Winn and Donovan Make Memories at Rickwood Field | Cardinals Insider: S9, E15 | St. Louis Cardinals

coming up on Cardinals Insider look back on a meaningful trip to rickwood field for us to be a part of this and and for us to just to go out there and enjoy it and play a game here I think it's very special plus the Cardinals reflect on the legacy of Willie ma the first thing I think of obviously is the Willie ma catch I remember I used to practice that catch like in the backyard you know just messing around and later see all MLB did to make rickwood big league ready all that and more on our rickwood field special this week on Cardinals Insider [Music] welcome to Cardinals Insider I'm Azie Smith today's episode is all about the Cardinals trip to rickwood field in Birmingham Alabama it's one of the oldest ballparks in America and one of the few Negro League Parks still standing more to come on all that history but let's begin the show with a look back at the event [Music] itself I just can't imagine the the amount of Courage these guys had and history is something that we should celebrate for us to be a part of this and and for us to just to go out there and enjoy it and play a game here I think it's very special for Major League Baseball I think it's very special for this state as well like you said being on the same field is so many historic people and so many Legends pretty special I mean I grew up learning about all these guys and just to be able to say I played on the same field as him is I mean just super super [Music] important yeah I got emotional just standing there knowing the where you're standing and the tribute to to Willie Ma just like man the impact he had on people that he met but also people that he never met and um that's when you know you've done it right very special night for us for the Giants for the Cardinals for all of Major League Baseball he's from Enterprise Alabama that's deep to right field and that's long gone out of here he came to the dug on and said welcome home which was pretty cool tapping into the history of of our game in a in a different way that's a red bird winner the Cardinals win the game at rickwood in Birmingham and beat San Francisco 6 to5 just being an inspiration you know not only to kids around St Louis but just you know all over the world trying to trying to get some more color in baseball you know I think it'd be good for the game you know they don't know how fun baseball can be and and how truly impactful that we can we can be on the field [Applause] Willie Mays is one of the greatest players of all time and an important figure in furthering the work Jackie Robinson began by integrating baseball Maize was born in Alabama and began his pro career with the Negro League's Birmingham black Barons in 1948 just one season after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier he found himself across town from Jackie in 1951 when he jumped to the Majors with the New York Giants here's what this year's Cardinals have to say about the say Hey kid one of the greatest players that ever live and play this game he's the five tool player you know what I'm saying he does everything right he did everything right he was very exciting to watch I mean just the courage right I mean the ability to break those barriers is truly amazing to do it at Rick Woodfield I've actually um from Alabama so we you're all about rickwood field and it's truly special we get to play there the first thing I think of obviously is the Willie ma catch I remember I used to practice that catch like in the back you know just messing around just one of the legendary players and uh it's really cool to be able to honor him I've been fortunate to meet him before and uh an incredible player a legend and uh I can't wait to go play there it'd be really fun he was just big for the game big for the community and also big for our race so I really appreciate it there are a lot of Legends in the game right and and whether it's Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays Bob Gibson like you think back to people of color you know Latino and African-Americans that broke into our Sport and really changed the landscape of our sport forever for the better you know those those Legends will you know they'll always be remembered because people really understand how they impacted our game on and off the field and will is one of those one obviously one of the biggest names in history I mean you you hear a name like that you think of guys like Hank Aaron Aussie Smith you know all those all those black Legends Jackie Robinson so super excited to be a part of it and to be a part of that history straight ahead on Cardinals Insider get a toour of the remodel rickwood field that's when we return rickwood field opened in 1910 it's hosted many teams and great players since then Major League Baseball refurbished the building and added appropriate infrastructure before this year's Big League game let's take a look at the facility rickwood field is not only home to some of baseball's greatest players it's a home that changed the game of baseball for black players everywhere it's the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and it truly feels like you're stepping back in time let's take a closer look rickwood field was built in 1910 and served as the main home ballpark for the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham black Barons of the Negro Leagues during this time Jim Crow laws kept black citizens separate and unequal that included playing professional baseball because of this leaders form formed the Negro Leagues Rick Woodward who Rick Woodfield was named after let the black Barons rent the field while the Barons were on the road this generated more fan traffic and soon after a section in right field was named a segregated section fans were able to enjoy the country's greatest white and black ball players just never at the same time built of Steel and concrete the stadium was built to last the stadium holds just over 10,000 fans and the original iions of rickwood field are still standing to this day the concrete Outfield wall sits behind the newly renovated wall and reads 478 ft in left center field the original Outfield wall was used from 1910 to 1937 players like Willie Mays Jackie Robinson Satchel pagee Josh Gibson Babe Ruth cool Papa Bell and over 180 Hol of Famers either made their start or once played at rickwood