by In baseball, there’s something special about walking into a ballpark. It’s something I’ve enjoyed since I was taken to my 1st game as a pee wee baseball player at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the early 1980’s. I’ve been to many different parks or sports venues over the years but my visit to the legendary Rickwood Field this past weekend was something on a different level.
While driving home from vacation in Florida, I felt the importance of stopping at this Alabama landmark that I honestly knew nothing about until last summer. The reason this ballpark was on my radar was thanks to MLB agreeing to play a regular season game there last summer as a tribute to the Negro Leagues, the players, and the ballpark itself.
The game was played by the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants with the Cards winning the game 6-5. The night was about baseball but the presence of the former Negro League players and them being honored for their place in history was the real story outside of a box score.
This ballpark opened August 18th 1910. That’s almost a full 2 years before the sinking of the Titanic. It opened as the newest ballpark in the country at that time and now stands as the oldest baseball park 114 years later and counting. The ballpark got its name from industrialist A. H. “Rick” Woodard. He was the owner of the Birmingham Barons. Rick had a passion for playing baseball as a youth. So much so that he inserted himself into the starting lineup on the ballpark’s opening day.
Now when you say he threw out the first pitch of the game he really did throw out the first pitch of the game. It was a ball. By 1912, baseball was becoming the national pastime and in Birmingham they were not only filling the seats and bleachers but witnessing standing room only crowds. Cities used to be presented with trophies for having the largest opening day crowds. Birmingham won it in 1912, 1914, and 1915.
In 1919, the Birmingham Black Barons are formed local company teams and joined the Negro Leagues. They agreed to rent Rickwood Field on Sundays when his Barons were out of town. The black and white crowds were large and the fans at the time were segregated. Alabama native and Baseball Hall of Famer, Satchel Paige was on the early Black Barons players. Willie Mays began his professional career with the Black Barons. The list of legends who played games at this ballpark include Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Ernie Banks, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle to name a few.
My visit to the ballpark was a journey that was just about 10 to 15 minutes off I-65 just outside of downtown Birmingham. The short trip to get to the ballpark was in an area that has fallen on hard economic times. A struggling community where I saw many closed down businesses and homeless individuals just trying to get through another hot summer’s day in the south. Once we pulled on the street where the ballpark was there was a gravel and grass parking area on the 3rd base left field side.
The parking and admission into Rickwood Field were free. I entered through the main entrance where you first get the feel of the old ticket windows and the fenced gated entrance where you can imagine ticket takers sitting there letting fans in for a game. Before I entered up the ramps to the field I stopped in the museum and gift shop store behind the first base side where I met with the president of Rickwood Field, Mr. Gerald Watkins.
He discussed some of the history of the park and the players who played there as we looked around at the many jerseys on display. The photos, gloves, and even a plaque to the great Willie Mays were on great pieces of history available too. The store has anything from hats, shirts, jerseys, posters and something that I bought was authentic infield dirt from the field. There was also a guided tour you could go on that was about 1 hour long. I highly recommend purchasing something from the store or making a donation to this epic ballpark and the people that keep this landmark operating.
I entered up the ramp now to see the field and stadium itself. I was very fortunate that there was a youth baseball tournament being held for the 4th of July weekend. Game action at the same time as my walkthrough was great even though I would’ve liked to have stood on the mound and in the batter’s box. You notice right away the age and character of the ballpark. The iconic light fixtures coming off the roof and the seating in the lower level were flat out awesome to gaze at. I walked as far as I could out in right field and to the end of the left filed side to really take in the angles that fans would have to watch the game.
I took a few minutes just to take in the vibe of the history of what the fans must have been like over the decades and decades of game play in this building. From the awful things that players heard to the cheers heard because of a play well made in the field or at the plate. Baseball has played such an important role in our country’s race relations. I can’t thank Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and the many players of the Negro Leagues enough for their contributions and sacrifices where sports have shown the way to a better society. I honestly could’ve sat there all afternoon and just hung out listening to the crack (ping) of the bat and sounds of the game just watching ball.
I hope that my story will help encourage you to take the time out of your life if you happen to be in the Birmingham area and stop by and see this important landmark of baseball history. Make sure you call or email ahead and make sure someone is there. Go to Rickwood.com for more info. Please share any questions or feedback you may have, and I’d be happy to respond. Thank you Rickwood Field for being even more amazing in person! Thank you Birmingham Alabama!
PLEASE ENJOY THESE PHOTOS.
