Old School Baseball League back in session
The 2011 Indiana Old School Baseball League hosted its opening day games in Huntingburg’s League Stadium Saturday evening. The league, in its second season, is the brainchild and special project of former Pike Central player and Atlanta businessman Scott Gladish.
In 2006 Scott attended a weeklong Boston Red Sox spring training fantasy camp in Fort Myers, Florida. He had such a good time he wanted to provide a similar opportunity for other fans and former players. One of the highlights for Scott was playing on a beautiful field every day. When he found out about League Stadium in Huntingburg, he knew it was the right place for his new league. “I couldn’t believe how nice [the stadium] was compared to the goat tracks used by adult baseball teams in Atlanta,” said Gladdish.
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If numbers are any indication of success, the league’s future looks very bright. For the 2011 season the league has expanded from four to six teams, with the Huntingburg Happy Hunters and Dubois Jeeps joining sophomore squads Dale Golden Aces, Holland Dutchmen, Ireland Spuds, and defending league champion Winslow Eskimos, who boast the services of former major leaguer Kevin Brown.
The Indiana Old School Baseball League serves several purposes. One of the main objectives is local economic development. With its five-week schedule of Saturday evening games, and additional games played on Labor Day, the league provides fans with the opportunity to visit historic League Stadium, one of the cornerstones of the Dubois County tourism and recreation industry. The stadium sits idle for nearly six months of the year, and the Old School Baseball League is extending the availability of the stadium for another six weeks, from the end of the summer collegiate season of the Dubois County Bombers in early August to the middle of September.
“It’s just great to have the stadium being used,” said Fourth Street merchant Mary Uebelhor, who attended mainly to see her two nephews play for the Dubois Jeeps.
Huntingburg mayoral candidate Denny Spinner added, “League Stadium is a unique attraction that only Huntingburg can offer. Hosting the Old School League is an example of how we can promote our parks and our city, and provide quality family entertainment to our citizens and our visitors here in Southern Indiana.”
The Indiana Old School Baseball League also serves to keep local traditions alive. The idea of naming the teams in honor of small town high school mascots renews local community pride and rekindles old rivalries. Most of the communities represented in the league have lost their high schools due to consolidation, and while regionalism has its advantages, there is also much to be said for retaining distinct local identities. While the rosters of the teams are not made up exclusively of players from the towns they represent, there is an effort to have strong ties between the teams and their namesake communities. The league championship prize is called the “Town Council Trophy,” and there are community bragging rights at stake within the overall spirit of collegiality found in the league.
The Old School Baseball League also provides adult athletes (and former athletes) the opportunity to continue to play a beloved game. Players must be at least 21 years old, and as yet there’s no upper age limit in place. The rosters of the six teams are full of former high school, collegiate, and even professional stars. While many of these stars reached their zeniths several years ago, it’s fun to watch “experience, old age, and treachery” taking on the raw athletic abilities of the younger players.
While softball is a great game, there is a significant difference between it and authentic wood bat baseball, and many “stick and ball” players continue to love the game they grew up playing. The Old School Baseball League provides this great opportunity for mature baseball players to keep playing.
Dale Aces team captain Brad Fella commented, “I’m not real sure what the Aces are going to be like [this year], but I know one thing, we’ll have a heck of a lot of fun playing, watching, and simply being around other baseball players.”
Indiana Old School League baseball games will be played each Saturday at League Stadium in Huntingburg, culminating with the “Town Council Trophy” championship game on September 17th. Saturday game times are 4:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 8:00 pm, with additional games being played at 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and 5:00 pm on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th. For more information about the league visit the Web site at: www.indianaoldschool.com.
