Ajay Stone strolled around the historic Rickwood Field, taking in the tributes displayed in honor of Willie Mays and other legendary Negro Leaguers. Under his arm, he held a cherished memory: a photo from 2004 of Mays holding his then-10-month-old daughter, Haley, who was dressed in San Francisco Giants gear. In the picture, Mays was handing Haley a chunk of a chocolate chip cookie.
Stone and his wife, Christina, had traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Birmingham, Alabama, for an event they considered just as special. Hours before Rickwood Field would host its first Major League Baseball game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals—a game MLB dubbed "A Tribute to the Negro Leagues"—fans gathered to honor the legacies of Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an indelible mark on the sport.
Tributes and Tears: Honoring Willie Mays
MLB planned a week of activities to honor Mays and the Negro Leagues, including the unveiling of a Willie Mays mural in downtown Birmingham on Wednesday. These tributes took on added significance when Mays passed away at the age of 93 on Tuesday. As news of his death spread throughout Birmingham, celebrations of his life intensified.
The atmosphere at Rickwood Field on Thursday was electric. The rapid thumping of a drum echoed from inside the ballpark, excited murmurs and bursts of laughter from fans foreshadowing the event's grandeur. Inside, reminders of history were omnipresent. Photos and artifacts of baseball Hall of Famers who played at the 114-year-old ballpark—including Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige—adorned the walls.
The original clubhouse of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where Mays began his professional career in 1948, was open. A memorial of Mays was prominently displayed, featuring bobbleheads, a signed glove, and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys.
Fans Relive History
Outside, fans stood in line to hold a baseball bat used by Mays in 1959 and posed for photographs inside an original 1947 bus typically used during barnstorming tours by Negro Leagues teams. Fans danced to live music and enjoyed concession stands with menu boards designed to reflect the look and feel of the 1940s.
Eddie Torres and his son, Junior, wore matching Giants jerseys as they took pictures inside the ballpark. Lifelong Giants fans, they had traveled from California for the game. Musical artist Jon Batiste strummed a guitar while dancing on a wooden stage near home plate just before the first pitch. The crowd stood as former Negro Leaguers were helped to the field for a pregame ceremony. Shouts of "Willie! Willie!" broke out after a brief moment of silence.
Echoes of the Past
Michael Jackson, a former baseball player with the East Thomas Eagles of the Birmingham Industrial League in the 1970s and '80s, sat in the stands, reminiscing about the past. Jackson's baseball journey had frequently brought him to Rickwood Field, and he expressed excitement that the ballpark was still standing.
"It's nice seeing them redo all of this instead of tearing it down," Jackson said. "We played in the same ballpark they named after Willie Mays out in Fairfield, Alabama. I had my times out here playing at this ballpark. It's all very exciting."
Memories and Reflections
Ajay Stone reflected on his memories with Mays. "Willie gave her that cookie. She had no teeth, but we kept that cookie in her stroller for a year and a half. The great Willie Mays gave it to her, so it was special to us," he said. Another fan shared, "I never even got to see Willie Mays play, but as a Giants fan, you knew what he meant to the game of baseball."
"The legacy of Willie Mays transcends generations," noted Eddie Torres. "My son, he's only 11, and Willie Mays had such an effect on the game that even he knew who Willie Mays was."
As the game commenced and the crowd cheered, it was evident that Rickwood Field was more than just a ballpark for that evening. It was a living museum, a time capsule capturing the essence of a bygone era while honoring the life and legacy of one of baseball's greatest icons, Willie Mays.