Tag: Hank Aaron

Here’s why Rickwood Field is so important to Willie Mays’ legacy and baseball’s backstory

Rickwood Field is a truly special place in baseball.

Willie Mays’ death earlier this week shook up the baseball world, breaking the hearts of some of the game’s all-time titans.

A giant of the game in every sense of the word, Mays was arguably the greatest ball player ever, and his impact on the sport itself, while tremendous, extended well beyond the parameters of a bog-standard baseball diamond.

On Thursday, the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will play a special regular-season game at the legendary Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball stadium in the United States. The evening and its planned celebrations will take on a little bit more of a somber note in the wake of Mays’ death.

Here’s why Rickwood Field was so important to Mays and the history of baseball.

Why Rickwood Field is so special

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Having been open since 1910, no baseball stadium likely holds as much influence and gravitas as Rickwood Field. In the early parts of the 20th century, the Birmingham Barons of the Negro Leagues played on the field. They later changed their name to the Birmingham Black Barons and remained as such from 1924 to 1960.

Even when the Negro Leagues disbanded in 1948 after MLB integrated Black players, Rickwood Field remained an essential fixture in Birmingham and the greater baseball community. It is officially part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Some of the most famous Black players in baseball history have played at Rickwood Field during intermittent stints with the Black Barons. With Mays obviously included, the list notably also features:

  • Jackie Robinson
  • Satchel Paige
  • Josh Gibson
  • Ernie Banks
  • Hank Aaron

Needless to say, these are genuinely some of the biggest heavy-hitters baseball has ever seen.

Why is MLB having a game at Rickwood Field?

The answer is simple. Given the importance of the Negro Leagues to baseball’s history, growth, and the black mark of segregation, MLB has started embracing its imprint much more, most recently announcing plans to incorporate Negro Leagues statistics into the official MLB record books.

Before his death, Mays was set to be honored individually on Thursday night. The Alabama native played a season at Rickwood Field with the Black Barons when he was 17 years old before officially jumping to the MLB, where he spent the majority of his career with the Giants.

Shortly before his death, Mays issued a formal statement that he would unfortunately not be in attendance on Thursday:

“I wish I could come out to Rickwood Field this week to be with you all and enjoy that field with my friends. Rickwood’s been part of my life for all of my life. Since I was a kid. It was just ‘around the corner there’ from Fairfield [the town where Mays went to high school], and it felt like it had been there forever. Like a church. The first big thing I ever put my mind to was to play at Rickwood Field. It wasn’t a dream. It was something I was going to do. I was going to work hard to be one of the Birmingham Black Barons and play ball at Rickwood Field. That’s what I did. It was my start. My first job. You never forget that. Rickwood Field is where I played my first home game, and playing there was IT — everything I wanted.”

A pregame ceremony will pay tribute to the baseball icon in the wake of Mays’ death. The Giants and Cardinals will wear unique uniforms representative of Negro Leagues teams from San Francisco and St. Louis to commemorate the occasion.

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Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer eulogizes Hank Aaron

The sports world lost one of its biggest personalities on Friday when baseball Hall of Famer and civil rights legend Hank Aaron passed away.

The sports world lost one of its biggest personalities on Friday when baseball Hall of Famer and civil rights legend Hank Aaron passed away at the age of 86. Prior to Barry Bonds eclipsing his home run record in 2007, “Hammering Hank” sat in the top spot for over three decades and still holds several significant major league records.

Believe it or not, former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer was once a member of the Atlanta Braves organization as a minor league player back in the early 1980s, when Aaron was still very active with the organization. Here is what he had to say in his eulogy for the lost legend.

RIP to a true gentleman @HenryLouisAaron it was an honor to spend some time with Mr. Aaron during my time playing in the Braves organization. Its bittersweet that the only autograph I have from Hank is my unconditional release from the team.

In case you were wondering, Meyer played two seasons in Atlanta’s rookie leagues as an infielder, with a career slash line of .183 batting average, .321 on-base percentage and a .585 OPS with a home run and a couple of stolen bases in 110 at-bats. A stark contrast to the recently deceased Hall of Famer, for sure.

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How Atlanta United, Falcons are paying tribute to Braves legend Hank Aaron

Baseball icon Hank Aaron died Friday at the age of 86.

Baseball legend and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron died Friday at the age of 86. And since then, the tributes honoring Aaron — who endured an onslaught of racism during his record-breaking career — have been abundant, celebrating him both on and off the field. Especially in Atlanta.

After spending most of his Major League career with the Atlanta Braves organization, his iconic No. 44 had, of course, already been retired.

But other Atlanta teams now are paying tribute to one of the greatest home-run hitters of all time too. The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC announced Friday that they will also retire No. 44 for their respective 2021 seasons.

Both teams are owned by Arthur Blank, who said in a statement that the organization is “heartbroken” by Aaron’s passing. He continued:

“He not only made a great impact on the diamond, but in society as well with his caring and genuine spirit, always taking the time to be a friend to all. As an original member of the Falcons Board of Directors, he served as a mentor to so many of our players throughout the years, providing a source of knowledge and support on what it takes to build a winning culture while always displaying a great deal of humility. We loved Hank and his wife, Billye, and we are truly saddened by his passing. May he rest in peace.”

In a joint statement, Atlanta United president Darren Eales described Aaron as “an American hero, a trailblazer and arguably Atlanta’s greatest sports icon”, while Falcons president Rich McKay added:

“He was a true icon and yet when you encountered him, he always made you feel special. He was a great ambassador for the game of baseball, a great ambassador of the City of Atlanta and quite simply a great person.”

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Bill Russell, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum pay respects to Hank Aaron

Celtics past and present paid their respects to Hank Aaron’s passing on Friday.

