By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports

We could all use a break from the heat.

Even racehorses.

Louisiana Downs is moving back this weekend’s races two-and-half hours — to 4:15pm. Track management hopes Saturday and Sunday’s later post times will help horses deal with temperatures forecast by The Weather Channel to reach at least 100 degrees — with even higher “feels like” temperatures.

“First is the safety and integrity of our horses,” said Mitch Dennison, General Manager of Racing at the Downs. “The later post time — the sun starts to go down; it starts to cool off a little bit. By the second race, it seems like the apron is pretty shady. We just want to watch out for the extreme heat and make sure everyone is safe — including the horses.”

The Downs has already made other adjustments to help horses tolerate the sweltering heat.

“We have hoses out for cooling pads, before and after races,” Dennison said. “We also have water availability — we ice down water for the horses. Whenever they’re walking up to the paddock, there are a couple of hoses from the backside of their barns to the front side — in the paddock area.

“There are a couple of hoses along the way for horsemen to hose off their horses and cool them off before the race, as well as after the race. The state (veterinarian) has a truck that has a water tank on the back, with ice water. After the races, the horses are hosed down by the state vet.”

If this weekend’s later start proves helpful to the horses, more adjusted post times could be coming.

“If it’s successful, and (it’s cooler in the late afternoon), and things work the way we want them to work, we are absolutely considering making the change for the summer to get away from the heat a little bit,” added Dennison.

Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Louisiana Downs

By RAYMOND PARTSCH III, Written for the LSWA

Garland Forman always listened.

As a teenage bat boy for the Alexandria Aces, Forman listened to the legendary baseball players that came through on barnstorming tours.

As an athletic trainer at Louisiana College, Forman listened to the life lessons bestowed upon him by coaches Billy Allgood and Gene Rushing.

As a young journalist, Forman listened to the stories being swapped by some of the state’s sports journalism titans at Louisiana Sports Writers Association conventions.

“I would always love to go to our conventions,” Forman said. “I would teach myself to sit down and listen. For them, they were just sharing stories, but for me that room was filled with some phenomenal sports writers. If you really listened, they would tell you what you needed to do to make yourself a better reporter and what stories to be looking out for.”

That ability to listen intently helped Forman become one of Louisiana’s most respected and award-winning journalists. Fittingly, he will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a 2022 recipient of the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.

Forman is one of 12 members of the Class of 2022 going into the Hall today, tomorrow and Saturday  in Natchitoches. For participation opportunities and information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-332-8539.

“He is the backbone of small newspaper journalism in the state,” said friend and 2019 DSA winner Philip Timothy. “Whether it is sports, news or politics, he has been there for over three decades.”

Growing up in Pineville, Forman had a paper route at the age of eight and a passion for journalism, but he also loved baseball, and for four years served as bat boy for the Alexandria Aces. During that time, he met Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Duke Snider, Bob Feller and Ted Williams.  

“I would be sitting in the dugout with them,” Forman recalled. “I remember Satch talking to me in the bullpen. It was just a great experience. People always ask me if I got autographs. I was told never to ask because I was working.”

It was during this time that an unexpected opportunity presented itself. Legendary Town Talk sports editor Bill Carter, a 1988 DSA winner, approached him after a game and told him to go meet Louisiana College men’s basketball coach Billy Allgood, a 1999 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame honoree.

“He asked me ‘What do you want to major in?’ I said, ‘Journalism,’ and he said, ‘Well, we don’t have that here.’ I finally had to tell Coach that ‘I don’t know why I am here.’ He said, ‘I have been watching you at Bringhurst Field for a few years now, and I want to offer you a full scholarship to LC to be the manager-athletic trainer.’ I said ‘SOLD!'”

Forman spent the next four years getting a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a collegiate program. He was in charge of all the equipment, including the basketballs and tennis shoes, washing and drying practice gear, towels, and game uniforms, and for calling in box scores to the newspaper. Forman did many of those duties on his own time, either before or after class.

He finished his studies in 1980 but put his dreams of being a full-time sports journalist on hold. Forman had to support his growing family (wife Debbie, and eventually four children), so he did everything from selling insurance to working as a plumber and eventually relocated to Eunice to work for a plumbing wholesaler. In addition, he worked as a sports freelancer for the Eunice News and did radio play-by-play.

In 1983, Forman lost his wholesale job due to the oil crash and moved to Bayou Chicot. To make ends meet, he delivered papers for The Town Talk in Evangeline Parish, did freelance work for The Ville Platte Gazette and managed the night shift at a convenience store in Bunkie.

“Garland has a willingness to do anything for anybody,” Timothy said of Forman’s work ethic. “He gives so much of himself he doesn’t know he is overdoing it. He continues to go out of his way to help others. That is what endeared him to people.”

