Foresters bring baseball downtown for Fourth

By COLBY FRAZIER — July 3, 2009

The Santa Barbara Foresters semi-pro baseball team will bring the crack of a wooden bat to downtown Santa Barbara tomorrow when they square off against the San Jose Seals in their annual Fourth of July game at Pershing Park.

Foresters Head Coach Bill Pintard said the usual amenities will be available, including a beer garden and other refreshments. The game generally draws a crowd in the thousands and in Pintard’s opinion, offers an all-too rare glimpse of how nice it would be to have baseball downtown.

Past discussions about building an enclosed baseball stadium at Pershing Park, similar to the one the Foresters use at UC Santa Barbara, have bogged down, despite enduring promises from Pintard that donors remain more than willing to pick up the tab.

In order for a permanent baseball stadium to be built there, the adjoining softball fields would have to be relocated, a controversial proposition in some circles.

“We would love to play down there, it’s a lot easier for people to get to, it’s right in the heart of Santa Barbara,” Pintard said.

Stadium issues aside, the Foresters, who were 16-6 after beating the Conejo Oaks 5-0 yesterday, will bring their intense style of play to town.

Pintard promised an exciting game that will likely be led by Foresters’ ace, AJ Griffin, who so far has been pitching virtually perfect baseball. Griffin is 3-0 with a 0.00 earned run average. He’s allowed only seven hits and has struck out 17 batters while walking just two.

“We’ll put on a good show,” Pintard said.

The game starts at 4:30 p.m.

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Where's the controversy? : 7/3/2009

There's plenty of softball fields around Santa Barbara, soccer fields too. Yet there is NO baseball fields! It is a no brainer! Oh, but thank God we have a skateboard park. Nice.

SB Baseball Fan

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Yeah right... : 7/3/2009

The City is cutting back on vital services, yet by gawd, lets spend big tax payer money to fund a baseball field... for 2.5 months of Forester's baseball with a dozen or so home games...NOT!

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