History Comes to Life: The Owensboro Oilers
So, the song, “Ridin’ Dirty” came on the radio the other
day, and my very astute 11-year-old asked if I knew what it meant. I am by no
means an “old fogey,” “old fart” or even past the age of 30, but I very
honestly answered, “no, why do you?”
“It means
you have drugs in your car, or something else you aren’t supposed to have,” she
matter-of-factly retorted; and then proceeded to sing along. Being the
contentious parent that I am, I immediately flipped the station to wholesome
oldies; my daughter was not impressed with my parenting skills…
We live in
a world where sex, drugs and all those “things you aren’t supposed have” are
glamorized and marketed to kids – and I’m not talking about teenagers (who are
programmed to get into stuff); I’m talking about elementary age children! Now,
I’m no Dr. James Dobson, or claim to be an expert on parental responsibility,
but it is my job to report on
entertainment, and though Owensboro
is notorious for being host to a plethora of entertainment that caters to
families, sometimes we look for something a little more engaging to do with our
lazy summer evenings.
Photography | OwensboroOilers.com
Home games
are played at Chautauqua
Park at 7:00 p.m. and
admission
is only $5. Kids 12 and under are free.
It has been
said that baseball is America’s
favorite pastime, and Owensboro
is lucky enough to not only hold a scrap of baseball legacy, the history is in
the making! Back in 1903, more than a century ago, Frank H. Bassett, a baseball
enthusiast from Hopkinsville, KY,
began gathering promoters from western Kentucky,
Tennessee and southern Illinois – from there a Class D Professional
Baseball League, the “K-I-T League,” was born. Baseball teams started springing
up all over the region with homegrown names like, the Henderson Hens, Vincennes
Alices, Hopkinsville Hoppers and the Madisonville Miners. Owensboro named its own team the Owensboro
Oilers. Through 1958, (only disbanding for wars) the Kitty League played relentless
baseball and the Owensboro Oilers took the championship pennant from 1946 until
1947 and then again in 1949. The Owensboro Oilers continued playing until 1955
until Miller Field, considered the finest ballpark in the Kitty League for many
years and home to the Owensboro Oilers since 1937, was demolished on September
19. "It's too valuable a piece of land for a baseball park," said
James C. Ellis, who purchased the property.
Photography | OwensboroOilers.com
Four years
ago, Charlie Pierce, a Babe Ruth League Commissioner, decided to resurrect the
long forgotten team. This time, it isn’t Class D Professional Baseball, but
rather the K-I-T League is summer college baseball. Guys from a dozen different
colleges move to Owensboro
for the summer for a chance to play almost every day in this sweltering
humidity! Coach Nathan Isenberg, the Henderson
County High
School baseball coach, heads up the team of 22
players. One out of only about 25 leagues nationwide, the K-I-T League is NCAA
compliant and only uses wooden bats, and when the guys aren’t swinging, running
and tagging, they are out in the community working with kids at the local Boys
& Girls Club.
The
Owensboro Oilers have a deep and interesting history that are sure to keep the
big and little kids engaged this summer, and the sights, smells and sounds of the
game will make you feel nostalgic.
Visit www.owensborooilers.com for more info and a complete schedule,
www.kitleaguebaseball.com for more info on the K-I-T League or
www.kittyleague.com for a history of the Kitty League.
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