The construction of softball and baseball fields never once confounded me. There was the field, the dugouts, the press box and the fencing.

There was the backstop, the netting and the well-manicured grass and the chalk lines laid out to perfection.

It all made sense. Everything had its place.

Then Sarah Cameron began playing softball and my world turned upside down.

I went from someone who had always enjoyed the ballpark as a former sports reporter. I had covered more baseball, softball and youth games than I could have ever cared to count. And then Sarah Cameron began playing softball.

After her first season of playing softball I came to the realization the fences of the park were not there to keep foul balls and hard-charging catchers from crashing into the stands. Those fences are instead there to keep “excited” fans and parents from getting on the field.

During that season too I also became keenly aware of the investment made on the part of Selma and Dallas County — the community we were living at the time — on a gorgeous youth sports facility.

The complex had both youth baseball and youth softball fields built around a tall scoring tower that featured public address announcers and score keepers.

It is for this experience, this reason, that I have called for continued investment in the youth sports facilities here in Vicksburg.

We are a community that has far more resources than that of Selma, but yet our facilities do not compare. That’s a shame.

As I mentioned in an earlier column, all you have to do is look at the parking lot and walkways around the fields at Bazinsky Park. They are in shambles and provide a horrendous first impression to hundreds of guests each time a game is planned.

It was refreshing to hear news Tuesday that city officials are now looking at options to make much-needed investments in the Bazinsky Park complex. It is an investment that is long overdue.

For the past weeks and months, I have been among the large community of parents and fans who have lived many an hour at Bazinsky and among those who long for improvements.

As parents, we do what we need to do to provide for our children. We should expect nothing less from those who we select as our leaders.

 

Tim Reeves is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at tim.reeves@vicksburgpost.com. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.