The SLO Blues: A bit of history and a lot of love

Baseball is a timeless game. We watch the ritual of the match from the stands and know it is essentially the same as during the time of Babe Ruth. The batter ambles over from the warmup circle to the batter’s box, shuffles his feet, finding just the right grip with his cleats.

Next come the mandatory easy swings of the bat as he eases into his stance, locking the knees and shoulders, tensing the back muscles — waiting.

And then the pitch.

I’ve been going to SLO Blues baseball games since we moved to town in 1953. Back then the club played visiting teams at the field behind Mission High School and I remember chasing down foul balls that popped out onto Palm Street, pushing and shoving fellow hunters as we sought out the prize.

It was a special treat to hear one of those high pop ups as it landed on someone’s car. You could hear the crowd groan as one voice when we heard the crash. “Man, I hope that’s not our car.”

Starting out in 1946, the Blues have traveled an uneven road to 2021 having gone belly up more than once. Many tried to resurrect the team but none had the time or luck to bring it back to life ‘til Tim Golden dreamed the impossible in 1994.

Golden revived our civic treasure by luck and gumption and put the pieces back together with substantial help from the community.

I played my small part back then working the BBQ pits and serving up tri-tip sandwiches while being paid with free food and copious beer. My cousin, John Anderson, brought his band and entertained the crowd between innings, also remunerated as I was, as most of the ‘hired’ help was. A good time was had by all.

Tim passed the Blues on to the current owner, the Stowe family, in 2016 and it has endured under the guidance of son Adam till COVID put a stop to life as we know it. The league came back last year and a new season of baseball has begun.

Hometown baseball attracts me as nothing else does. For one, it is the most patriotic of events. Every game begins with the singing of our national anthem, and no, I’ve never seen a player at the local stadium take a knee. The seventh inning stretch has us all join in, as a choir in a church, singing “Take me out to the ballgame…” Few rituals bring a crowd closer together than raising our voices in song when young and old greet each other in chorus, with smiles as broad as the heart can endure.

Unlike a major league baseball game, every seat at Sinsheimer Stadium in SLO has an unobstructed view of the plate and you can sit close enough to yell at the ump and know he’ll hear you. It’s a lot cheaper, too, yet the level of play is, to my biased eye, as good as the majors. Take that Dodger fans in your $200 bleachers.

At Sinsheimer Stadium there are lots of seats for those who like being up close but my buddies and I usually bring our own chairs so we can sit on the grass and spread out a bit. Packs of kids still roam the grounds, seemingly free yet where parents can keep an eye on them. There is no better family and community event than a day in the sun at a Blues game.

I played baseball for decades, so my connection is no doubt stronger than most. Yet, every game I go to during the Blues’ brief summer season, I find new folks who discover this treasure hidden in plain sight.

So, bring the kids and lots of sunscreen and be prepared to join me in this quintessential American tradition. Games start today and, be forewarned, the season is short.

I can’t wait to hear the ump shout it out: “Play ball.”

Contributing columnist Gordon Mullin is a SLO High grad and has a degree in economics from the University of British Columbia. Among the 40 or so jobs he’s held in his life — including banker, carpenter, investment planner — he says taxi driver best fits his character.

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 10:38 AM.