field MLB recently hosted a tribute to the Negro Leagues at rickwood between the Cardinals and the Giants bringing appreciation to rickwood field and the City of Birmingham it truly is a special event because it's the first major league game played at a Negro League Stadium and it's certainly not the last in Birmingham at rickwood field I'm Emily Stevens and coming up Negro Leagues Museum president BoB Kendrick on the history of rickwood field rickwood for those who don't know is the oldest active professional baseball park in the country so it is older than finway and [Music] Wrigley the Ted Savage Cardinal care classic is coming to Whitmore Country Club on Thursday July 25th enjoy a round of golf and mingle with Cardinals alumni including Scott Roland Jose okendo and Ray Langford all while raising funds for the Cardinals Nike RBI youth baseball and softball program registration includes golf with the cardinal celebity on course activations pre- and post golf Refreshments golf swag and more to register for the Ted Savage Cardinal care classic or to learn more visit cardinals.com golf Negro League's president BoB Kendrick is an expert on black baseball history so we turn to him for context on Rick Woodfield and what it means to the game at large well I'll never forget the first time that I walked onto the field at rickwood you know I take that back I walked on the property at rickwood it gave me chills so this is before I actually get out on the field and as a steward of the story well it only makes sense because there aren't very many ballparks left that really call The Negro League's home rickwood is one of those along with hen Cliff stadium in Patterson New Jersey League Park in Cleveland and ham trck in Detroit so there are not many of these venues still left and each time that I've been to one of them I get that same feeling well rickwood for those who don't know is the oldest active professional baseball park in the country so it is older than finway and Wrigley and so much history has been made at that ballpark and none of that history is even is greater than the history that has been made by the old Birmingham black Barons who call Rick Woodfield home for so many years and the legendary Negro League stars who came in to compete against the Barons and the Litany of great players that the Barons had themselves and so that place is really really special and so you when you walk there on the property and especially on the field you feel the ghost of those legendary Stars their Spirits you feel that when you walk up into that place and so it is going to be very special I'm sure somewhat emotional because it it will be a I believe a seminal moment for Negro League's history the nation and really the baseball world will be focused on this game and will be some introduced to the history of the Negro Leagues others I think this will enhance their understanding of the go leagues but this will be a major happening there in Birmingham it's time for this week's trivia question Dr Martin Luther King Jr once lived across the street from which former Cardinal player was it Bob Gibson Bill gon Tom Alon or kurd flood the answer when we return we're back with the answer to this week's trivia question on the connection between ml okay and the Cardinals time to reveal the answer to this week's trivia question as always it is brought to you by the Palm Beaches Florida's most stylish vacation destination Dr Martin Luther King Jr once lived across the street from which former Cardinal player the answer is Bill gon our trivia question that amazing amazing fact about Bill grion the first ever black Cardinals pitcher but his claim to Fame and his importance in Cardinal baseball so much more than that Mark emert Cardinal's Publications Cardinal's magazine you went and saw Reverend gon at his church here in Birmingham what was that experience like it was really amazing um I thought people know that he's been a minister here for 53 years now uh he felt the calling he said to God when he was at eima uh serving in World War II and he said if God if you spare my life here I'll owe you one basically and uh he said he got into a near accident years later and decided that was the moment he needed to become a minister and and he's been a pastor at Bethal Baptist Church here for 53 years still preaching at age 99 I actually went to his church service he gave a very very spirited sermon 23 minutes long uh the crowd was loving it uh his congregation just adores him that was the one thing that's very obvious is like they all lined up they all wanted to tell me how much he impact he had on their lives still and I think to me the biggest takeaway was that's really what his calling has been like he was a baseball player he was a soldier but the P the minister part of it is really really the most important part to him and he still that's all he wants to talk about his service to God he was drafted and then ended up helping to integrate the Marines you spoke about eima he mentored Bob Gibson at Triple A Rochester back in the day he was a teammate of Willie Mays with the black Barons but he doesn't really want to talk about all that is what your story says tell us more about that yeah he's a very humble guy he said his mother always raised him to be humble she said that was the way to kind of raise yourself up as to be humble and he took that to heart and obviously he came up in baseball in a time when it was very difficult for a black man succeed he was not given enough lot of chances but he said he was used to that he expected that and he realized that his talent was god-given and if anybody saw him play that was enough for him yeah I mean he also pastor at the 16th Street Baptist Church here in Birmingham unfortunately children lost their lives when the KKK bombed that building so I mean just all the different threads of his life weaving through civil rights really it it it's remarkable and I neat to see him honored here tonight absolutely yeah it gave me chills honestly when I when they brought him out cuz like I was just you can just tell how much I meant to him the emotion in his face and thrown out the first pitch uh you know with Derek Jeter and Reggie jackon there it's just a really really great moment for him but I think also for baseball and for all of us it's a witness yeah well Mark thank you very much if folks want to check out that story and it is well worth a