Baseball in Birmingham: Rickwood Field is living history

Another View

The first MLB regular season game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will be played next June 2024, at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. It is the first time an MLB game will be played at a Negro League ballpark. 

Rickwood, the oldest professional baseball park in the United States, was once home for both the minor league Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.

A virtual Negro Leagues “Who’s Who” played at Rickwood Field during their baseball careers, from A (Hank Aaron) to Z (Jim Zapp), including Willie Mays, who grew up minutes from the park. Three films have also used the stadium as a backdrop, including “42” (2012), because Jackie Robinson also played there.  

“It’s so important to not forget about the past.” declared Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to the MSR, after his remarks during the August 3 ceremony at the ballpark to unveil the 2024 event name and logo. 

“That’s not just one generation. There are so many generations when it comes to baseball history, and particularly Black baseball history, especially Birmingham Black Barons. The city of Birmingham is honored to host this game. Rickwood is not past tense, but living history.”

“I feel super connected to this place, super connected to the Negro Leagues,” said six-time All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia. He and former MLBers Ryan Howard, Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson, and Randy Winn gave brief remarks along with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick. 

“It’s always going to be a mission of mine to be visible and make sure that I’m here and showing up any chance I get for the players that paved the way for me,” added the pitcher.

Former major leaguer Harold Reynolds, now an MLB network analyst, served as emcee. He read aloud a text he received from Willie Mays, who wasn’t able to attend: “I have wonderful memories playing there. It was a source of empowerment. The Negro Leagues produced champions in more ways than one,” texted the Hall of Famer.

While in Birmingham for NABJ, the same week of the Rickwood event, we also attended a Birmingham Barons game at Regions Park. Between the two clubs, there were three Black ballplayers, one Black reporter, and a very light sprinkling of Blacks in the stands on a night when the 90-plus daytime temp was cooling down to the mid-80s by game time.

A veteran Black stadium worker told us this is typical. “We don’t buy advance tickets. Depending on the weather, we buy at the door.”

This prompted my age-old question: Can next year’s Rickwood game help attract more Black fans? It’s no secret that African American MLB players are in single-digit percentages.

“I think there has to continue to be these conversations…and try to come up with the right solution so we can rectify that,” noted Howard, a World Series champion, NL MVP, NL Rookie of the Year, two-time MLB home run leader and three-time MLB RBI leader during his entire Philadelphia Phillies career (2004-16).  

“Numbers are definitely going down since I played,” said Winn, who played for five MLB clubs (1998-2010) and is now an analyst for Giants broadcasts. “Our game has gotten very one-dimensional. Right now most ball clubs are looking for one thing—power hitters.”

Asked if I am spending too much time talking about the low numbers of African Americans in baseball, the former MLBs and others told me I need not stop.  

“I think everybody recognizes that we still got work to do,” said Reynolds. “But I do see a change coming. It’s more of a financial problem…so we got to get those kids opportunity to get seen and get in front of those college coaches and pro scouts.”