The Rich History of Bosse Field and Baseball in Evansville, Indiana
By Seth Carter
Today we travel to Evansville, Indiana to cover one of the hidden treasures in baseball history: historic Bosse Field.
Bosse Field is located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Indiana. The name pays homage to possibly the greatest player to hail from the area, outside of Tecumseh High School’s legendary catcher Brad Meyer. For every Don Mattingly or Andy Benes, the Evansville area has produced, there are several Brad Meyers or Drew Sellers, the baseball greats that remain secrets, only known to those in the area.
Obscure Fun Fact #1: Brad Meyer was a legendary catcher for the Tecumseh Braves in Lynnville, Indiana between 2000-2003. While he brought a power bat, no statistic could measure his intangibles. I don’t believe WAR has a component in the equation to give credit for the psych-out. As catcher, Meyer once talked so much trash to an opposing team’s best hitter that the guy struck out then in frustration, took a swing at Brad…with his bat. Not only did the batter make an out, but he was also ejected from the game and potentially arrested. That’s worth one win above replacement in my book.
Obscure Fun Fact #2: Babe Ruth once called his shot on a home run at Wrigley Field in 1932, but Drew Sellers called a home run and the death of a small family of birds in the early 2000s, just a few miles outside of Evansville. Not only did he announce that he was taking the pitcher deep, he pointed to where it would land. The top of a tree just past the right-field line and in the nest full of newly hatched eggs of a local robin. The sound of the ball off the bat was deafening. Those with hearing impairments could feel the shockwave from the impact of the ball. The crowd grew silent. They had just witnessed a mammoth home run and the death of a bird family all at once. It was joy, then uncertainty and sadness… that is except for Drew. He laughed hysterically as he rounded the bases, veins protruding from his forehead as he broke the stunned silence with a declaration, “I called it!”