Steve McPherson, who sold baseball dreams as the owner of the summer-collegiate SLO Blues and Lodi GrapeSox, was arrested and jailed for writing bad checks associated with the Blues — but his tale is a cautionary one for communities looking for baseball.
When Steve McPherson — going by the name of Stevie Mac — came to California with the dream of launching a summer-collegiate league on the level of the successful Northwoods League, he sold local residents on the notion to the point where they were investing in his SLO Blues and Lodi GrapeSox teams.
But McPherson’s vision collapsed after he was arrested and jailed for writing bad checks associated with the Blues. He’s left a trail of bad debts in his wake: he never actually paid the previous owner for the Blues, he still owes the city $11,000 in back rent, and he even screwed over teenagers working at Blues games.
The irony, of course, is that a little due dilligence would have helped the locals avoid these issues: McPherson had spent time in jail in the past for writing bad checks, a record easily found on Google. But it’s been no secret over the years that the folks in Lodi and San Luis Obispo were eager for baseball, and McPherson was eager to provide what they want.
McPherson’s full story is told in this excellent SLO Tribune article.
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