Say Hello to Erick Smith

Alright, since high school and college sports are officially over for the summer, it's time for some summer cleaning.

Starting next fall, not only will this blog be getting a new look — a WordPress.org makeover — but your author is changing as well.

The tentative plan (plans are always tentative in the newspaper business) is for staff writer Erick Smith to take over the high school duties in the fall.

That's him up at the top of this post. Doesn't working with me look like such a blast?

I'm preparing to try and fill Brian Milne's shoes on the college beat come football season.

In my two plus years so far in SLO County, one of my favorite parts of the job has been watching this blog grow.

I appreciate every reader out there who takes the time to visit and post comments. Our interaction has made The Tribune's sports coverage much stronger and has really helped me do a better job.

I don't plan on stepping completely away from high school sports, and I'll help Erick out where I can, but I'm also looking forward to the different challenge of covering Cal Poly and Cuesta athletics.

I lay this gauntlet out for Central Coast prep sports fans: This blog had better not wane.

We've gone through some slow times, but the spirited debates, the comments, the polls and the general traffic have all opened up some eyes in The Tribune newsroom. High school sports has a fervent following, and I expect it to continue to show.

Check back for the new web addresses of both sports blogs in the future. And thanks for the time.

Leftovers from the year in sports

Since I'm going to be shifting over to another blog on another beat, I thought I'd empty my cache on this one.

The past year has brought some great behind the scenes sights and sounds. Here are a couple I didn't share from San Luis Obispo High.

Here's Tigers boys tennis singles player Charlie Fox's team picture. That team had a lot of seniors a lot of success and — as you can see — a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see how they do next year.



Going all the way back to football season, here's a shot of linebacker Nate Egan and his smashed up nose. I remember writing about it in a story, but the photo was kept hidden... until now!



And here is a pretty cool music video, my last on the prep beat, from behind the scenes at the Baseball/Softball Players of the Year photoshoot at Paso Robles High. Michelle Moses, John Brehm and photographer Joe Johnson star.

Paso Players of the Year: Photo Shoot


Apologies to John for the lyrics. It's the only photo shoot song I know. For those interested, the artist is Embassy Music Board and the song is aptly titled Pose. You can download it for free HERE.