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Remembering Bob Blum

Las Vegas 51sEvery good minor-league front office has an old-timer to act as the institutional memory, to provide continuity where change is normal and accepted. For the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), Bob Blum fit the bill.

We noted that Blum passed away last week, at the age of 91. He worked for the 51s — the Las Vegas Stars at the beginning of his tenure — for almost 30 years, and was the team’s broadcaster from 1985 to 2005 and 2008 to 2010. He’d seen and broadcast everything: NFL, Winter Olympics, pro baseball, etc. But the human touch was where his stood out. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s John L. Smith: 

For those lucky enough to know him, Blum was like a favorite uncle. You might not see him every day, but whenever you did, he came with a bounty of stories and gifts. When he learned Amelia collected baseballs, Bob made a point of rummaging through his supply and tapping some of the many big-league friends he had made in his long career as a broadcaster and publicity man.

When word circulated through the sporting community that Bob had died, it seemed nearly everyone had a story of the kind-hearted “Bloomer ,” who was quick with a quip or to share a fact or “possible feature” with any reporter willing to listen. More than one generation of newspaper and television scribes benefited from Bob’s generosity and experienced perspective.

RELATED STORIES: In memoriam: Bob Blum

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