The Cardinals received 6-5, however “the star of the evening was the sphere itself and the historical past of the Negro Leagues”Daniel Shirey/MLB Photographs through Getty Photos
MLB’s Rickwood Subject recreation between the Giants and Cardinals final evening, which honored the historical past of the Negro Leagues, drew 8,332 followers to Birmingham, all of them “soaking within the environment of probably the most magnetic factor Main League Baseball has executed in a very long time.” The Cardinals received 6-5, however “the star of the evening was the sphere itself and the historical past of the Negro Leagues.” The groups “wore throwback uniforms, the San Francisco Seals and St. Louis Stars, and Rickwood Subject was bedecked, adorned and curated like a museum of baseball magic.” The sport additionally honored the late Baseball HOFer Willie Mays, which “was all the time a part of the plan” for MLB with this recreation. Mays’ loss of life “reworked Birmingham’s tribute to the Negro Leagues right into a nationwide spectacle.” And MLB “did all the pieces proper at Rickwood Subject” (AL.com, 6/20).
The sphere “was stunning.” The handbook scoreboard “had the same look to the olden days,” and “the vibes had been excellent” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/21). It was “laborious to imagine Mays wasn’t bodily current” at Rickwood, “however he was right here.” Mays’ son, Michael, “took the sphere alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Mays’ godson Barry Bonds moments earlier than the primary pitch.” Griffey yelled to the group, “Let him hear you!” and so they “obeyed and responded with a raucous, joyous applause that felt prefer it went on for a number of minutes.” The group “stored it going with chants of ‘Willie, Willie, Willie,’ inducing one other palpable wave of emotion” (FOXSPORTS.com, 6/20).
Dozens of residing Negro League gamers “took the sphere earlier than the sport in a shifting ceremony”Mary DeCicco/MLB Photographs through Getty Photos
From the second the Giants’ workforce bus pulled into the stadium, “they took each alternative to honor” Mays. Gamers, coaches and workers members all “walked off the bus sporting duplicate grey jerseys, with ‘Birmingham’ on the entrance and the No. 8 on the again,” the identical uniform Mays wore when he debuted at 17 years outdated for the Birmingham Black Barons (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 6/20).
Dozens of residing Negro League gamers “took the sphere earlier than the sport in a shifting ceremony.” The Giants and Cardinals “walked them onto the grass, some being pushed in wheelchairs.” The ceremony “introduced tears to the eyes of most of the 8,000 followers in attendance” and “gave an early reminder that this was excess of only a common season baseball recreation” (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 6/21).
MLB’s youth growth basis on Wednesday introduced the Negro Leagues Household Alliance — a bunch of households of former gamers “whose mission is to protect the leagues’ historical past and legacy” — with a verify for $500,000 (WASHINGTON POST, 6/20).
Willie Mays’ loss of life “reworked Birmingham’s tribute to the Negro Leagues right into a nationwide spectacle”Daniel Shirey/MLB Photographs through Getty Photos