A MOMENT CAPTURED

Sam Morris, Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, Dec. 3, 2006 | 7:42 a.m.

Going in harm's way

As the lights dim, music swells and the crowd's anticipation builds for the most intense event of the evening, bullfighter Joe Baumgartner buries his head into the brim of his hat and says a silent prayer.

While most people would be more comfortable on the outside of the fence rather then penned in with 2,000 very aggressive bovine pounds, Baumgartner feels the opposite.

"I don't really have any fears when I'm out there, but when you're standing outside the arena you get a lot of stuff goin' through your head. You get a lot of nerves."

The bullfighter - do not call them rodeo clowns - has arguably the most dangerous job in the sport. His primary job is to protect the bull rider from the bull that just rid itself of the pesky cowboy, often by putting himself between the bull and rider.

What most people would consider suicide by sirloin, the 2005 PRCA Bullfighter of the Year does it because of his passion. "I do it for the love of it, the adrenaline rush. I've still got the same rush as the very first time I ever walked out there."

Having the reckless abandon of a 16-year-old seems to fit the bill for a bullfighter. It is that adrenaline that has kept him in the ring for, as the 40-year-old says with a pause and a smile, "a long time."

And it is his skill that will keep him there, as he is participating in his 15th NFR, an honor voted on by the riders, for whom he puts his own life on the line.

SAM.MORRIS@lasvegassun.com