Armchair Quarterback: County needs a large ball park complex
Warren County is ball crazy. Just go to any ball field on any given night this summer and you’ll see them jam packed with kids in uniform and parents and friends filling the bleachers.
While I played baseball when I was a kid, I was somewhat surprised to see the overwhelming interest in youth baseball when Jack started in the coach pitch league this year. Things have really escalated over the past 20 years as leagues are packing each and every field McMinnville has to offer.
Of course, Warren County’s interest in youth baseball is showing up all around the state as our high school team is normally considered a perennial powerhouse when it come to baseball. Then you have the traveling all-star teams from here which tend to do well every year. This is not unusual given the fact most parents have their kids swinging a bat as soon as they are able to walk. It’s a heritage that is huge in Warren County, and has been for quite a while.
With this large interest in baseball and in softball, we are met with a problem. While youth leagues do have fields which can handle their leagues (although they’ll never be enough room to accommodate practices and things of that nature when it comes to youth leagues), things aren’t so good once you graduate to adulthood.
Just as youth baseball is huge here, so is adult softball. Most folks who have even a hint of athletic ability (and even some who don’t) can be found on the softball fields during the summer. It’s a major passion for many, some of whom do not participate in any other sport. All you have to do is listen around the water cooler on Monday to hear folks recount their games from the weekend to know softball is king in Warren County.
With this passion comes a shortage of ball fields for adults. Basically all we have here, in the way of competition softball fields, are the two fields by the Fairgrounds and some at the community centers. The supply in no way meets the demand.
Even in the old days, I can remember having to play at the old Northside School fields, which had on fences. A ground ball and a bad outfielder could combine for a home run. Even back then, we had a real shortage of fields. The problem is twice as bad now as the numbers of adults participating in softball has increased while the fields have not.
Given our love for softball, there’s a real potential here if only we had fields to play the game. Each week, many teams from here travel off to other counties to participate in tournaments. Sure, we have some tourneys here, but given the limited space, they are few and far between. If we were to construct some type of complex, it would be well worth our investment.
It’s like Field of Dreams, build it and they will come. If the county, or even the city, or even a community group, were to invest in the building of even six ball fields in a somewhat centralized location, they would pay for themselves in just a few seasons. How? First, you charge entries for teams in tournaments and fees for those using the field on a regular basis. You can also earn money through concessions. In addition to these benefits, the entire community would benefit through increased tourism dollars, because folks will come from far and wide to participate in tourneys here. This means more money to restaurants, stores and hotels, which means more tax dollars and revenue flowing into our economy.
Sure, it’s hard to propose such a move for an athletic complex in a county with financial difficulties, but this is more of an investment. Everyone will be a winner.