Several Boston Celtics reacted to the passing of Major League Baseball great and civil rights icon Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, who passed this Friday, Jan. 22 at the age of 86.

Aaron, widely regarded as mong the greatest to ever play the game, held the record for most home runs (755 total career) for three decades between 1974 and 2007, when the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds broke his record. But unlike Bonds, when Aaron broke the record with the Atlanta Braves, he received hate mail and death threats for having the audacity to be the best at something as a Black man.

On hearing news of his passing, longtime friend and fellow sports legend and civil rights warrior Bill Russell posted his condolences to Twitter.

“Heartbroken to see another true friend & pioneer has passed away. [Henry Louis Aaron] was so much better than his reputation! His contributions were much more than just baseball. Jeannine & I send our 🙏🏾 & deepest condolences to his wife & kids.”

Contemporary Celtic stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum also posted tweets regarding the baseball great’s loss.

Tatum retweeted a post by his hometown MLB club, the St. Louis Cardinals, commemorating Aaron’s life.

Brown made a point of noting the civil rights great’s work off the diamond as well, writing “RIP to the legend and civil rights activists Hank Aaron.”

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Baseball greats at the Diamond Resorts TOC reflect on the legacy of Hank Aaron

News of Hank Aaron’s death spread across the Diamond Resort’s Tournament of Champions on Friday.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – As news of Hank Aaron’s death made its way around the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, several baseball players competing in the celebrity division of the LPGA season opener took time to reflect on one of the great icons of American sport.

Aaron, the humble superstar who rose above racial prejudices to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, died in his sleep on Friday at age 86.

John Smoltz, one of several players in the TOC field connected to Aaron through the Atlanta Braves, said he never took for granted seeing the unassuming legend at spring training or the Braves’ stadium.

“There is not a superstar I’ve ever been around that, A, went through as much as he did, both in life and in the game,” said Smoltz, “and he just was a gentle guy that was there to say hello. You felt like you were in the presence of greatness every time you walked in.”

John Hart, former president of baseball operations for the Braves, played with a Hank Aaron glove in Little League and grew up to have an office next door to his childhood hero at both Turner Field and Truist Park. Hart called Aaron the executive both a friend and a mentor

“There are some guys with that type of talent who couldn’t, if you will, step back and run a minor league (system),” said Hart. “I’m going to deal with players who aren’t nearly as talented as I am. Or, I’m going to have all the answers. That was never Hank. Hank was not that guy. Compete? You betcha. He competed hard. He was tough. At the end he was authentically humbled and generous with his time, and he wanted to win.”

More from celebrity players on Aaron’s impact and legacy:

Tom Glavine, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

“You know, I think one of the first encounters I had with Hank is when I was a minor leaguer with the Braves. He was in charge of player development, so you had some interaction with him from time to time and it was — obviously as a young player it was cool. Hank Aaron, Hall of Famer, one of the greatest of all-time.

“So casual conversation were OK. You never wanted to be called into Hank’s office. If you were, that meant you were going home. So you always try to avoid Hank’s office. You wanted the conversations to be away from his office.”

Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees and caddie Cheyenne Woods walk down the 17th hole during the second round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament Of Champions at Tranquilo Golf Course at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club on January 22, 2021 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Aaron Hicks, Yankees outfielder

“I mean, he’s an icon in baseball. He’s a guy as a Black athlete, to be able to see somebody do that, you know, that looks just like me, is incredible.”

Greg Maddux, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

“Yeah, I mean, you know, he kind of put Atlanta on the map. Everybody came to see him hit a homerun, that’s for sure.

“I still remember him hitting that homerun and running around the bases and seeing the fans just wanting to touch him and run the bases with him. That was a pretty special day. And he was definitely the face of the franchise.”

Former MLB pitcher John Smoltz plays a shot on the seventh hole during the first round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament Of Champions at Tranquilo Golf Course at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club on January 21, 2021 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

John Smoltz, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

“I think my memory of Hank is going to be twofold. It’s going to be at the Hall of Fame it was Hank Aaron, Joe Morgan and Frank Robinson. They all had walkers. They were coming to take a picture down at the end of the lawn like we do every year at the Hall of Fame. Somebody started announcing them coming down like a race.

“You could see each one had that little desire, and I think Hank turned it on at the end and I think he ended up winning. So that’s three iconic people obviously beat up by baseball and life, and we’re just going to miss them.”

John Hart, president of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves (2014-17)

“Hank came up in a very difficult era. He signed in the early 1950s, Jackie (Robinson) hadn’t really crossed the color barrier. It still was very tough. He had to play all through the Southern League and nobody knew who Hank Aaron was. He had to go in with a lot of other African-American players and go through a very difficult time to get to the big leagues. It was a different era. Hank, he just had that, ‘Look, I’m going to let my talent speak. I’m going to go with it.’

“In Atlanta, you go back to the history of civil rights and look at Dr. (Martin Luther) King, all of the Atlanta pieces, Ralph Abernathy, all of the people who were Atlanta people. Hank was a bastion for the movement and for equality. Hank was a big part of it. He was with the baseball team, he was living his life, but he was also a very good voice in his own authentic, humble way.”

Joe Carter, two-time World Series champion, five-time All Star

“You tip your cap to those guys, because they paved the way for guys like me. It’s something I’ll never take for granted. They were pioneers. Jackie Robinson. Hank Aaron. Satchel Paige. Those were guys you heard about, you knew about, and you followed them. That’s who the Black community followed.

“They are heroes and legends and they played the game the way that it was supposed to be played. … We all loved watching Hank. It’s a terrible day, Hank passing away. Unbelievable.”

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