And Another Thing

She was

The sweet smells of hot dogs and nachos rode the summer wind then, back when Fair Grounds Field was a baseball arcade, a giant toy where the Shreveport Captains played, a diamond of Texas League titles and All-Star games. But the once noble 4,200-seat stadium, which for 16 years provided summer fun and created lifelong memories for area baseball fans, will soon be brought to its concrete knees. By now we all know that Fair Grounds Field is scheduled to be demolished around the end of the summer or this fall, and not a minute too soon. If the city waits until Christmas, maybe the accumulated bat poop alone will cause it to collapse. It hasn’t hosted an event since 2011, back when Green Bay (Super Bowl), the Dallas Mavericks (NBA), and Charl Schwartzel (Masters) were champions, and Hangover II was a hit. Since, it’s slumped slowly by Interstate 20, an obvious victim of time, weather, weeds, hobo animals, and lack of care. How the demolition company hired to bring it down will do so, well, that’ll be a sight to see. It’ll take a minute or two; there’s enough concrete in that thing to pave Powhatan. It’s a demented fantasy to think it can be saved in any sort of way practical. Precious memories of double plays and double dates don’t dismiss an ugly reality that the one-time red carpet-worthy movie star of yesteryear is now Norma Desmond on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Don’t Go Near That Place. A shame for sure, but what’s done is done. It wasn’t built in the best spot, wasn’t built in the best way, and although it opened

in 1986 to overflow crowds and was For the first time — on Opening Night, 1986 — the Shreveport Captains line up at Fair Grounds Field. home to the San Francisco Giants (Shreveport Journal photo) Class AA-affiliate Captains for 14 years, it now defines “aged poorly.” Mother Nature can be a beast; I wouldn’t walk through those old hallowed grounds now after four tetanus shots and wearing a hazmat suit. I’d hoped back then it’d be built on the river, and people getting off work would hear the music and the P.A. and batting practice and start wandering down after work. My dreams were big. Never did I imagine it would become a luxury condo for flying mammals. Soon it’ll be gone. For good. Though in all honesty, the ballpark left a long time ago. But there was a time … MORE THAN FAIR Soft serve in a little plastic batting helmet. Children running the bases after a game. The Captains Club for kids (18 bucks a year, and that’s including a T-shirt!) Terri and Jon and Taylor in the front office, and all they were was perfect… Season tickets and friends in Section 105. Free Arnold Palmers in the press box. The beer garden. The (Hated) Jackson Mets. Sticky nights and kids playing catch outside the visitors’ bullpen… Calvin Murray and Royce Clayton, Damon Minor and Jeff Brantley, Wendell Kim and Ron Wotus and Texas League BY TEDDY ALLEN championships in 1990, ’91, and ’95. Mackey “The Hacker” Sasser. Craig Mays. Benji Simonton… “Preacher” lyrically working the stands.“Old Mother Hubbard, went to the cupboard, to fetch herself a beer. But she didn’t have any ’cause I have them all right here.” … Charlie Hayes. Charlie Corbell. Romy and Medvin and Yorvit Torrealba. Jason Grilli. Everett Graham. Todd Thomas. Deron McCue. Former Tennessee quarterback Alan Cockrell… Little League teams standing on the field in their little uniforms, caps over their little hearts by the Captain of their choice during the National Anthem. Headlines and game stories and features in the Shreveport Journal and in The Times the next day. Box scores and the agate page. Checking today’s starters and “Daddy, can we go tonight?” … She was never the prettiest girl in town. Well … maybe she was for a short while. But still, for the longest time, she was quite the looker. And everybody had to look. You were helpless not to. Remember the magic number? 318.636.5555. Try it if you want.“The number you have reached is not in service…” But once, it was. And it was a beautiful thing. Teddy Allen is an award-winning columnist and graduate of Louisiana Tech, where he works as a writer and broadcaster.

Hunter G. Crain, MBA

Financial Advisor CA Insurance #4135191 AR License #19940185

Timothy B Crain, CFP®, BFATM, CRPC®, AAMS®, CLTC®

Financial Advisor, Managing Partner CA Insurance #0G32450 AR License #1687363

Christopher P. Murphy, CRPC®, APMA®, BFA™

Financial Advisor Christopher.P.Murphy@ ampf.com CA Insurance #0I90593 AR License #4713796

Kevin L Murphy, CFP® Private Wealth Advisor Managing Partner Chairman’s Advisory Council 2000 - 2022 Kevin.L.Murphy@ampf.com CA Insurance #0H32796 AR License #1224061

Tanner Murphy, CFA®, CRPC®, CLTC®

Financial Advisor Tanner.Murphy@ampf.com CA Insurance #0L80486 AR License #18201351

Jennifer Floyd, CRPC®

Financial Advisor CA Insurance #0M07456

Laveer Wealth Management

Ameriprise Private Wealth Advisory Practice

Kevin L. Murphy Honored As Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes 2020-22 and Timothy B. Crain also Honored As Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes 2022.

Murphy and Crain were chosen based on assets under management, industry experience, compliance record and best practices in his practice and approach to working with clients. Murphy and Crain are part of Laveer Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. As a Private Wealth Advisors, Murphy and Crain provide financial advice that is anchored in a solid understanding of client needs and expectations, provided in one-on-one relationships with their clients. Murphy has 40 years of experience and Crain has 26 years with Ameriprise Financial.

The Forbes Top Women, Best-in-State Women and Best-in-State Wealth Advisor rankings are developed by SHOOK Research and are created using an algorithm that includes both qualitative (in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings; client impact; industry experience; review of best practices and compliance records; and firm nominations) and quantitative (assets under management and revenue generated for their firms) data. Certain awards include a demographic component to qualify. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. These rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience and are based on data from the previous calendar year. Forbes magazine and SHOOK Research do not receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

The compass is a trademark of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the U.S. Investment products are not federally or FDIC-insured, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value. Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2021 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.