Thrilled to be your new sports editor in this vibrant — and beautiful — sports town

When you arrive someplace new and unexpected, there’s always a certain amount of observing one does — call it the natural instinct to come to terms with your surroundings.

For the past two weeks as a new arrival — more on that later — I’ve been obsessed with doing just that. Can’t help it, this place, California’s Central Coast, is a mixture of a Beach Boy song and a panorama scenic shot from an episode of Lost.

You know it all too well; you live here, many of you for quite a long time as I’m finding out. Apparently you just don’t leave these parts. So you don’t need me telling you all this, but bear with me, there’s a point.

Let me just say for the record, the dichotomy of beauty between the sweeping Santa Lucia range and some of the most breathtaking beaches in the world — some of it separated by little more than a 15-minute drive — is just plain overwhelming.

It’s what defines this area, I’m finding out in my observations.

So with that mind, I’m walking up to Baggett Stadium on Friday night, Cal Poly already on the field against Fullerton, and I’m inundated by it. Bishop Peak, hooded in clouds from the recent rain, provides the backdrop to about as dramatic a setting you can ask for to take in an evening of baseball.

Then you start talking to people, and it sinks in.

Eric Burdick, communications director for Cal Poly athletics and former longtime sports editor of this newspaper actually, has been here for years. He rattles off a handful of longtime fans who sit along the front row for most baseball games.

It rained Friday, so many stayed away; why not, I figure, there’ll be plenty more sun-drenched evenings at the ballpark.

C.J. Silas, who hosts a sports talk show on 1280 AM, says immediately upon hearing I’ve just moved here: “You’ll never wanna leave.”

A former Poly baseball coach from long ago still lives around these parts and is at most games.

What I’m getting at here is that last week marked the beginning of my time here. I’m The Tribune’s new sports editor, and I couldn’t be more thrilled, with these past few days of taking it all in only cementing the sentiment that was first seeded as I looked out the window of my airplane when I first visited to interview for the job.

Now, a little bit about me.

I’m from Oregon, grew up outside of Portland, went to the University of Oregon journalism school and most recently worked for MLSsoccer.com as a contributing editor and beat writer for the Portland Timbers. My swan song was covering the Timbers’ MLS Cup championship last winter, a true highlight of my career, so I was able to ride off into the sunset to a new opportunity, so to speak.

And while digital has been my professional home for the past few years, my heart lies with newspapers — always has. And I’ve worked for some good ones, starting my career in Oregon’s capitol covering sports for the Statesman Journal.

In the years since, it seems like I’ve done it all, covering high school sports, big-time college programs, professional teams, etc. I’ve covered crime, politics in Washington D.C. in one of my few forays outside of my home state and local news as the editor of a small weekly.

So I bring a dichotomy of my own, having laid a foundation in print before figuring out how to make news work on a digital platform with the nation’s No. 1 soccer website.

What brings me to San Luis Obispo, of all places, you might ask? Well, aside from its stunning beauty, it was an opportunity too good to pass up, a chance to put out a paper again, which will always get my blood pumping, while helping to build The Tribune’s digital efforts.

So you may start to notice some changes. As many readers know, we have new, early deadlines, forcing us to rethink how we present news in print and online. On the website, you’ll always find traditional news as it happens, game reports, box scores, standings. There’s everything from the fishing report, high school sports to all the coverage from the number of pro sports you care about from the broader California market.

In print, you’ll find stories that we’re sure will grab you, compelling local coverage from the two reporters you’ve already come to know, Lucas Clark and Travis Gibson — two passionate and ambitious young journalists, great writers whose desire lies with making an impact on the local sports scene. Traditional readers will find a new product, but one we hope you give a chance. For newer readers, we feel both products fill a need in how you consume news.

But let me get back to the mountains and ocean and what I feel makes this area an amazing sports town despite the absence of the traditional national scene. You’ve got a solid, mid-major program in Poly. I can already see you’re passionate about prep sports, community and our youth. But what this area has that not many others do is a love for non-traditional activities, hiking, fishing, fitness, cycling, surfing — the list goes on. For me personally, I’m fixing to pick up a new surfing habit and excited to wet a few lines along the coast.

All of it, with this amazing backdrop, is what keeps you here.

We’re going to bring it all to you, whether you pick up the news on your doorstep or tablet during lunch break at work. And I’m excited to lead that effort — for years to come.

Lastly, I encourage you to reach out to me at 781-7089 or ditel@thetribunenews.com, and follow me on Twitter @dan_itel and on our new Sports account @SLOTribSports.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Thrilled to be your new sports editor in this vibrant — and beautiful — sports town."