His white scalp, usually concealed beneath a mop of brown hair or a navy blue baseball cap, was out in the open for everyone to see. A couple of players could be heard heckling the coach. Pintard, ever the salty skipper, didn’t mind.
“I went to the hospital last night to visit Wyatt,” Pintard explained.
Wyatt Taylor is an eight-year-old student at Brandon Elementary School in Goleta who was diagnosed in March with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
A Foresters fan for years, Wyatt has been undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatments, and his father, Michael, said things are looking up.
Wyatt is one of two local children battling cancer whose initials are emblazoned on the back of every Santa Barbara Foresters baseball cap, and today is Wyatt Taylor day at the stadium, meaning all ticket and concession proceeds will be donated to his cause, as will a 50-50 raffle.
Each summer the Foresters take over the baseball field at UC Santa Barbara intent on winning games and playing tough baseball. But through its charitable arm, Hugs for Cubs, the Foresters dedicate a significant chunk of time to help children battle cancer.
Players and coaches visit children at local hospitals; they take several children on a surfing trip (scheduled for this Saturday); and this Monday, about 15 children will take a trip to an Anaheim Angels game.
Historically, Pintard said one child is selected to have his or her initials on the back of the baseball caps.
But this year, there are two.
Just before Wyatt was diagnosed, Pintard said dedicated Foresters fan Trent Gerke, also of Goleta, was diagnosed with leukemia.
Gerke has snagged so many foul balls at Forester’s games over the years that Pintard said he’s known as “Foul Ball Trent.”
“We went, ‘you know what, what’s the harm in putting two of them on there?’” Pintard said of the hats.
Pintard co-founded Hugs for Cubs with his son, Eric Pintard, in 1994. The younger Pintard, a promising baseball player who played college ball at San Francisco State University, was battling brain cancer at the time.
That year, Pintard said the initials EP, next to the number 19, were on the back of the baseball caps.
But the next year, Pintard said his son told him to find another person’s initials to use, because he was going to beat the disease.
“It grew from there,” Pintard said.
And it’s still growing.
Pintard said the Hugs for Cubs program has spread to other baseball teams, including San Francisco State, and UCLA. He said other programs are considering adopting it, a trend that pleases the coach.
“These kids haven’t done anything to get [cancer],” Pintard said. “It’s just in the cards and people just need to be aware about it …”
While there’s little doubt Hugs for Cubs helps children cope with the fight against cancer, the Foresters are a classic example of how charitable work has the potential to benefit the giver as much as the receiver.
“We’re a community team,” Pintard said. “We’ve got to give back to our community. Our guys love doing it, it makes our players better people.”
Come Monday, when Pintard and the pack of children, their parents and players take the trip to Anaheim, one of the people the children will get to meet is Ryan Spilborghs, a former Forester who plays outfield for the Colorado Rockies.
The Hugs for Cubs piece of playing for the Foresters had such an impact on Spilborghs, that he, and at least one other Major League player, wears No. 19 in honor of Eric Pintard, who passed away in 2004.
Eric Pintard’s number lives on in other ways as well.
In between the initials WT and TG on the back of each baseball cap, is the number 19. Every player wears it. And in between the crack of a wooden bat, the silence as a pitcher winds up, and the cheers when the home team scores, it’s difficult to escape the feeling that something bigger than baseball is happening at Forester’s games.
You’ll see it when Pintard, a steely grin on his face, trots out to the pitchers’ mound for a chat: No. 19.
“I wear it [now],” Pintard said of his late son’s number. “I wear it because he’s got my back.”
The game starts at 5 p.m. Caesar Uyesaka Stadium is located near Harder Stadium at UC Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $5 and Wyatt is throwing out the first pitch.