Scattershooting while wondering what happened, after all, to the Brownsville sports complex?

I borrow generously in using the `scattershoooting’ line from Blackie Sherrod, a legendary Dallas sports columnist, who would often bring up an athlete from the distant past in wondering whatever had happened to said sports figure of long ago.

Same goes with the sports complex. You probably have to search back in the old memory backs to recall the sports complex. `Member? With a good degree of fanfare, city officials, especially city Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, hailed the location of where the complex would be built, believing somehow that a site which is  practically in Rancho Viejo would be the ideal spot. With today’s gas prices, it’ll cost a couple of Whatburgers, at least, to get way out on Merryman Road, where the long-awaited sports complex is supposedly going to be built.

I say supposedly because nothing appears to be happening out on Merryman when it comes to the sports complex. After getting a road built into the site, it’s all quiet on the far north Brownsville sports front, with jack rabbits offering more action than actual construction. What pray tell, as the Brits would say, is the holdup?

The money for the project was secured long, long ago, (two mayors ago), when voters approved dedicating a small portion of local sales tax revenues for the constructon of a fab sports complex. It would be replete with soccer fields, baseball fields, basketball courts, diamonds for little miss kickball action, and all sorts of other fine athletic endeavors to fill the lungs of our young people with the thrill of sports and competition. There was so much  money to be had, in fact, that wise heads at City Hall decided to hire an executive director to oversee development of the sports complex and related activities. To make sure a good job would be had, the wise heads coughed up a hefty salary to pay this person to make sure the dirt would fly.

And now, two presidential elections later, Brownsville is still waiting for the thing to get built. Meanwhile, in nearby Harlingen, just months after that city announced plans to build a sprawling soccer complex the by airport, that thing is going up faster than a carnvial getting ready for Charro Days. While Brownsville fiddles, Harlingen builds. Kids in Harlingen will be kicking around soccer balls before Brownsville clears the jack rabbits from the big, empty field by Merryman Road.

I checked with some of the hard-working reporter types in the local newsroom to ask what gives with the Bro-ville sports complex getting nowhere. Don’t know, they told me, saying it’s tough to get information out of City Hall these days when it comes to the sports complex to be built 15 miles north of town. Maybe it’s a design thing. Maybe it’s taking five years to get all of the bids in. Maybe it’s because Harlingen City Hall does a better job of making the trains run on time. Maybe they need to pay the executive director more money to get the project going.

Who knows. And then last week, Mayor Pat announces his latest plan of adventure, this one to sell a portion of the city-owned country club/golf course, and use part of the proceeds to buy land adjacent to the sports complex that has never been built. Mayor Pat sees a new 18-hole golf course by the sports complex that has never been built, saying it could all be a one-stop sports center.

How exciting. On the flip side: Brownsville may get another bridge before it gets the sports complex built. Oh well, there will be plenty of tournaments to be had at Harlingen’s new soccer/sports complex, and it’s not very far at all from Merryman Road.