Skip to main content
U.K. Edition
Thursday, 28 March 2024

Tri-State Treasure: Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame

Credit: WEVV
Duration: 0 shares 1 views

Tri-State Treasure: Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame
Tri-State Treasure: Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame
Tri-State Treasure: Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame

Around the corner which means baseball season is approaching.

Tonigh?

Morning anchor tommy mason takes a swing at telling the story of how the indiana baseball hall of fame came to be?

In an unlikely location.

Its the subject of this week's tr?

State treasures.

The mugs of nearly 200 hoosier baseball players hang on the wall of the indiana baseball museum in jasper indiana..... but beyond the hundreds of honored athletes?

One man is tasked with sharing those stories.... executive director ray howard?

First explains how he and the hall?

Wound up in jasper.... "i'm originally from indianapolis.

And we have something in common.

We both went to ben davis high school.

Then i went was indiana central and now its u of indy.

Where i pitched and played ball there."

From there coach howard would begin his high school baseball coaching career at decatur central?

Before arriving in jasper in the 1970's?

To lead the wildcats.... in 1971 the first of 189 eventual hall of fame inductees were honored?

Long before breaking ground on the future home in the early 1990's.... as for induction into the hall?

Howard explains?

Besides players and coach?

Those that contribute to the game outside the baselines?

Also have a place.... "you can be inducted in the hall of fame as either a coach in high school and college, as a player like don mattingly, andy benes and some of the other guys, scott rolen.

Or you can go in as a contributor."

And?

Its no secret southern indiana has produced a long list of successful teams and professional players over the years.... howard tries to explain the reason for such an abundance of southern indiana talent.... "i don't know what it is.

(edit potion) if you go back to the old days of the deer trail league, 3 i league.

They played in kentucky, illinois and southern indiana.

Every small town had a baseball team.

And that's what you did on the weekends.

On saturday and sunday you went to the ball park."

Although the indiana baseball hall of fame is just over 3?

Hundred square feet?

It has preserved artifacts that even howard says?

Sports historians around the country would be envious of.... one example?

A 48 ounce bat used at the big league level?

By oakland city native edd roush?

Just two ounces shy of what was being swung by babe ruth at the time.... "cooperstown doesn't have that.

This is the hundredth year anniversary of the negro league.

We've got five pictures of actual signatures of guys that played in the negro league.

And they don't have that.

So there's some unique things here."

The hall scales back its hours of operation from august until may?

Where its open thursday through sunday.... and then ?

Days a week after school lets out for the summer.... admission to hall of fame is ?dollars for adults?

?

Dollars for those 12 and under and ?

Bucks for seniors.... and future hall of famers under five?

Are free.... as the indiana baseball hall of fame plans for its next big fundraiser?

An annual golf outing in the fall?

Coach howard?

Shares his hopes for the hall in the new decade.... "i haven't thought about it.

I just hope i'm here to see it.

(laugher)..... tommy mason

You might like