Indy Origins: Jim Buckley Brought Sports to the ‘Independent’

When you start a newspaper, you figure you’ll hit the usual high points. News, of course, local and some national. Entertainment. City Council reports. Business. Some lifestyle stuff. And sports! You gotta have sports! 

Well, until 1993, there was no sports department at the still-pretty-new Independent. Then I showed up.

My wife, Patty Kelley, had been smart and lucky enough to get a job as a designer at a travel magazine (since passed on) called Islands. So we left New York City and headed to Paradise. 

At the time, I was an editor at Sports Illustrated, but we knew that the Left Coast would probably be a better place for our eventual family. And I figured I could pick up freelance writing stuff. That was possible in 1993. Sigh.

Folks I knew in NYC told me that when I landed, I had to get in touch with Marianne Partridge. She had been a big cheese in the Big Apple, running the Village Voice and Rolling Stone at various times. And she, of course, was the founding editor of the lovely local weekly that you’re reading right now. 

I happily met with her and asked about how I could help with sports coverage. Well, there was none, apparently. So without much further ado, I became the first sports editor in the history of this award-winning publication. (Given the pay level, I was glad that there was indeed other freelance work to be had out there.) 

I created a column called Buckley’s Beat that was a mix of opinion and story, and also wrote weekly articles about the many and varied sports teams and people in town. We printed softball league standings and covered Little Leagues. We wrote about high school and college sports and hit Semana Nautica hard. I was a regular at the Athletic Round Table. 

I quickly discovered that sports in Santa Barbara was (and is) like the Balkans: a mix of hyperfocused enclaves interested in their own worlds . . . and ignorant or scornful of most others. As with many things S.B., real estate and money were big reasons. There was only so much playing space and the competition (which still goes on) for the various areas required to play soccer, softball, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, golf, etc., etc., solidified the Balkanization.

Still, within each of the various sports communities, I found eager, excited, enthusiastic participants and fans. If all politics is local, then sports is even more local than that. It was a treat to be introduced to these disparate worlds and I loved telling all of their stories. 

One of them was a cover story I did in 1994 about the then-three-year-old Santa Barbara Foresters summer baseball team. It was one of, if not the, first sports cover in the Indy (someone can check me on that—there was probably a surfing one at some point!). The Foresters story told the history of the team dating back to the 1950s and brought it up to the future with Bob Townsend, who had re-founded the team, and Bill Pintard, who took over as manager in 1995.

As a newbie to S.B., my work with the Indy gave me entry into many areas that remain big parts of my life these many years since. So this is not so much about how I had a small impact on the Indy, but how the Indy had a big impact on me.

Just as Marianne gave me a place in the Independent family, that ’94 cover story led to Bill giving me another with the ’Sters. Every summer since, I’ve tried to help out in any way I can. Along with the many friends I’ve made through the team, I’ve enjoyed showing off the 11 national championship rings (the most recent earned August 1!) that Bill’s teams have won. 

Also while on Buckley’s Beat, I joined an adult men’s soccer league after I had written about it — and I only retired from playing about 18 months ago. (Goalies do not do very well at 62, it turns out.) But the Renegades remain another one of my Santa Barbara families. 

Sometime in 1995, I left my column behind to get a job that paid slightly better, with a little outfit called the National Football League. But I’ve continued to chime in to the Indy many times over the years whenever called upon. John Zant slipped into the sports editor chair after the News-Press debacle; their loss was very much our gain and he solidified the Indy’s weekly coverage. Now he’s emeritus, too, and the estimable Victor Bryant oversees the Indy’s ongoing sportsness. 

I’ve had a lot of fun in the Indy’s “toy department” (as snarky newspeople call the sports part of newspapers). In my career, I’ve gone on to write a couple of hundred books, edit several national sports magazines, and cover all the biggest sports events. 

But by far one of my proudest achievements was helping kick off sports at the Independent. Thanks, Marianne (and, of course, thanks to Patty for steering us to Santa Barbara!). See you on the field.

---

As the Santa Barbara Independent celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, our staff is sharing their “Indy Origin” stories and other memories. See more of them at independent.com/40.

You’re all invited to the Indy40Fest on Sat., Aug. 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, where there will be music, panels, booths, and fun for all ages, all for free!