Demise of Ray Winder Field disgraces city's historic landmark

Photos taken May 2011 -- click photo for larger image.

If you think what is happening to Ray Winder Field right now as its remaining seats are ripped from the earth and handed to wayward collectors as it is prepared for imminent demolition, what will happen to that storied piece of land that was once graced with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams plus a parade of legendary talent on the way to making a name in Major League Baseball is even worse.

It is going to become... a parking lot.

One of the reasons I started this blog is because I felt like the entire community was neglecting what was a real jewel on the south side of Hillcrest -- the Arkansas Travelers franchise and the sparsely attended Ray Winder Field.

That neglect extended to City Hall, where no one seemed to understand the value of such an historic landmark or ever once thought maybe it was worthy of some historic preservation efforts that might include financial assistance.

And though management continually slapped a new paint job here and there and occasionally installed some new rows of uncomfortable seats, I always wondered where exactly all the profits from that operation were going. So the neglect might also apply within, but that's another story.

With a coordinated renovation plan -- mixed with some tax money and concern from the mysterious Travelers board of directors -- we might still have our Wrigley Field.

But like Ray Winder Field, that's history. We have a magnificent replacement, at least.

As Ray Winder Field's funeral procession nears and the last items from its will are dispersed, we must once again reflect on what is happening there now.

Rather than give the land to the Little Rock Zoo, where at least Ray Winder Field's history could have been somewhat preserved with a home-plate marker and possibly many other historic tributes -- in what could have actually been a draw to the zoo for local baseball fans wanting to pay tribute -- it will become yet another parking lot for the ever-increasing UAMS dynasty conquering all around it.

Why even bother with a redevelopment plan for Little Rock's largest urban park when a crucial piece is just going to be handed over to the mammoth hospital campus already supported by taxpayer dollars just to pave over the grass that has played host to the best baseball games the state has ever seen?

RIP, Ray Winder Field. We will always have Fernando Valenzuela night.

-- Travelerocity reporter

Comments

[Jeremy Peppas]

Here we go.

Ray Winder is and was a dump. TR and the others (I'm looking at you Rex Nelson) who just can't shut up about how great a place it was to watch a game have forgotten how terrible it was to watch a game there.

Don't get me wrong, my plan is to be up very early Saturday and get a couple of those seats they are giving away but it still doesn't change the fact that they weren't comfortable.

Memory is a tricky thing. Nolstagia clouds the mind. The massive quanities of beer consumed at Ray Winders renders everything into a fog.

It is, sort of, the same principle that makes people think back to the 90s, remember how great the Electric Cowboy was and how they meet their girlfriend/wife/ex-wife there. Then they wish they could get back that part of their lives.

The only advantage Ray Winder has over Dickey-Stephens was the parking.

Jeremy Peppas

[Buddy Villano]

BJ's Star-Studded Honkey Tonk sure was great back in the '90s. Electric Cowboy ruined it... just like Dickey-Stephens!!!

[Father Mason Cutter Jr.]

These photos look like a scene from Planet of the Apes.

[Anonymous and bitter fan]

Those of you whining about RWF being a dump, (looking at you Jeremy) give me a break! Do you really not understand the mystique and sense of baseball history that was and is Ray Winder Field? Does it not mean anything to you that, in this simple field, some of the biggest names from baseball's golden era played the game? Can you not see beyond the "uncomfortable seats" and feel the baseball history that permeates this site? Does almost 3/4 of a century of tradition count for anything? If you can't comprehend this, no amount of explaining will help you - my condolences.

Heaven forbid that we indulge in any progressive activity in Little Rock -- particularly anything radical or out of character like historic preservation. This isn't the first time that the City of Little Rock leadership (and I use that term loosely) has buried their collective heads in the sand rather than doing the right thing. (Bruce, Mark, are you listening?)

Once again, look at Rickwood Field in Birmingham (www.rickwood.com) to see how a more enlightened city dealt with historic preservation of a baseball landmark when their local team moved to a more modern facility. Ray Winder Field could have become a Little Rock landmark, something which would attract tourists, who would spend money, which would boost the economy. Instead, we get a parking lot. Way to go Little Rock city leadership -- what a fine legacy.

[Gimme a break]

Get a life. Go watch mike trout play. Then 50 years from now you can repeat this nonsense. Save DSP! mike trout played there!

[Trav fan]

Gimmie, it might come as a surprise to you, but it didn't have to be an "either-or" choice between DSP and RWF if the City of Little Rock had any vision. We go to DSP regularly and love the park, but it doesn't have the character or memories of RWF.

[gimmie a break]

time marches on. no ebbett's field, no sportman's park. no polo grounds. get a grip, these things don't have infinite lifespans. go rent the lion king and learn about the circle of life

[Trav fan]

Gimmie, we are fortunate to have your wonderful philosophy, misguided though it might be. I will go rent Lion King, but you need to go find a copy of Joni Mitchell's song, The Circle Game. Play it, listen to the words, the thought process might prove enlightening. I'm sure it was probably written before you were born, but it has a message you might heed, if not now, then as time marches on.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

The time to save Ray Winder Field was twenty years ago. Strangely enough, the people who wanted to preserve it when the Travs moved out are one of the reasons it has a date with the wrecking ball.

The supporters of RWF needed a solid plan to preserve, renovate and use the park long-time in a way that might generate a bit of revenue. Instead, there were several different camps with several different visions. Also, UAMS had what the supporters of the park did not -- money.