Ajay Stone strolled around historic Rickwood Field, admiring tributes displayed in honor of Willie Mays and other Negro League legends. Clutched under his arm was a cherished memory—a picture from 2004 of Mays holding Stone's then-10-month-old daughter, Haley, who was dressed in San Francisco Giants gear. In Mays' hand was a chunk of a chocolate chip cookie, which he was handing to little Haley.
Stone and his wife, Christina, traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Birmingham, Alabama, for what they deemed a special moment. It was hours before Rickwood Field hosted its first Major League Baseball game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, an event MLB dubbed "A Tribute to the Negro Leagues." The game was meant to honor the legacies of Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an enduring mark on the sport.
Tributes and Tears: Honoring Willie Mays
MLB planned a week of activities focused on Mays and the Negro Leagues, including the unveiling of a Willie Mays mural in downtown Birmingham on Wednesday. These tributes took on an even more significant meaning Tuesday afternoon when it was announced that Mays had died at 93. As news of his death spread, celebrations of his life ramped up throughout Birmingham.
The atmosphere at Rickwood Field on Thursday was electrifying even before the ballpark opened its gates. The rapid thumping of a drum echoed, punctuated by excited murmurs and frequent bursts of laughter from fans. These sounds foreshadowed the event's grandeur. Within the ballpark, historical reminders were abundant. 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, where Mays started his professional career in 1948, was open. At the front stood a memorial dedicated to Mays, complete with bobbleheads, a signed glove, and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys on display.
Fans Relive History
Outside, fans formed lines to hold a baseball bat used by Mays in 1959 and to take photos inside an original bus from 1947, typically used during barnstorming tours by Negro League teams. They danced to live music and enjoyed food from concession stands designed to evoke the 1940s aesthetic. Eddie Torres and his son, Junior, lifelong Giants fans who traveled from California, wore matching Giants jerseys as they snapped pictures inside the ballpark.
Musical artist Jon Batiste added to the festivity, strumming a guitar while dancing on a wooden stage near home plate just before the first pitch. As the game neared, fans stood as former Negro Leaguers were assisted onto the field for a pregame ceremony. Shouts of "Willie! Willie!" broke out after a brief moment of silence.
Echoes of the Past
Michael Jackson, sitting in the stands at Rickwood Field, was filled with nostalgia. Jackson played baseball in the 1970s and '80s with the East Thomas Eagles of the Birmingham Industrial League. His baseball journey frequently brought him to Rickwood Field, and he expressed joy that the ballpark still stood. "It's nice seeing them redo 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 memories with Mays. "Willie gave her that cookie. She had no teeth. But we took the cookie and 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," he recounted. Another fan shared, "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 added, "The legacy of Willie Mays transcends generations. My son, he's only 11, but Willie Mays had such an effect on the game that even he knew who Willie Mays was."
As the game commenced and the crowd cheered, it was clear that Rickwood Field was more than just a ballpark for that 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.