Record number of teams for muddy Southland Classic

Record number of teams for muddy Southland Classic

Shaky, soggy start to 4th annual softball tourney, but event a boon to local businesses

news@theeveningtimes.com

Every cloud has a silver lining and the rainy sky, and the mucky fields proved the old adage true this weekend during the 4th annual Southland Softball Classic based in Tilden Rodgers Park.

200 players and tournament officials showed up a night early for a reception at Southland, and a record 53 teams turned out for play, bringing 1,160 players, coaches and umpires to town for the games, according to tournament organizer Clint Albright. But the big turnout, coupled with the rain delays, meant more time to spend money eating and shopping in West Memphis.

Albright indicated the poor weather and rain delays proved to be an economic bump for local eateries and stores.

“Actually, while the bad weather is bad for the tourney, it is good for the city, because while they are waiting out these delays, they are going to Southland or Applebee’s or some place hanging out, spending money and doing things,” said Albright in an interview. “It was good they got to spend time in West Memphis businesses waiting.”

True enough, someone noticed a number of teams shopping at Walmart and let everybody on Facebook know.

It was good for motels, too.

“I stayed at the Ramada — it was full and they turned people away,” said Albright.

Teams also stayed at Comfort Suites, Clarion and Days Inn according to the promoter who will make a full report to the West Memphis Advertising & Promotions Commission to justify expense reimbursements related to promoting the Wonder City for the event.

“Anything that benefits West Memphis we are for,” said West Memphis Parks Director Lorenzo Parker during a called Parks Commission meeting on Tuesday. “I want that to be known.”

But grounds crews called for a rain-delayed start to prepare the fields for play. Games got underway by noon on Saturday but impatient players didn’t get the word from the organizers and things got off to a rocky start. Teams hopped locked gates and took up dugouts on fields not dried out or striped for play, hurled verbal abuse at groundskeepers and bashed the parks department on social media. One post (erroneously) claimed that West Memphis parks did not even know the tournament was in town.

“That is why we are here,” said Parks Commissioner Darin McCollum. “That information was put out and it is just not true.”

“We did everything in our power to make sure that event went off,” said Parker. “Other than to let them destroy our fields — we have to be concerned about the park 365 days year.”

The city park hosts a girls softball tournament this weekend and the local league schedule is packed with make-up games. Youth tournaments typically produce five times the concession sales as the Southland Classic, with money split between the city and a local cause.

Albright and Parker have a history of misunderstandings. Albright claimed at one point after the tournament last year he did not even have a contract.

“He was real big on contract and communication this year,” said Parker. “We communicated rain delays to him, but he did not pass that information on to the teams. At one point Saturday we counted four violations of contract.”

Complaints about beer in the stands and no tournament gatekeeper to keep the food and alcohol out were two off the issues.

The games went on despite less than ideal filed conditions and continued intermittent rain. Some of the batting boxes had ankle deep mud. It was so wet, one umpire placed a Dr.

Pepper can on home plate so the pitcher could see where to throw.

“I saw some of that with my own eyes,” said Mayor Bill Johnson. “I was out there Sunday while they played in the rain. I was out there watching an outfielder run and sink four inches deep. I was out there when they decided to undress and clean up in the parking lot changing so they wouldn’t get mud in their vehicles.”

“They played onto the wee hours of the morning on Saturday,” said Parker.

“They played a considerable amount of hours,” said Johnson.

Rain has marred the event each of the four years. The city spent almost $30,000 in dirt work and laser leveling two fields after the classic played in the mud three years ago. Bottom line according to Parker, the contract said park officials decide if fields are playable, the delays were communicated to the promoters and the players did not get the word and denigrated city efforts to ready the fields. Parks commissioners have the messages and the social media posts they say prove their point.

“It’s been a difficult situation and sometimes you run into obstacles you just can’t overcome,” said Johnson.

“We’ve had rain every year,” said Albright in a separate interview. “The first year it took us two weekends to finish it. Last year the showers weren’t quite as bad but we still had rain. Three of the four years have been real challenging.”

By John Rech