A few years later in 1987 Forman got an opportunity, and never looked back. He was hired as sports editor at the Bunkie Record, and less than a year later became editor – where he remained for 30 years.

Forman did it all, serving as the Record’s lead reporter, editor, page designer and photographer. But his work wasn’t confined to the newsroom … he became a community icon.

“Garland gave himself to the community,” Timothy said. “He endeared himself to the community. When the trust was finally built, the mayor or police jury, they would call him instead of the bigger newspaper. They trusted him that he would get it right. He would tell the story the way it should be told.”

“When he left Bunkie, it was a big loss for the town and the school,” former Bunkie football coach Gregg Hudson said. “There wasn’t a bigger advocate for the town and the school.”

For Forman, becoming part of the community was the only way he knew how to operate as a local journalist.

“I felt like I had to prove to the community that I belonged there,” said Forman, who took over as general manager of the Ville Platte Gazette in 2017. “I wanted to be part of the community. People that move from outside the community, it’s a hard transition. I didn’t want that to happen. I made sure to get out in the community.” 

That approach helped Forman win hundreds of awards from the Louisiana Press Association and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Yet, the awards that matter the most to Forman are not the individual accolades, but having The Bunkie Record win LPA Newspaper of the Year three times (2005, 2006 and 2008). 

Forman became a pillar of the LPA, serving as president and championing public bodies obeying the state’s sunshine laws. 

Forman also became a vital part of the LSWA, not just for his infectious laughter during bourre’ games at the convention or pranking friends with a crate of shucked corn as a door prize from the Bunkie Corn Festival. Instead, it was Forman’s tireless behind-the-scenes work putting on all-state meetings, raising funds for the LSWA and hosting conventions, and proudly serving as the organization’s president and a Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame voter. He is the only person ever to serve as president of both the LPA and the LSWA.

To people in both organizations, along with those whose lives he’s impacted during his career, Garland Forman is truly one of a kind. That doesn’t win at bourre’, but it sure does play well in life.

Artwork by CHRIS BROWN, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports

While the number of tennis players taking up the sport has risen drastically over the past few years, the rise of another sport has put many facilities in, well, a pickle.

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport over the past two years, has seen a 650% increase in the number of players since 2013. The sport, a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, now includes over 4.8 million players nationwide.

Many tennis facilities have turned existing courts into pickleball courts, but there are still some places where the two sports have had to share the same space.

To deal with the situation, the recent USTA National Statement of Guidance for parks and recreation facilities on tennis and pickleball explains the current policy in place for events in the USTA Southern Section:

“Tennis courts eligible for USTA Southern sanctioned competition, including junior and adult tournaments and league, must contain only lines prescribed by the ITF Rules of Tennis, as set out in the USTA Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations.”

In other words: courts that include both tennis and pickleball lines are not eligible to host sanctioned events/play in the Southern Section.

In its statement on the issue, the USTA went on to say, “We will continue to explore options to collaborate with facilities and providers who wish to offer pickleball and help advocate for the construction of separate pickleball facilities.”

Just like in other areas of the country, Shreveport has seen an incredible increase in the number of pickleball players. And some facilities have already taken the initiative to construct and/or convert existing tennis courts into pickleball courts.

Last August, Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club converted two of its existing hard courts into six permanent pickleball courts.

“Pickleball has become very popular,” says Grady Wilson, general manager/director of tennis at POTC. “It’s 100 degrees out here and we’ve got 65-plus aged ladies out there on the pickleball courts.”

Wilson travelled to Nashville, Tenn., for a two-day teaching session on pickleball, so he would be able to teach the sport.

East Ridge Country Club has converted one of its tennis courts into three pickleball courts and tennis pro Tom Chicoine offers “101 Pickleball,” which includes week-long packages of pickleball instruction.

Southern Hills Tennis Center, which has recently undergone major improvements, is also looking into installing pickleball courts. You can also find pickleball courts at Querbes Tennis Center.

If the rise of pickleball continues, look for more courts to pop up across the area.

Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com

Photo by HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD

The frightening commentary about feral hogs around much of the country today is this – if you don’t have hogs on your property now, just wait; they’re coming.

So, what is the problem with having feral hogs on your property? Aren’t they just another species of wildlife that have a right to compete for living spaces? Not exactly – wild pigs not only can but do horrific damage to the landscape, rooting up food plots and fouling water sources.

They’re worse than that. Feral pigs also are disease carriers of up to 37 parasites with at least 30 diseases that can be transmitted to people, pets, or wildlife. The case is thusly made that wild pigs need to be eradicated or their numbers reduced.

