By Rubin E. Grant John Baumgartner walked into the home team clubhouse at historic Rickwood Field on a late November morning and immediately looked at a picture hanging above some lockers. The picture showed former Birmingham Barons legend Walt Dropo swinging a bat. Dropo and Baumgartner were teammates with the Detroit Tigers in 1953, but it wasn’t Dropo at the plate that … [Read more...]
Glory Days: Rickwood Classic Celebrates History of Baseball in Birmingham
By Sarah Kuper Rickwood Field in downtown Birmingham is the oldest surviving professional baseball stadium in the U.S. Long before the modern Regions Field was constructed in 2013, baseball greats got their start as a member of the Baron's, the A's or the Black Barons – all teams that called Rickwood Field home. The field primarily functions as a museum and event space now, … [Read more...]