Arkansas Blog

We have no one But Bill Valentine to thank for this be sure to thank him when your're paying 5 bucks to park next season at the second rate ball clubs games.

i won't be there nor will i support any TAX funds or BOND questions for the mid- town task force either the LR City council and their lack of leadership and Vision DOOMED Ray WINDER FIELD .also like to see the TRAVS, give up all rights to Ray Winder Field.they can't be trusted to preserve it now . Its History. make it a parking lot .no cost to the tax payer then. for a FOR PROFIT BALL CLUB.as you can Tell i'm over IT.

What an idiot.

Hot off the presses: Jonesboro developer Bruce Burrow will sue to get liquor on the ballot. Stay tuned...

There are charming old ballparks and there are old ballparks. Ray Winder is an old ballpark.

If it still had the dump and the unrealistically deep fences of its youth it might be charming. Instead the old lady had to have ginormous fences to create any challenge to hitting homeruns and a lot of the seats aren't even angled correctly.

Ray Winder's time should have been up decades ago but no one other than Admiral Hays gave a rat's and so now we get a ballpark that ought to have one of the better postcard scenery looks over the outfield fence.

Hope this so called mid-town task force makes the Travlers ORG, bare the FULL cost of cleaning up that EYESORE when they leave i think we should make them take all that crap with them when they relocate not spend local taxes to improve it .

I'm trying to reconcile that RWF is going, going....

Sure, it's not as charming as I trick myself into thinking, but it's what I've got, and it's what I've had for a ball park for all these years, and it's really fine for me.

It might be fun to walk down to the River Market with my family, catch the trolley and ride it across the river and go to a ball game. From the stands we'll see the majestic skyline of Little Rock (*yawn*) while watching the same caliber of baseball we saw at Ray Winder.

It's never been about the baseball, or even the park. I just went to what was there. I'm afraid the NLR thing is gonna be a little bit too new school, too skyboxy. Too expensive. Not as comfortable. They probably won't even have an organ.

I wish I could buy every one of those endangered properties and fix them up. (There are pictures, in case you didn't check out the link). These are the kinds of things we miss once they slip away.

We have a place like Ray Winder here in Fort Smith called Andrews Field. Built in the late teens and named for a guy so obscure it took me a month to find out who Andrews was. It was our baseball world for 60 or 70 years. Someone told me Andrews Field is the 3rd oldest ball park still standing.

Too many greats to name played at Andrews Field. Mickey Mantle and Willy Mays to name 2. Andrews Field is in the wrong part of town, zero loveliness. The roof over the grandstand has been missing for years, we lost our minor league team in the 50s. If Andrews Field wasn't so far from a liquor store, winos would sleep there.

Our city fathers gave Andrews Field to the Federal government so they can expand our nearly full National Cemetery that's next door. Though it pains me, it's probably a much better use for the grounds. Even though I am not a sports fan, it will be real hard to see old Andrews Field go away.

I hope someone has a plan to preserve either the original pitcher's mound or home plate, maybe with a plaque of all the big names that once stood on that very spot and thrilled little kids that died of old age years ago. Good luck with Ray Winder.

"Hot off the presses: Jonesboro developer Bruce Burrow will sue to get liquor on the ballot. Stay tuned..."

You are right. McDaniel and Willett will do whatever it takes to keep a local sales tax election on the ballot to help his run off chances on June 13th.

"Thanks Bruce"

The new ballpark will have an organ.

Thanks for the organ info.

No problem.

The organ question was a big deal to my husband. He & Frisbee (the organ player) are pals. Frisbee assured us that an organ would be at the new place, too.

Finances being what they are, I'm not believing anything until I see it.

The good folks of Dyess and Mississippi County are putting on a weekend of fun July 7-9 to raise money for a memorial to JC. Johnny's younger brother, Tommy, will be there. The surviving members of Johnny's first band, the Tennessee Three, were hoping to perform but won't be able to because of scheduling. It's a good cause.

Fore more info:
www.dyessday.com

Thanks to all the comity and voluntrrys who worked so hard to make Dyessdays a sucess.