But how do you go about that? You can try to shoot them but when harassed just a bit, they become as wary as deer and start doing their damage under the cover of darkness.

Trapping efforts thus far have only a margin of success as when some are caught, the others become wary of traps. In wide open spaces like south Texas where they present a serious problem, hiring a team of shooters firing from helicopters has been somewhat successful.

The use of poisoned bait will take out hogs, but more species than pigs are attracted to the bait. Surely there must be some method that has promise of working.

According to Union Parish resident Peyton McKinnie, there is a way that can put a damper on feral hogs, but it only works in one area at a time, unless the general public gets behind the effort and coughs up the dollars necessary to get it done.

“Feral pigs began showing up on our hunting club over the past few years,” said McKinnie. “We did some research and learned that there are an estimated 700,000 feral hogs in Louisiana. We felt we had to try and do something about those in our area.”

Contacting a company headquartered in Sterlington, he and some of his hunting club members invested in a product manufactured by Hog Boss, a system that utilizes a pen and gate that can be triggered remotely when hogs enter the pen.

“You can purchase the whole package for around $4,000 but if you build your own pen with panels that can be purchased at several area businesses along with t-posts, you can purchase the gate from Hog Boss that includes a control system with a remote camera that can be activated by a cellular phone,” added McKinnie. “We built our own pens and purchased the gate and control system for about $1,300.”

Does it work? Consider that since deer season ended this year, McKinnie and his friends have trapped and disposed of 145 feral pigs, and they trapped these on just two hunting clubs in Union Parish, plus another area they had permission to trap.

In a statement on the Hog Boss website (hogbossgates.com) the owners said, “In just a few nights, feral swine can decimate lawns, native habitats, and pasture lands. Common feral swine damage includes rooting, wallowing, and trampling of sensitive vegetation totaling an estimated $1.5 billion in damage annually.

“Hog Boss gates are the most effective cellular-controlled hog trapping system on the market. The gate includes a cellular control unit, long range antenna, and solar panel. It requires cellular activation that can be operated for about $100 a year. The gate requires a 12-volt battery and cellular trail camera, and our system will work with any cellular trail camera.”

We inquired of McKinnie as to what happens to the pigs that are trapped.

“All the meat is donated, and we have had no problem finding individuals or groups who are happy to make use of the meat,” he said. “We have been pleased with the way it has worked for us and encourage any group to invest in the system to help in reducing the numbers of these

destructive animals.”

For more information, contact Hog Boss Gates at 800-726-9930 or email hogbossgates@gmail.com.

By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports

No matter if you spend a day at Louisiana Downs, or one of the state’s other three horse racetracks, you don’t want to see a grandstand in disrepair.

You don’t want to see worn and trampled landscaping.

You don’t want to have limited food options.

Now, it’s a sure bet those things will be less likely to happen.

Tuesday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed House Bill 1055. The new law requires Louisiana Downs, Fair Grounds (New Orleans), Evangeline Downs (St. Landry Parish), and Delta Downs (Vinton) to spend money necessary to meet minimum standard requirements in several areas. Those requirements will be established and enforced by the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC).

A track’s failure to comply could mean a fine, and suspension of the track’s license.

“Evidently the legislature thought it was necessary to set these minimum standards,” said Charles Gardiner III, Executive Director of the LSRC. “I think it will give the racing commission a lot of authority. If at any time the commission feels that a track is not performing or taking care of its facility to the commission’s satisfaction, (the LSRC) can rely on those minimum standards and rules by which a track, as a condition of their license, will have to adhere to.”

In anticipation of HB 1055 becoming law, the LSRC recently began efforts to establish those “minimum standards.”

“That’s a work in progress,” Gardiner said. “This is all fairly new to us. I think it’s a novel approach. There are going to be discussions held, I’m sure, among certain committees on the racing commission, and the (racetracks). Hopefully those discussions will result in a baseline.”

Under HB 1055, the state’s tracks are required to submit to the LSRC a plan of operation for each fiscal year. That plan must include expenditure details related to — among other things — customer service, marketing and promotions, capital improvements, and facility maintenance. “Facility Maintenance” includes the track’s racing surface, barns, grandstands, and paddocks.

“We’re already doing the things they are requesting,” said Mitch Dennison, General Manager of Racing at Louisiana Downs. “Our job is to update the commission with our progress reports. We don’t see a problem with it. I think what the bill does is create a better line of communication with the racing commission and that’s better for Louisiana racing as a whole.”

The bill’s author, Representative Jason Hughes (D-Orleans Parish), did not return several requests for comment.

Two main improvements at Louisiana Downs — which will fall under the new law — have been in areas fans will never see.

