San Luis Blues to add 500-pound ox to outfield

An ox in the outfield? That's what fans at San Luis Obispo Blues baseball games will see at Sinsheimer Stadium this year.
Ultrex Business Solutions, a San Luis Obispo photocopier dealer and electronic document storage firm, built a big, blue mechanical ox with the help of the Cal Poly Robotic Club. The ox weighs about 500 pounds and is 10 feet by 12 feet, is made of plywood and will be placed on the outfield fence in time for opening day Sunday.
With the push of a button in the scorer's booth, it's eyes will flash and tail will wag. Smoke will also pour out of it's nostrils when the remote control is activated.
Ultrex employees worked on the ox with members of the Cal Poly Robotic Club, which completed the mechanical animation. The company donated $300 to the club for it's efforts.
"We always support the Blues each year, and this is one way to generate more fans coming to baseball games," said Rolf Berkefeld, president of the company. "Fans will be able to see the ox wag it's tail whenever there's a good play."
The ox was the brainchild of Adam Stowe, the company's director of marketing. Stowe and his roommates - all San Luis Obispo Blues fans - got the idea after watching the movie "Bull Durham" last year. In the movie, the team had a big bull on the outfield fence. "My roommates jokingly said, 'You need an ox like Babe the big blue ox to go along with the Blues,' " he said. "From there, I wrote a letter proposing it to the bosses of the company, and they said go for it."
The san Luis Obispo Blues will play the Bay Area Giants at 6 p.m. Sunday.

-Julie Lynem

This article was original printed in the Telegram Tribune.