Always bring your camera to the ballpark. You never know what historic moment you’ll capture. That’s what Robert Bates Sr. learned – and taught the rest of us – 78 years ago. Filming his sons George and Robert Jr. as batboys on April 2, 1946, the elder Bates also recorded

Birmingham’s Rickwood Field – the oldest professional baseball stadium in America, standing since 1910, and the former home of the Negro American League’s Birmingham Black Barons – hosted Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games this week, and on the way to the hallowed ground, MLB Pipeline took a

Birmingham’s Rickwood Field – the oldest professional baseball stadium in America, standing since 1910, and the former home of the Negro American League’s Birmingham Black Barons – hosted Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games this week, and on the way to the hallowed ground, MLB Pipeline took a

The Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits turned back the clock to honor the Negro Leagues on June 18 at Rickwood Field, kicking off a three-day celebration in Alabama that included a celebrity softball game and a Major League contest between St. Louis and San Francisco. The Minor League clubs played

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When the Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee – containing baseball historians and journalists as well as former executives and players – released its findings last month that led to the incorporation of Negro Leagues stats into the Major League database, it made sure to highlight how fans

On Wednesday, Minor League Baseball revealed the jerseys for MiLB at Rickwood Field, which will feature the host Double-A Birmingham Barons playing as the Black Barons and the Montgomery Biscuits playing as the Gray Sox on June 18. The game is on the second of four days of events --

On June 18, America's oldest professional ballpark will host a Double-A game between the Montgomery Biscuits and Birmingham Barons with MiLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues. This game, with Montgomery suiting up as the Gray Sox and Birmingham playing as the Black Barons, will kick off

The biggest moment of the young season for Alsander Womack came during a ballpark celebration that was quite personal to him. During the nightcap of Double-A Birmingham’s doubleheader against Mississippi on Sunday, Womack delivered a game-tying hit in the seventh inning. That knock set the stage for Edgar Quero’s three-run,

It’s an absolute lock to be one of the coolest things to happen in the world of baseball this year. It’s less than two months away. And your chance to get tickets to the first game of the event begins this week. This year, for the first time, Minor League

This article was first published on January 26, 2021.

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE.

On March 9, 2017, Royce Lewis arrived at the ballpark with added pep in his step. With a plethora of talent evaluators in the stands, Lewis, then a high school senior mere months away from becoming the first overall pick in the MLB Draft, was a powder keg of energy

When Jackie Robinson made his debut as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in Spring Training of 1946, his jersey number was not the 42 he'd come to be associated with. That spring in Daytona Beach, and throughout the ensuing season with the Triple-A Montreal Royals, he wore number

From a very young age, Andre Dawson knew he wanted to be a Florida A&M Rattler. In elementary school, the future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame attended the Orange Blossom Classic, where the Rattlers football team played annually in his hometown of Miami. The games were intoxicating

When the Double-A Birmingham Barons host the Montgomery Biscuits on June 18 at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field, and when the Giants face the Cardinals there on Juneteenth, the games will be played on hallowed ground. Rickwood Field was originally the home of two franchises. Opened in 1910, it was built for

Darryl Strawberry doesn't lament where the circuitous route of life has ultimately brought him. He doesn't look back with regret. He does, however, wonder what might have been. His tale is well-known. From high school phenom in Los Angeles to the top of the sports world in New York, the

Whether it be as a first basemen, a coach or as a scout, Buck O’Neil was a pioneer. Not only was he the first Black coach in AL/NL history, he signed legends such as Ernie Banks, Lou Brock and Joe Carter as a scout. The key was O'Neil's personable approach

Baseball is unique among the major sports in terms of how common it is for players to be drafted more than once, often including players who are chosen both out of high school and college. Since the inaugural Draft in 1965, 30 players have been picked in the first round

This article was first published on Jan. 2, 2007. Joe Louis Reliford simply wanted a job. What he got instead was a place in baseball history.

This article was first published on Feb. 22, 2010.

This article was first published on Feb. 13, 2006. When Willie O'Ree met Jackie Robinson in 1949, Robinson asked him what sports he played. The 14-year-old O'Ree, who was visiting New York because his baseball team won a local championship, told Robinson he played baseball and hockey. Robinson was surprised

This article was first published on Aug. 10, 2006.

Baseball history runs rich and deep in Toledo, Ohio. On Sept. 16 at Fifth Third Field, the Mud Hens paid tribute to their roots with a celebration of the Toledo Tigers, the city's first Negro League team, which played just 28 games before being disbanded in 1923. "An entire generation

Baseball history is like the ocean: there’s so much yet to be explored and there is always a new story to be found. On Saturday, one of those stories was told when the Wichita Wind Surge paid tribute to the Wichita Monrovians. For the night, the Twins' Double-A affiliate wore

The Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers celebrated their diversity night by taking the field as the Omaha Rockets, and lived up to that billing by blasting off for an 8-3 victory over Indianapolis. Part of the club's community celebration series, Saturday was Omaha's Negro Leagues Tribute Game at Werner Park. The