SEATTLE — As much as Ballard and Seattle seem to have been submerged under a tsunami of population growth and explosive property values, the Wednesday night "Old Timers' Basketball League" at Ballard's 1920s-era Trinity United Methodist Church gymnasium has never changed over the last four decades.
"This is what we all looked forward to every single week," said founding member Joel Guevara. "I'm the original commissioner of the league from 1970 in an alley on Capitol Hill."
"Some guys have been here since the 80s, and I've been playing for 21 years," said league "Commissioner" Kevin Riley, who added, "It's part of my soul."
"In the middle of the week you have somewhere to go and if there are troubles in your life, this is the place where for a couple of hours, they go away," said 70-year-old Pat McCullough, who has played every Wednesday night at the same gym with the same guys since 1980.
But on Wednesday, December 24, the Old Timers' tradition was being laced up for the final time.
Recently, the league was informed that the old church had been sold to Green Lake Presbyterian Church for more than $6 million, and the gym, which was built in 1929, will no longer be available to the league and may soon no longer be a gym.
"We thought, 'Whoa, that can't be,'" said McCullough. "It was pretty dramatic there for us to be told that we would be out at the end of the year."
Faced with the end of a tradition, an Old Timers regular, Erik Hutchison, posted a masterfully edited online video explaining the league's legacy and tradition, while asking for help finding a new place to play.
"I just want to play with these guys, because they're what make it so special," said McCullough.
For now, the Old Timers believe their brand of ball seems to be the latest tradition to be wiped out by the wrecking ball of ceaseless progress in North Seattle.
"It's a great group,” said Riley, "I'm really going to miss it."