We got the news at the end of the seventh inning. There’s some sad news to report tonight, the announcer said. Willie Mays has died. There were collective groans from those of us in the Rickwood Field stands. The players on the field removed their caps and everyone turned their attention to the Jumbotron that displayed a montage of photos highlighting Mays’ megawatt smile and videos showing his unbelievable athletic talent. At the end of the homage, we stood and applauded for several minutes.

Photo caption: A photo of Willie Mays appears on Rickwood Fields’ Jumbotron.

The standing ovation was fitting as we were there to honor Negro leaguers, like Mays, who became household names as well as those who didn’t reach the limelight. Tonight [06/18/2024], we were there to watch the Birmingham Barons playing as the Black Barons and the Montgomery Biscuits playing as the Gray Sox. To be sitting in the stands where Mays got his start cast a certain reverence to the evening.

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. was born May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama. His father, Cat Mays, played industrial league baseball (and I’d heard he was even better than Willie), His mother, Annie Satterwhite, was an exceptional athlete as well. Cat placed a bat and glove in Willie’s hands at an early age. He played baseball, football and basketball at Fairfield Industrial High School. In 1948, Mays began playing for the Black Barons and helped them get to the that year’s Negro World Series against the Homestead Grays. (The Barons lost 4 – 1.)

After graduating high school, Mays signed with the New York Giants in 1950. After playing minor league ball, Mays was called up in 1951. You can read more about his professional career here:https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/mays-willie

At the end of tonight’s game, the mood was somber but something else was in the air – gratitude. We are grateful that Willie Mays will forever be Birmingham’s own.