when my father took me to Ray Winder Field for a game in the early 80's. It was a big deal to drive up from Pine Bluff to the big city for a ball game. There was not a kid's area, however, even without a single bounce-around, it was a cool place. The ballpark literally creaked with history from its bleachers. The neat overhang of the grandstand was original to the park when it was built in 1931 (did my grandfather attend a game there?) It had the tallest outfield fence I had ever seen (the 60 foot Screen Monster). The infield was tiered (a sloped drop-off on the other side of the base path leading to the outfield). Uniquely Ray Winder. It might take from the first pitch to the 7th inning stretch to talk-through all of the nuances of the field and how they could impact the game. The give-away for that night was a red St Louis Cardinal rain jacket. I never wore that jacket -not because it didn't fit, I'm sure it was adult size. I remember thinking that it must be the same type of jacket that was issued to the team. I kept the jacket hanging in my closet up until high school. That single Ray Winder Field experience is a fun memory that I enjoy sharing with Davis. Maybe, there will be something left by the time we return to Little Rock.
