Whetting the Sports Appetite Before the Games Begin
By DOUG EATON
Contributing Writer
While the easing of quarantine requirements and travel restrictions may be getting us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy, there are still many questions as to when, where and how sports fans will be able to attend a game in person. Will Tulsa Drillers fans be able to watch a game live at ONEOK Field this season? Will there be high school football this fall? Can TU, OU and OSU football fans attend games in person once the season starts?
Since it appears there will be additional time before games are available to attend, there are a number of alternatives in the area to satisfy sports fans’ appetites in the meantime. All these suggestions below are within a 60 to 90-minute drive from Tulsa:
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame – Oklahoma City. The museum’s main goal is to promote Oklahoma, while honoring and recognizing nearly 200 great Oklahomans who have represented the state positively at not only the state level, but also the national and international levels. The museum is located at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Jim Thorpe Home – Yale, Oklahoma. Take a tour of the former home of 1912 Olympian Jim Thorpe, often referred to as the “world’s greatest athlete.” Explore artifacts and displays of Thorpe’s track and field awards, as well as many family items. This two-bedroom house is the only home Jim Thorpe ever owned and includes a log cabin that sits beside it.
Mickey Mantle’s boyhood home – Commerce. Located at 319 South Quincy, the home appears pretty much unchanged since his youth. Baseball’s greatest power hitting switch-hitter learned to hit in the side yard as his father and grandfather would take turns pitching to him. You can still see the dents in the side of the tin shed that was used as a backstop.
National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum – Oklahoma City. The Hall of Fame, with over 400 inductees, honors those men and women who have played a major role in the growth and development of softball, one of the great sports of the United States.
Territorial Capital Sports Museum – Guthrie. Famous sports names and their artifacts inhabit every room of the museum. Baseball, basketball, football, Olympics, golf and rodeo are represented with comprehensive gallery exhibits. Oklahoma Heisman Trophy Award winners, Final Four teams and Native American athletes are lauded along with tributes to women in Oklahoma Sports. A gallery devoted to the Oklahoma High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame is one of the highlights of the Museum.
Shulthis Stadium in Riverside Park – Independence, Kansas. The site of the first night game in the history of organized baseball (April 28, 1930). It is also where Mickey Mantle played his first professional game and hit his first professional home as a member of the Independence Yankees. Just 90 miles north of Tulsa, the stadium is open with displays commemorating these events and is still in use for high school football games.
Carl Hubbell Museum – Meeker. Carl Hubbell grew up in Meeker and the Meeker City Hall has a museum dedicated to Hubbell, one of the greatest pitchers ever and a Hall of Famer. Hubbell is still remembered for striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in their consecutive at-bats in the 1934 All-Star Game.
International Gymnastics Hall of Fame – Oklahoma City. The Hall recognizes the greatest gymnasts in the world and honors their excellence and artistry that inspires so many young athletes, coaches and fans across the globe. It has become the pre-eminent showcase for Olympic and World champions in artistic gymnastics – from every era and representing more than 20 nations.
With the COVID-19 situation, it is advised to call ahead prior to your visit to confirm available visiting hours.
