20 things to Like/Love about the Tigue
The 20 things we love about M. L. “Tigue” Moore Field
#20 The Roof People
Just to the right of the scoreboard in left-center field, there’s a home that provides a panoramic view of the ball park when its family heads to their roof — lounge chairs and ice chest in tow — to watch the game. No one knows for sure who they are, but public address announcer T.D. Smith usually implores fans once a game to wave to the “roof people,” and they usually wave back. Wrigley Field doesn’t have the exclusive on this.
“# 19 50-50”
University of Louisiana’s Diamond Darlings start roaming the stands around the second inning, offering chances on a “split-the-pot” drawing. One ticket is $1, seven go for $5. Half the funds go to the baseball program, and the other half goes to one lucky fan. The pot’s always several hundred dollars, and winners of $600 or more are not uncommon.
# 18 Watch Justin Destroy Art
After both teams’ pregame warmup, the Moore Field grounds crew — Ragin’ Cajun players and coaches — goes to great lengths to put the infield in immaculate condition. That includes precision work around home plate to chalk the batters’ boxes — a task ruined minutes later when Cajun leadoff hitter Justin Merendino spends several seconds using his feet to obliterate the chalk lines. It’s a source of much consternation to some home-plate umpires.
#17 Kids’ Day
Every Sunday just before pregame introductions, all children in the stands are invited to come down to the Cajun dugout on the third-base line, and run out on the field to their position with a player of their choice for the national anthem. The Cajun players — even speed-burning center fielder John Coker — slow it down enough on Sundays to let the kids keep up.
Not many stadiums sell beer by the pitcher, but you can get the grand slam of suds at the beer stand behind the third-base grandstands. The pitchers are $9 each and work out to be cheaper per serving than the single-cup purchase. You can share with friends in the stands ... or not, if it’s a hot day. Just get someone to drive you home.
#16Mr. Tigue’s Pine Trees
Not long after Moore Field opened in 1978, the field’s namesake, M. L. “Tigue” Moore, arranged for pine seedlings to be planted right behind and all the way across the outfield wall. It took several years for the trees to grow enough to be seen over the fence, but now they provide a majestic backdrop to the outfield with the green of the pines in contrast to the red outfield fence. And now, Barbara Szefc, wife of Cajun assistant coach John Szefc and a renowned landscape ecologist, is in the process of adding even more natural beauty to the park.
# 15 True Student-Athletes
Of the 49 student-athletes involved in the Ragin’ Cajun baseball program, 48 of them had a 2.00 or higher grade point average during the fall semester (the narrow miss was a 1.95). More impressively, 23 of them had 3.00 averages, and 17 made the Dean’s List with a 3.25 or better. Assistant coach Chris Domingue’s academic and life-skills program must work. Four seniors will receive diplomas Sunday in a pregame on-field “mini-graduation,” and the other four players who are certain to finish their careers this year are all on track to graduate within the next two semesters.
# 14 The Speed Gun
Service Chevrolet sponsors the “speed gun,” located under the main scoreboard, which allows fans to see the speed of each pitch — a feature not seen at most college parks. It’s not foolproof, since sometimes the readings are a little skewed and a lot of times the speed of the catcher’s throw back to the pitcher is displayed, but it’s still fun.
#13 “Louisiana Lightning”
There are two retired jerseys hanging on the center field wall, and they both belong to one man — Ron Guidry. “Louisiana Lightning” crafted his trade with the Cajuns for two years while wearing jersey number 3, and later found greatness with the New York Yankees with jersey number 49. The red “3” and the pinstripes “49” are both displayed, and they mean even more now since Guidry was enshrined in the Yankees’ legendary Monument Park last August.
# 12 T.D.
His puns are sometimes hokey, but public address announcer T.D. Smith blends the professionalism of the required duties (lineups, batter introductions, inning summaries, etc.) with a dose of fun mixed in. Nobody complains — except maybe for the volume — because he has a voice made for public address. There are also a lot of puns that nobody would know (”Mandy, please come to the press box”) unless they hang around the box way too much.
# 11 Vic the Peanut Man
Vic Kilchrist is as familiar to Cajun baseball fans as anyone in the park. Stationed right at the turn leading from the front entrance to the third-base line, Vic has been dispensing the essential baseball snack food for as long as anyone can remember. His Royal brand peanut roaster is over 115 years old, but still churns out hot, roasted peanuts that are the rival of any in the country. Not pre-packaged and never, ever roasted in advance, his brown-paper-bagged delicacies are a bargain at $2 per bag. When the wind’s just right, you can smell them roasting as far as the first-base grandstands.
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Originally Posted by Turbine
