Surprise, surprise.
Due to some sly, last-minute trickery, the column you’re about
to read never came across the computer screen of Scott Forstner as
he was laying out the Dispatch for the final time last night.
Surprise, surprise.
Due to some sly, last-minute trickery, the column you’re about to read never came across the computer screen of Scott Forstner as he was laying out the Dispatch for the final time last night.
See, Scott is trying to not make a big deal about his move to the Santa Maria (Calif.) Times, and he might have been hesitant to let it go to print.
Try as he might, though, it is a big deal. It’s a big deal because if you’ve been involved in any way with sports over the last few years – playing, coaching or even cheering from afar – you almost certainly know Scotty.
And if you’ve got a pulse, you almost certainly love the guy, New Yawk-accent and all.
That’s why my sarcasm can wait a week. So can football talk and everything else. This column belongs to the guy who has meant so much to so many people in this community.
Just how much has he meant?
I’ll just let the experts tell you …
Armando Padilla, Gilroy High boys’ soccer coach:
“Scott’s been wonderful. He pretty much introduced our program to the Gilroy community. Prior to him, it was basically an occasional score or something. But Scott came out to our practices and talked to the coaches AND the players. The kids were able to express themselves more and they really liked him – read his articles all the time. And because of the very extensive, thorough, wonderful coverage, people would come up to me all the time around town and wish our team good luck. He made soccer a bigger sport, and in that sense, it was just awesome. So good luck, Scott. We’re going to miss you, man.”
Ron Hannon, Gavilan College athletic director:
“With mixed emotions and on behalf of Gavilan College athletics, I would like to wish Scott Forstner the best of luck in his new endeavors down in Santa Maria. The newspaper down south is receiving a dedicated reporter that really does a great job in reporting accurate information.
Over the past three years since I’ve been here at Gavilan College, Scott has done everything he could to support and promote our programs. Consistently, he could be seen at a variety of men’s and women’s contests, interviewing coaches and student-athletes. His interest in what he was reporting was evident in each story he wrote. The best way to describe his articles can be summed up in two words: fair and honest. I have found Scott to always be interested in reporting the news fairly and accurately. For this, I appreciate his professionalism.
Scott, we wish you all the best down there. Keep the pencil sharp my friend … GO RAMS!”
Gilroy boxer Kelsey Jeffries and her manager, Bruce Anderson:
“Kelsey and I will be very sorry to see Scott leave. He is a true professional. Scott writes with a style and grace that is rarely seen in the coverage of sports. His finished product reflects the essence of journalism – he gets it right!
We wish him happiness and success in his new position.”
Don DeLorenzo, PGA-certified instructor and head pro at Gilroy Golf Course:
“Scott was dedicated to bringing out the “hometown” in our hometown newspaper. I can remember him running from a GHS volleyball game to a GHS baseball game with a soccer game later that night – and always doing it with a smile on his face. I personally want to thank him for the coverage he gave to the GHS softball team, my daughter Bria and all the other outstanding athletes at Gilroy High whom he made into household names during their respective seasons. Just go to any other community and you can see that no one else gets the attention that Scott gave to his hometown high school heroes.
I especially appreciate the way he covered junior golf during the summer months. Full page spreads as if it were the Masters were common place and kids would huddle around the Dispatch to see their name and pictures. The junior golfers would always be so excited when he would show up to a tournament. Though I could never really teach the guy how to play golf like a pro – I guess he never read my tips column – he certainly covered the sport like one.
Best of luck, Scott. Gilroy will certainly miss you. And don’t forget to train your replacement that the best seat at any sporting event is next to Alice Sakahara, the walking historian of GHS sports.”
Alice Sakahara, retired Gilroy High secretary and walking historian of GHS sports:
“I’m sorry to hear that you’re leaving Gilroy, but here’s wishing you, (wife) Tara and your new son good luck in Santa Maria.
I’m going to miss bugging you at the various high school games. It won’t be the same without you. And I’ll always remember your column about your trip to Yosemite.
Good luck in your new endeavor, Scott.”
James Mohs, friend and Dispatch chief photographer:
“My boss came to me four years ago and said, ‘I’ve hired a new sports editor. He’s from New York … I think we’ve got a good one. Be nice to him.’
Wonderful, another new guy to break in, I thought. But Mark Derry was right. Scott Forstner is by far the most talented sports writer/editor I have ever had the pleasure to work with. And to add to that, a great friend. We’ve laughed and cried (well he cried when the Yankees recently lost 22-0) together and shared some pretty good times.
I will miss you, my friend. Best of luck to you and the family in your adventures. I’m sure we will cross paths again. And when that happens, you’re buying.”
Jim Johnson, Morgan Hill Times sports editor:
“For the last several years, Scott Forstner’s name has been inextricably entwined with Gilroy’s fine sports tradition through his great writing and reporting at The Dispatch. If you’re anyone in the Gilroy sports world, you knew Scott. And, it wasn’t just his clipped New Yawk accent, his devotion to the Yankees and his straightforward manner that identified him. It was his total devotion to culling the best and most interesting sports stories the community had to offer. Scott devoted just as much time to the local youth sports teams as he did to covering professional sports and defined Gilroy sports to the best of his considerable writing talents.
So if anyone asks you where you’re from and you say Gilroy, they’re probably going to ask you if that’s Jeff Garcia’s hometown. Tell them yes. Then tell them that, for a short time, Scott Forstner lived in Gilroy, too.
See you later, Scott. It won’t be easy finding someone to replace you.”
Adam Gemar, who has coached the Gilroy field hockey team with his wife, Erin, for the past seven years:
“I don’t even remember the sports editor before Scott. In our first years of coaching, the last thing my wife and I were even thinking about was getting coverage in the paper. Then Scott steps in and takes it upon himself to learn the rules of a sport that’s not that popular. That meant a lot to the players, to the parents and to us as coaches. I just think he did a terrific job. I know for a fact that many of the teams around the area look at the Dispatch online for coverage. Great teams like Los Gatos come in here and tell us, ‘man, I wish we got covered like that in our town.’
Well, here in little Gilroy we got plenty of attention. So on behalf of all the players, coaches and parents of GHS athletics, I just wanted to say we really, really appreciated it, Scott. Job well done, my friend.”
