Although the fields are empty now, many Warsaw residents have been involved with Boggs Park. Whether through playing little league, or coaching a little league team, or attending games as a parent, or helping in the construction process, Boggs Park has been a part of many peoples' lives.

Jim Breading, one of several people who was instrumental in bringing Boggs Park to Warsaw, recently retired from his duties after 17 years of service to Warsaw Little League, the last four as president.

Although he began as a board member in 1982, Breading was actually involved in Warsaw Little League long before that. He was one of the first members of Warsaw Little League when it started in 1952. He was also involved in the first trade in the league. They had too many 12-year-olds and had to swap some players around. So Breading has seen the rise of this program from the beginning.

"It has gone from a mom and pop store to the big time," Breading said. "When I first started, we began meeting in February. Now, we meet year-round. Starting in January, we have two meetings a month along with committee meetings. We went from zero budget to five digits."

Breading is quick to point out, though, that he is not the only person who has put in the time and energy to make the Warsaw program one of the most successful ones around. Freddie Boggs' donation of the land on which Boggs Park sits is just one example of the many people who have given to the organization.

"It hasn't just been me doing it," Breading said. "There's been a lot of people putting in a lot of time out there. There's probably a lot of people who have been out there as much as I have."

How much is Breading out there?

Well, little league plays six days a week during the season with approximately eight games a night and Breading sees almost all of them. After seeing the land for Boggs Park the first time, he probably would have never imagined what it has become.

"It was built on a dump," Breading said. "When I first got out there, it was a rockpile. The rocks were terrible, and I would have hated to have been an outfielder. Today, it's like playing on carpet and that's because of the generosity of a lot of people in town."

After his playing days were over, he coached and umpired for many years for Warsaw Little League. In the early 1960s, he helped his uncle coach the Cubs to the championship. Breading's little league career record stands at 120-18. However, his involvement in little league may not have gone much further if not for his wife.

"I got into it because my wife said, 'Quit complaining or do something about it,'" Breading said. "You don't like what they're doing or you don't agree with some of the stuff; get in and see if you can make it better. Hopefully, that's what I've done."

His involvement was also an object lesson to his sons.

"My boys keep saying, 'Dad, why do you do that?'" Breading said. "I said, 'Well 'Well sons, when the community gives you something, you need to give back.' I feel like all I'm doing is giving back what somebody else gave to me."

The pride and joy of Warsaw Little League is the invitational held every year. It is the major fund-raiser for the program and has teams in from Noblesville, the Gary Hammond area, Fort Wayne and Michigan. It started with 12-14 teams and has built to over 60.

"We have a pretty good draw into the community at the end of the year," Breading said. "That's a pretty big fund-raiser. Basically, the main fund-raiser to help pay the bills is that invitational at the end of the year."

Warsaw Little League is looking to the future with a smile. Plans are in the works for an improved parking lot at Boggs Park and the continued improvement of fields and the invitational tournament.

"Little league is on the right track now and I think it's going to improve," Breading said. "With the acquisition of the parking lot coming up, that's going to help. That's going to put Warsaw Little League out there for good."

Over the years, Breading has seen enough things to give advice to all parties involved in little league.

"Give your best," Breading said. "Try hard and don't worry about failure. Go out there and have a good time. The skills will come. Don't expect to be Bobby Bonilla overnight. Same thing for the parents. Don't expect your kids to play like a pro. When he's out making $12 million a year, then you can yell at him. Most of the kids, no matter what the call, they don't care. They're having fun. It's the parents that get irate and expect little junior to be a superstar. They're just kids. That's something that when my boy played, I had to keep reminding myself. He's only 11 years old."

Breading has been around the block enough to know when it is time to call it quits. He wants the best for little league and he realizes that that may not be him.

"I had another year to go on my term," Breading said. "Somewhere throughout the season, I decided that it was time to make a change. I've been there for 17 years and I just felt that it was time that someone else took the reigns. I don't think things were getting stagnant, but sometimes you need a change of leadership and I was ready to do something different."

Breading has many memories from his years with Warsaw Little League, but one may stand out above the rest.

"The thing that sticks out in my mind is opening day after we got our fields all fixed up," Breading said. "We had a big ceremony and that was really a standout day. I've enjoyed it. I wouldn't be out there if I didn't enjoy it." [[In-content Ad]]