In less than 24 hours, the process of putting together everything we have fought for will begin. This is a day I thought would never come. For over a year and a half now, we have asked for this task force. When I started this blog back in late August/ early September, the future looked dark for Roberts Stadium as just about all of Evansville assumed she was destined for the wrecking ball.
Tomorrow, it will be Roberts Stadium, not the ball fields at Wesselman Park, that will be in the spotlight. As Roberts Stadium sits in this spotlight, it is us, the people who have been fighting for this venue, that will need to rise to the occasion for this historic and city-defining moment. We must play like a champion...
Truthfully, I'm Agnostic (undecided) on the whole religious thing. But, I firmly believe that I will cross paths one day with both Ralph Legeman and Hank Roberts. They too, more than anyone else, worked tirelessly to get this venue built. Ralph Legeman had many sleepless nights trying to design Roberts Stadium and his other patented fieldhouses. Hank Roberts ended up sacrificing his entire political career, one that he worked many years on, so that Roberts Stadium could be built. Roberts Stadium is their ultimate gift to us the citizens of Evansville.
I refuse to be the one who has to explain to these two legends why I didn't do enough and why I gave it all away. I refuse to quit on Roberts Stadium. I will not rest until this venue is back on the right track. If Legeman can spend many nights sleepless, if Roberts can sacrifice his entire political career, and if this building can stand tall when there wasn't a dry eye around Evansville in 1977, then surely I, one of the 15 members of this task force, can fight like a hornet to save this venue. Regardless of the outcome, when the task force's job is done, I will have left it all on the court...
Too many times, our local leaders either forget what they're fighting for or don't have anything to fight for outside of their own career. While they think they will get away with this lack of a vision, just about every single time they fail, and they end up taking the entire city down with them.
So that we don't repeat this same failed path, it is important to remember who we are and what we are fighting for....
WHO ARE WE?
We are the people who understand the priceless and nostalgic history of Roberts Stadium.
We are the people who understand how important Roberts Stadium is to the city of Evansville.
We are the people who want to maintain the taxpayer funds invested in Roberts Stadium.
We are the people who have the best financial plan for Roberts Stadium and the surrounding complex.
We are the people who are smart enough to see that those who claim the Ford Center and Roberts Stadium will compete is nothing more than a scare tactic that can't be backed up with any evidence.
We are the people who want to see baseball, in the form of youth baseball fields, brought to life at Kleymeyer Park next to historic Bosse Field.
We are the people who believe that our ball fields should replicate vintage MLB fields in order to pay tribute to Don Mattingly.
We are the people who believe that everyone can win with Roberts Stadium because those who want a lake can build one in the back lot, those who want a swimming complex can build on the Hartke Pool location, those who want ball fields can build at Kleymeyer Park (where baseball history actually exists, those who want a BMX facility may build one just north of Roberts Stadium, and those who want to see the Greenway trail expanded may use Roberts Stadium as an indoor trail hub for the Greenway.
We are the people who want to help the Ford Center by packaging Roberts Stadium with it in bids for basketball, hockey, and other tournaments.
We are the people who want to improve the USI men's and women's basketball team by giving them Roberts Stadium, a facility that comes with 15 luxury boxes and zero debt.
We are the people who have been chasing leads such as the Evansville Rage Indoor Football Team while naysayers such as the Courier & Press and Vanderburgh County Democratic Central Committee have done absolutely nothing for Roberts Stadium.
We are the people who are responsible by keeping Roberts Stadium so that one day it can be used as a disaster relief area if need be.
We are the people who respect the wishes of the Roberts Stadium neighborhood where you will see over 150 "Save Roberts Stadium" yard signs.
We are people like Brenda Bergwitz who hosted rallies, Sherman Stevens who walked door-to-door hanging yard signs, Berniece Tirmenstein who found a ride to the library to research Roberts Stadium, and Sylvia Trabits-Niemeier/Martha Crosley who look to help Roberts Stadium and Wesselman Park.
We are the people who understand history which proves to us with the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum how we should go about saving Roberts Stadium.
We are the people who want to help the restaurants and retail stores who have been hurting since Roberts Stadium closed.
We are the people who will do whatever it takes to make Lloyd Winnecke the best mayor in Evansville history since he has bolding gone out of his way to fight for us to have a voice for Roberts Stadium.
We are the people who put Roberts Stadium above Democrat, Republican, Conservative, and Liberal ideologies.
We are the people who are committed to Smart Growth principles and policies by fighting to renovate Roberts Stadium so that it will last another 56 years.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: We are the people who refuse to be out-worked, out-hustled, or out-smarted.
As we sit on the eve of beginning the task of choosing the direction Roberts Stadium takes for the next 56 years, let's pause for just a moment to remember who we are!
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