Chuck Stewart, longtime Rickwood collector and true friend of Rickwood Field, has written and published Angels at Rickwood: Angels, Conductors and Willie Mays.

Written as a gift for his daughter, Chuck has captured the magic of baseball and Rickwood Field, in a story about youthful innocence and a child’s love for the game. 

Please visit Chuck’s website for more details, including how you may purchase a copy:

http://angelsatrickwood.mysite.com  soon this will be linked to a “domain” www.angelsatrickwood.com

The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame announced Wednesday, December 16, that A.H. “Rick” Woodward, Sr. has been named the 2010 Distinguished American Sportsman.

Builder of Rickwood Field, and Baron team owner 1909- 1937, Woodward is among a very select group of recepients of this prestegious award.

To view the list of previous honorees, please vist the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame link below:

http://www.ashof.org/index.php?src=directory&view=sportsman_lister&pos=0,15,24

To veiw 2010 ASHOF Press Release and Press Conference, please visit link below:

http://www.ashof.org/

The Friends of Rickwood are pleased to report that the ballpark has received more great media exposure, this time from Sports Events Magazine, an industry publication.  Their current edition includes a “special section” titled “America’s Greatest New and Renovated Sports Facilities, with Rickwood receiving a “Top Pick” designation. 

To view the November edition of Sports Events magazine, please visit link below:

The Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association will hold its annual banquet on Friday, January 22, 2010, and will feature guest speaker Rick Dempsey, 1983 World Series MVP.

For more information, visit their website at http://otbaseball.com/

or view the press release at the link below:

Rick Dempsey Press Release 12-08-09

Skip Nipper, a true friend of Rickwood Field shares this information.

The Friends of Rickwood and the Birmingham Barons are very pleased to announce the 15th annual Rickwood Classic will be held on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, and will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park’s 1910 opening. 

Tickets are now available for the Barons versus Tennessee Smokies match-up, through the Barons’ ticket office, 205.988.3200 or barons.com.

Please use link below to veiw the 2010 Classic press release:

Barons Announce 2010 Rickwood Classic Details – 2009

Please use link below to view Rickwood Centennial reminder:

rkwood_100

In a Sunday, November 29 piece, Dick Heller of the Washinton Times cites Rickwood Feild as a “role model” for ballpark revitalization.  Mr Heller’s article includes a nice image gallery, with two 2008 Rickwood Classic photos.

To view the on-line version of the article, please click link below:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/29/new-jersey-city-to-renovate-negro-league-ballpark/
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Birmingham-based American Baseball Foundation will hold its 9th annual Lead Off Dinner on Thursday, January 14, 2010, at 6:30 p.m, with Tim Hudson, of the Atlanta Braves, as key-note speaker.

The Friends of Rickwood are pleased to support the ABF in its mission, including hosting ABF’s BASIC program at Rickwood each Summer.

For more information on the January 14 banquet, please contact the ABF, at 205.558.4235, or abf@asmi.org.

Click on link below to view the Lead Off Dinner announcement.

american baseball invite brochureend

Rickwood Field receives a fantastic plug in the November 2 edition of Sports Illustrated magazine.   In an article about the Phillies’ Ryan Howard, the opening paragraph of page 38 sets-up his family baseball history by referring to his grandfather, James Black,  having “starred in a sandlot league at Birmingham’s famed Rickwood Field, where he faced Willie Mays and Willie Mays, Sr.”  Lee Jenkins, the author of the piece, is presumably referring to Birmingham’s rich industrial and amateur ball past.

The Friends of Rickwood are grateful for this reference, and offer our thanks to both Mr. Jenkins and Sports Illustrated.

To view the on-line version of the article, please use the link below:

Preservation Magazine, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, cites Rickwood Field as a model for park revitalization (a case we have been making for some years now) in a piece concerning Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson, NJ).   The on-line version of the current edition is now available at the link below, with hardcopy available  soon.  The Friends of Rickwood appreciate greatly the support of the National Trust, and this invaluable exposure.

Jonathan Nelson, Birmingham Barons’ General Manager, has been named Southern League Executive of the Year.

The Friends of Rickwood congratulate Jonathan on this exciting honor, and place great value upon our relationship with he and the Birmingham Barons organization.  Jonathan is a true friend of Rickwood, and it is a distinct pleasure to call him a colleague.

On behalf of the Friends of Rickwood, congratulations Jonathan.

To view the Southern League press release click link below:

http://birmingham.barons.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090914&content_id=6967244&vkey=pr_t247&fext=.jsp&sid=t247