BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — “I remained always hopeful that this day would come.”
This is the way Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, sums up his feelings as he watched wheelchair after wheelchair head toward foul territory at Rickwood Field. Each was carrying an aging veteran of the Negro Leagues so they could be honored at Major League Baseball’s much-anticipated event.
Dubbed “MLB at Rickwood,” the three-day event culminated Thursday night in the first regular-season big-league game in the state of Alabama. The marquee said it was the St. Louis Cardinals playing the San Francisco Giants, but the real star was the Negro Leagues. And in particular, the late Willie Mays, who passed away as the three-day event was starting Tuesday, was at center stage.
Mays, who grew up just two miles from Rickwood, started his career by playing for the Birmingham Black Barons while a high school junior. He soon became their starting center fielder and led them to the Negro American League title in 1948. In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants signed Mays away from the Black Barons.
The result was a Hall of Fame career. You can make a convincing case that he was the greatest player in the history of the game.
It all started here at Rickwood Field.
And now MLB is making a long-overdue visit to honor Mays and the rest of the players of the Negro Leagues – some of whom followed Robinson and Mays into “white” baseball … but most of whom never had the chance.
“Any of us charged with being the stewards of the history of the Negro Leagues can’t help but feel a sense of pride about this,” Kendrick says. “So proud. So proud.”
While it’s obvious that this was largely about the Negro Leagues, we shouldn’t forget what a big deal this is for citizens of Alabama.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt tells USA TODAY Sports that her state is justly proud to host this game. “Alabama has played an important role in baseball. Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron all were born here. We’re so proud to showcase these and other men who played here.”
At the end of the evening, the scoreboard told us that Mays’ Giants had fallen to the Cardinals 6-5. But the real winners, though, were the Negro Leagues.
Here now are the ten best things I learned while attending the three-day event in Birmingham:
1. Impact of the death of Willie Mays
When the PA announcer read the solemn news of Mays’ passing during the minor league game at Rickwood Tuesday night, there was stunned silence by the crowd. Slowly a rousing cheer arose from the attendees. It grew into a standing ovation, clearly the loudest the crowd had been all evening.
Mays isn’t just the most gifted five-tool player of all time. This is his hometown. On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to dedicate a mammoth mural of Mays in downtown Birmingham. He is revered here, as he should be.
Rickwood Field has gone by the same name since it opened its gates. I’m sure there would be a groundswell of support for the first renaming of the ballpark in its 114-year history. How about “Rickwood Field at Willie Mays Ballpark”?
2. Honoring the Negro Leagues shouldn’t be a one-time occurrence
There were two homers in the game, one by the Cards’ Brendan Donovan and the other by the Giants’ Heliot Ramos. Both landed beyond the right field wall.
This is the spot where bleachers once stood at Rickwood. Those uncovered bleachers were “colored only” during the days of segregation in the South.
Those bleachers are gone, as is segregation. But the lessons of that time need to be remembered.
That’s why this game honoring the Negro Leagues shouldn’t be a one-off occurrence. Now that there is a brand-new multi-million-dollar playing surface and the heavy lifting of figuring how to pull this off is done, it’s time to make this an annual event.
But there are so few parks left standing that once hosted Negro League ball, MLB should make the effort to bring a “jewel” event like this to them. Those include Paterson, New Jersey’s Hinchliffe Stadium and Hamtramck Stadium in Michigan. Even if they simply can’t accommodate a full-fledged big-league game, bring a minor league game or a charity game with former players.
MLB, please do something at these aging parks while these treasures are still here.
3. MLB has learned from each event it has hosted like this
This kind of jewel event traces its roots to 2016, when MLB constructed a temporary ballpark on an abandoned golf course at Fort Liberty (called Fort Bragg at the time) in North Carolina. Since then, MLB has rebuilt a tiny minor league park in Williamsport so a game could coincide with the Little League World Series, and created a temporary stadium in the cornfield in Iowa where the “Field of Dreams” movie was filmed.
