, so we sunbaked in the bleachers.

Toronto won, 8-4.

That evening we stayed at a hotel several miles south of Milwaukee. Our lack of sleep Tuesday night and Wednesday caught up with us. We slept for more than 12 hours.

Coming tomorrow: Remembering Day 6 of the trip