Public Works busy repairing, renovating ballparks;

Legendary Fort Duncan Park to get major facelift

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

Eagle Pass Public Works Director Hector Chavez informed The News Gram of the fact that his department along with Parks & Recreation are working to make repairs and renovations to some of our most precious commodities, the baseball parks which develop the perennial talent that feed both of our highly successful baseball and softball programs.

"We are presently working on making repairs to fences, dugouts, bleachers and possibly even adding new grass to certain parks," stated Chavez.

One such park which will be getting a major facelift is Old Fort Duncan Baseball Park, now known as Moncada Baseball Park which will be getting new dugouts, new bleachers and a new 10-foot fence all the way around it in order to make the field that much more accessible for people enjoying a ball game or even for passersby to see the activity as it unfolds.

This reporter recalls seeing many a Mighty Eagle playoff game with such greats as Ronnie Acosta, Mario Treviño, Eligio Muñoz, "Tata" Esparza, "Cacho" Sandoval, Conrad Perez, the Vera Brothers "Rookie" and "Fira," "Beco" Maldonado, "Lefty" Rodriguez, "Tequila" Santoya and all of our heroes of yesteryear take that field including my father, brothers, myself and all of our teammates, many of which are still playing and coaching today and even more who played in the 40's, 50's and 60's as Sammy Ibarra caught for Coach Polo Moncada's first Eagle Baseball Squad in 1959 and I caught for his last team in 1982.  

We'll never forget that big game in 1974 against Del Rio where Eagle catcher Jesus Rodriguez was taken out at home which sparked probably the worst bench-cleearing brawl in which fans spilled out of the stands prompting Eagle Pass policeman Jose Armando "La Campana" Sifuentes to halt the melée firing gunshots into the air.

It was also the sight of the first ever District 29-AAAAA baseball game for the Silver and Black Attack CC Winn Mavericks which Joey Canizales won with a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against the power house Laredo Nixon Mustangs where CC Winn the man himself was in attendance with his lovely wife and family.  

"We will be taking down the grandstands as they are very old and dangerous, so we will be getting some newer aluminum stands and will be constructing roofs to keep fans out of the hot summer sun," he concluded, "We will also be working on the infield laying down new grass."

Workers can be seen right now laying concrete to the edges of the backstop at Old Lions' Little League Park, where big Tim Watkins used to blast home runs over the restrooms that used to be outside the left field fence and Craig Schlegel used to pass fireballs past would be hitters, now named after both Leo Brown and Henry Staten.

Aaaahhhh, Eagle Pass Baseball... how sweet it is and how better to enjoy America's Pastime than from a clean well-upkept facility worthy of encouraging organizations such as Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball to want to come to our fair city to hold state and national tournaments.

After this, Public Works will be moving to both Chelo's Softball Field and Rodger's.