Each created tremendous buzz and generated very positive press for MLB. And each outdid the previous event in the scope of fan amenities.
The facilities for this week’s events in Birmingham truly top any previous such event. And it’s not close.
MLB has brought more port-a-potties, more food stands, more merchandise trailers, a bigger stage for music acts, more first-aid stations, more misters, more beer stands and more room for fans to mill about.
And all of that is outside of the ballpark. This is a tremendously impressive operation.
4. Logistics behind this event are mind-blowing
And to pull all of this off, it takes a monumental throng of support people. Counting ground crews, production folks, broadcasters, ushers, security, vendors, and more, there are more than 2,000 people involved – for a game with an attendance of only 8,332.
Just like the facilities, this is truly impressive. And even more impressive was MLB’s commitment to hire locals for the majority of the positions. Well done!
5. The contrasts are striking
When a modern-day big-league game is brought to a facility this old, it’s fascinating to see the stark differences between facilities of today versus a hundred years ago.
Today, players must have spacious, air-conditioned clubhouses, versus the hot, cramped locker rooms of yesteryear (which are still here in case you want to inspect them). Fans expect high-resolution video boards, although the hand-operated scoreboard in left field is still in use. The lighting of today has to be tremendously better, although the rickety old light standards are still here, but aren’t used (and in fact don’t have the bulbs in them to protect the players in case a foul ball hits them).
And the playing surface had to be completely dug up and replaced.
MLB made sure the players and fans had everything they needed for MLB at Rickwood.
6. Something for souvenir collectors, history buffs
Collectors had a field day with Rickwood pennants, posters, books, pins and so much more.
And even though there is some lovely memorabilia that’s not for sale – including Willie Mays’ plaque from Cooperstown – everything is still displayed beautifully. The historic value is obvious.
7. Planners used “gentle touch” getting Rickwood ready
Rickwood Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That means you can’t really gut it and start over.
Although that would have been easier.
MLB’s approach was to maintain the character of the historic facility – and that means that cracks in the pavement and decidedly uneven steps remain. There are well-trained ushers at every such point to help fans up and down these troublesome stairs safely.
They made the changes they had to (lights, field, dugouts, etc.) while leaving much of it alone.
“The goal was to take a very gentle touch to it,” says Todd Barnes of Populous, the firm tasked with planning the logistics of pulling off this herculean project.
8. Major leaguers can be like little kids
It’s always enjoyable watching grown-up, professional players come to events like this. They are giddy like little kids.
About playing in the same place as Aaron, Robinson and especially Mays, Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn notes “It is super special to be here. I’m going to be able to tell my grandkids that I played here.”
He also acknowledged that Black players like him need to promote the game so the next generation will want to play baseball instead of other sports. “It’s our job to go out there and show the kids that it’s fun to play baseball.
“It’s hard not to love this game.”
9. MLB created a three-day entertainment event
When MLB staged the game at Fort Bragg, it was basically a five-hour event. Soldiers arrived, enjoyed the game, and went back to their barracks.
Since then, this type of jewel event has grown into an extravaganza.
Monday had a special screening of a movie about Mays. Tuesday had Minor League teams battle it out at Rickwood, wearing Negro League uniforms. Wednesday had the mural dedication, concerts and a celebrity softball game, all celebrating Juneteenth. Thursday had a day-long series of remembrances and fun, and the musical performances before and during the game were next-level. And, oh yeah, there was a thrilling one-run baseball game.
And all around town, MLB was hosting charity events, skills workshops for kids, watch parties and luncheons. It was a dizzying schedule. And one that locals loved.
10. Baseball is fun!
True, the announcement of the passing of Willie Mays added a somber air to the proceedings here, but it was still evident that baseball is a fun game. If this event doesn’t rekindle your love of the sport, I’m not sure anything can.