By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
When you have only yourself to blame, pointing fingers seems kind of pointless.
So last week a team from the Del Rio Babe Ruth Baseball League traveled down US Highway 277 to Eagle Pass and competed in the Babe Ruth Baseball 13-15-Year-Old World Series held at the brand new City of Eagle Pass Patsy Winn Sports Complex.
Yes, the name of the facility is a mouthful, but when you’ve donated as much to that city as the Winn’s have, it’s only right that certain concessions are made.
The facility is nice. It was a little hot walking throughout its sprawling fields and courts, but its Southwest Texas in the summer. Who wouldn’t expect a little heat?
But the facility even had the covered with plenty of vending machines doling out cool drinks and a concession stand that no doubt made a fortune off selling water for that week and the days that followed this week.
Turf was everywhere. Baseball fields had them. The soccer field had it. The batting cages had it. Wouldn’t have been surprised if the tennis courts had them, but I didn’t make it that far. There were outdoor basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, and plenty of parking.
So when I mentioned on my personal Facebook page that I had been at the complex, one person asked me what it would take for Del Rio to host a World Series in the future. Where to begin with that?
First off, a proper sports complex is key. Teams need fields to play and to practice, and one field won’t cut it. I know the city is working on the “Field of Our Dreams” complex, but we had a chance for a larger, more sprawling complex that would have met a lot of the needs for our community in terms of sports and exercise and the misinformed voters or voters without kids shot it down. Voter turnout was terrible, and I know there were coaches of youth sports who didn’t even bother to vote at all. That’s a great example for a community that claims to want to support its youth.
Secondly, you need an army of volunteers. Relying on just city employees or one league to support and oversee the tournament is a pipe dream. There’s a lot of work to be done at these tournaments – from aiding teams to cleaning up the stands to overseeing umpires and so much more – and the more the community gets involved, the more the tournament feels like a way to show off what Del Rio has to offer rather than it being something we think we can milk without doing our part.
Third, we need a place to house everybody. We’ve got some new motels/hotels coming in and that’s great. That’s what we need, especially if the current border situation continues and we have to find places for added law enforcement as well as military. People shouldn’t need to stay 30-50 miles away to compete. Get them here and house them here and they’ll come back again and again.
Eagle Pass is going to make a lot of money off that World Series and that’s money we could have had if we’d been proactive and not set in our selfish ways. If you want to support the youth, if you want a healthier lifestyle, if you want to just get out and about and play in some adult leagues, I hope you get behind the next big proposal for a complex.
Thank you to the folks who have been proactive and have pushed for the complexes we have now. It’s the start we need, but it shouldn’t be the end.
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Brian Argabright has been a journalist for nearly 25 years. An award-winning writer and photographer, he has covered sports, features and much more during his career. Contact him at drnhsports@gmail.com