The “test barn” is where a horse is taken after a race for blood and urine tests, “to make sure the horses are racing legally, with no illegal medication,” Dennison explained.

After years of neglect, Dennison said the track is in the process of installing surveillance cameras.

“We want to make racing as transparent as possible, and make our facility safer and better,” Dennison said.

Jockeys spend long days at the track, from early morning workouts to late afternoon races. Yet, since 2013, Dennison said there hasn’t been a jockey kitchen at Louisiana Downs, where riders can buy and eat meals.

Work is being done to solve that issue.

“They will be able to purchase a burger, a sandwich,” Dennison said. “There will be hot meals. There will be candy and concession foods there as well.”

Now that HB 1055 is law, tracks must submit their reports on a quarterly basis, starting on or before Oct. 20.

Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Louisiana Downs

Welcome to summertime, which began Tuesday with the summer “solstice,” a Latin word for “if our AC goes out, call 911.”

So if Tuesday seemed like a really long day … it was. The longest. Because of the way the Earth and Sun were situated — with the Earth tilting on one of its poles and other complicated astronomical stuff that you already know so why should I explain — Tuesday was the longest day and shortest night of the year.

If you are married and came home and said, “Honey, it’s been a long day,” you might have been figuratively correct but you were most definitely literally correct. In other words, for once in your marriage, you were right, even if you didn’t mean to be.

Another reason why summer is good.

Song after song has been written and sung about summertime.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…”

“In the good ol’ summertime…”

“The summer wind/came blowin’ in/from across the sea/It lingered there/to touch your hair/and walk with me…”

“We’ve been havin’ fun all summer long…” – Beach Boys, of course.

And — also of course — the late, great Roger Miller wrote this, a favorite because, well, Roger Miller …

“In the summertime

When all the leaves and trees are green

And the redbird sings ‘I’ll be blue

’Cause you don’t want my love…”

Clever Roger Miller with the colors, green and red and blue. But it’s a sad summer song, and sad is not what summer is about.

It’s complicated now, when school starts and when school stops. Makes no sense.

But in a simpler time, the school system owned our adolescent butts from Labor Day until Memorial Day. Owned us. That was understood. Two days for Thanksgiving. Christmas was a couple weeks, the Glory Days of Wintertime Kiddom. There was an Easter Day or two. Maybe a Presidents Day.

But basically, they had you where they wanted you. In front of a chalkboard. Labor Day until Memorial Day.

Fine.

But we knew that glorious summertime was ours. Memorial Day passed, and we were free to run barefoot for three months. No questions asked.

We worked, sure. Depending on where you grew up, there was grass to cut, tractors to drive.

But there was also baseball to play. Afternoons at the pool. Bikes to ride from daylight to dusk.

Watermelon and sweat and smiles. And you could go to bed Sunday night without thinking of homeroom Monday. Monday was just another “free” day to be a kid, to drink from the water hose (wait a minute ’til it gets cold!), to get sunburned, to hear your momma calling you in for supper.

It’s hot, for sure. Supposed to be more than 100 this weekend. But I can take off enough to stay cool; can’t put on enough in the wintertime to stay warm.

I’ll take summer any day.

It’s been 25 years since I was out walking and met a guy from Up North washing his car. He’d just moved here. He mentioned in passing how hot it was. I nodded and told him it sure was and kept walking.

It was only April. I didn’t have the heart to tell him…

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

The Shreveport Mavericks will begin their best-of-three semifinal series in The Basketball League playoffs tonight against the So Cal Moguls of San Diego at Centenary’s Gold Dome. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.

Game two for the series will be played Thursday at the same time and place and if necessary, game three will take place Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Gold Dome.

So Cal is coached by Olden Polynice, a former NBA player for 16 years. The Moguls, who finished the regular season with an 18-6 record, are led in scoring by 6-foot point guard Julian Winton at 25.7 points per game. He has a season-high 42 points against Vancouver in early April and has posted 31 or more points nine times this season. He also averages 4.9 assists per game. 

The Moguls also get double digit scoring from 6-foot-4 Josue Salaam (16.1), 6-foot-5 Davion Johnson at 14.8, and Kevin McNeal scores 13.1 a game. Alex Smith averages 11.1 points and a team-best 5.5 rebounds. They finished second in the West Conference to the California Sea-Kings (20-4) who they defeated in game three of their championship series 108-107 Sunday.

The Mavericks won game three of their conference series Saturday to eliminate Enid, the defending TBL champions.

Paul Parks still leads the Mavs in scoring with a 22.7 points per game average. Paul Harrison is averaging 19.6 points and eight rebounds a game, Tyrone Jordan 16.1 points a game and PJ Meyers averages 6.1 assists a game.

Photo by LEE HILLER