Ajay Stone strolled around the historic Rickwood Field, admiring tributes to Willie Mays and other legendary Negro Leaguers. Clutched under his arm was a cherished photograph from 2004—Mays holding Stone's then-10-month-old daughter, Haley, who was clad in San Francisco Giants gear. In the picture, Mays is seen handing a chunk of a chocolate chip cookie to the young Haley.
Stone and his wife, Christina, had traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday for an event they deemed just as special as that memory. They were there for Rickwood Field's historic first Major League Baseball game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, an event MLB named "A Tribute to the Negro Leagues," honoring the legacies of Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an indelible mark on the sport.
Tributes and Tears: Honoring Willie Mays
In conjunction with this special event, MLB planned a week of activities celebrating Mays and the Negro Leagues. This included an unveiling of a Willie Mays mural in downtown Birmingham on Wednesday. The tributes took on a more poignant meaning on Tuesday afternoon when the news broke that Mays had passed away at the age of 93.
As the news of his death spread through Birmingham, the celebrations of his life intensified. The atmosphere at Rickwood Field on Thursday was electric, even before entering the ballpark. The rapid thumping of drums echoed within the stadium, excited murmurs from fans, and frequent bursts of laughter foreshadowed the grandeur of the event.
Inside, history was palpably present. 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 also open. A memorial dedicated to Mays featured bobbleheads, a signed glove, and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys.
Fans Relive History
Outside the stadium, fans waited in line to hold a baseball bat used by Mays in 1959 and took photographs inside an original 1947 barnstorming bus used by Negro Leagues teams. Fans danced to live music and enjoyed food from concession stands with menu boards designed to resemble those from the 1940s.
Eddie Torres and his son Junior, both lifelong Giants fans, wore matching Giants jerseys and took pictures inside the ballpark. They had traveled from California for this landmark game.
Adding to the atmosphere, 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 onto the field for a pregame ceremony, which was interrupted by shouts of "Willie! Willie!" following a brief moment of silence.
Echoes of the Past
Michael Jackson, a former baseball player from the Birmingham Industrial League, was among the spectators at Rickwood Field. Jackson's baseball journey had taken him to Rickwood Field many times, and he was excited to see it still standing. "It's nice seeing them re-do 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 personal memories with Willie Mays. "Willie gave her that cookie. She had no teeth. But we took the cookie, and we kept it in her stroller for a year and a half. The great Willie Mays gave it to her, so it was special to us," Stone recounted.
Another fan expressed his feelings, "I never even got to see Willie Mays play, but as a Giants fan, you knew what he meant to the game of baseball." Eddie Torres echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the intergenerational impact of Mays' legacy. "The legacy of Willie Mays transcends generations," Torres said. "My son, he's only 11. Willie Mays had such an effect on the game that even he knew who Willie Mays was."
As the game commenced and the crowd erupted in cheers, it became evident that Rickwood Field was more than just a ballpark for the 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.