By Rene Torres
As WWII veterans returned home with perhaps deep physical and emotional scars inflicted by war, Valley communities were trying to ease the pain as they welcomed their boys with celebrations made for heroes.
Port Isabel made merry with the ex-GIs as they attended church en masse for morning services; later had a barbecue luncheon and the day’s festivities ended with the dough boys dancing the night away.
As the lights of celebration subsided and all returned to their pre-war routines, one Port Isabel veteran noticed that something was missing in his community.
Corporal James “Jimmy” LaRoche, who was a boat builder by trade, was bothered that too many kids were sitting idle and getting into mischief in his neighborhood, so, his idea of establishing a summer sports program started close to home.
He formed a recreational softball league for the neighborhood kids, a sandy retreat mere steps away from their front porch.
LaRoche said, “We had a few bats and softballs around, so I gathered the kids and asked them if they wanted to play ball, and they did.”
Within days, the sweet sound of the crack of the bat echoed throughout the streets of the city.
The self-appointed director — along with the neighborhood kids — got to work, clearing a vacant lot and creating the perfect diamond. With a backstop in place and player benches filled with eager youngsters ready to play, it soon became the busiest place in town.
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