Today, Rickwood Field is being restored to the dazzling diamond of its early days. But, more than just preserving a historic structure, The Friends of Rickwood is creating a place to relive the magic of baseball’s glory years. Why bother? Read the papers. Watch the news of the game. Find, if you can, the passion of the game America fell in love with a long time ago. With each of the old grandstands that fell, it seems, we lost more than just an old structure. We lost a bit of romance, a bit of all that is truly good about America.
And, so, for those hopeless romantics who are still in love but a little disenchanted with the game, we are preserving Rickwood Field. Our dream is for Rickwood Field to be a working museum, a place to actually see and experience baseball as it once was.
Rather than an empty ballpark crying for attention, Rickwood Field is home to almost 200 baseball games each year. Birmingham-area high schools, Miles College, wooden-bat tournaments, and a myriad of other organizations are still able to play on hallowed ground.
Today, walking through the gates is like stepping back in time. Rickwood doesn’t just look like a park from years ago. The entire park and everyone in it seems to live and breathe the sensation of another day and time. Teams are playing again on this gem of a diamond, but the players are in the jaunty uniforms of years ago. The drop-in scoreboard is back, alive with the excitement of the two privileged youngsters busily tending it. The vintage signs in the outfield are back. The gazebo-style press box is back, inspired by the original 1910 blueprints. In fact, many of the photos you see in this page are not old photos, but snapshots of the way we like to play baseball today at Rickwood Field. In a world that more and more steals the joy of life’s simple pleasures, we’re working to create a place that brings it all home.
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- Birmingham Barons team member takes-a-swing during the 2010 Rickwood Classic ballgame. Courtesy of Michael Wade and Wade Event Photography.
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- The Mississippi Braves line-up for pre-game introductions at the 2009 Rickwood Classic. Courtesy of Michael Wade and Wade Event Photography.
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- Southern League umpires pose with Rickwood Field’s iconic scoreboard in the background, prior to the 2010 Rickwood Classic ballgame. Courtesy of Michael Wade and Wade Event Photography.
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- Boy Scouts attend the annual Rickwood Classic. Courtesy of Bill Chapman.
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- View of pre-game infield, 2009 Rickwood Classic, from the grandstand roof, the best seat in the house. Courtesy of Michael Wade and Wade Event Photography.
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- National Anthem singer stands with teams and umpires prior to the 2009 Rickwood Classic. Courtesy of Bill Chapman.