read it's an issue number one of cardinals Magazine from this year just visit cardinals.com pations you see it there on the screen and you can get a copy of that and become a subscriber if you want to go inside with the St Louis card of course you can do Cardinal Insider but also you would be remiss if you didn't check out Cardinals magazine as well Mark thank you thank you so much brother when we return it's an extended ask Azie that's right after the break so stay with us [Music] it's time for an extended ask aie so Brett McMillan joins me hi Brett we thought it would be good just to talk through this a little bit what a neat event that MLB is doing just your first impressions when you heard that they were going to set this side of time to honor the Negro Leagues well I think that um it it shows their commitment to a group of of people who have contributed so much to the game of baseball and I think that uh it's one of those things that I I surely am enjoying I've had the opportunity to visit the Hall of Fame who has an exhibit now of the Negro Leagues and U had an East West allstar game that I was able to take part in and uh it's just it's great learning about the history of the game and the part the black players played in um the um the expansion of Major League Baseball Willie Mays is a central figure in the event as we saw clearly played for the Giants also played there in Birmingham what is Willie like one-on-one you've had interactions uh with him well he's uh first of all he's got a very high pitch voice you know much different than what he what he looks like and uh you know one of the stories with Willie is that I was uh having a conversation with him one day and and he says you know I I where are my glasses I hav't I lost my glasses I said Willie the glasses are on your head he always wears his cap so his glasses are on his head and uh and and stuff so he's a great conversationalist um you know here again for most of us when you're around the game of baseball or you're talking baseball they're they're in their element and um so it's it's always fun when when you're around the guys and we have a chance to talk about what it was like when they played as opposed to what what's going on today as we've watched this event unfold I can't help but thinking about Bob Gibson and Lou Brock neither one of them played in The Negro Leagues but they were right in that era where Civil Rights was going on they played in St Louis which is a wonderful City but has some hard things in its past that that the city's had to work through tell me about those men and what they've meant uh to you and and to the culture here in your mind well I I think for most people don't realize that even when they travel with the team um there were some things that had to be done they couldn't stay in the same hotels you know and I I hear one of the stories in spring training was that Mr Bush had to buy a hotel so that all of the guys would have a chance to stay with the team you know and when you think about it it's not that wasn't that far off and um So Stories like that are are interesting in that we see what they had to deal with um you know it was more than just playing baseball when you went to daer Stadium as a kid you would sit in the Sands and look out and see black players what did that mean to you growing up to see players on the field that looked like you came from a background and culture that you came from well it meant that I would have an an opportunity um to to do something that I love doing and and certainly at that time the percentage of black ball players was was a lot higher than it is today and I think that we're all trying to find ways to get more um black kids interested in playing the game and hopefully that will happen here in the future I know we have an RBI program but I think it's going to take a lot more than than programs like that and you know one of the answers may be HBCU you know where you have kids who are interested in the game but unfortunately most of the kids um that may be good ball players and maybe good Big League ball players don't have five figures around that's where coaches and um and and and relatives of the family become very very important so hopefully those numbers will get back to where they were when we were playing when I was growing up and um I'm looking forward to that day thanks Brett if you want to submit a question head on over to cardinal.com Insider and click the asazi tab but for now don't go anywhere there's more Cardinals Insider after the [Music] break we're wrapping up today's show with a look at some of the black men who have worn the Cardinal's uniform they're figures who have helped make the franchise what it is upholding and advancing the red Bird's winning ways I think a good team has a good spirit I think you have to have the talent though uh in order to have a good ball team juy won to Kurt FR and he hits a slam bang triple Bill white of the St Louis Cardinals CHS why he made the national league Allstar team now it's Manel at the play and Gibson blows one past him a strike off the side and the St Louis fans love it he is going the pitch is a strike the throw he is there he did it 105 for [Applause] luon Smith corks one into Right Down the Line it may go go crazy folks go crazy it's a home run by the wizard well hit way back thisen to the reaction oh boy got it What A Catch he made Willie McGee I was drafted by the Cardinal and basically spent my whole career as a cardinal I understand just how lucky I am with that Cardinal Jersey and play in front of the best fans in the world Ste double steel so there's number 73 the record and 74 all in the same movement just tremendous Instincts by the Cardinal rookie Vince Coleman Brian Jordan drives one to left field this one is out of here two and one MC on running and there it is off away wac into deep right field Sosa looking up goodbye in the air Le field and Reggie Sanders strikes early in game one and Bellard gets underneath this one home run for Bellard breaking ball hammered down the line a j bom Jordan Walker's first big league Homer and a curtain call Swinging a shot that ball is up and gone home run for Mason WI a line drive over the porg and left young mason wi D back and drives that 375 ft shot that's it for this episode you can always catch Us online at cardinals.com inssider or watch full episodes on YouTube thank thanks for joining me and I'll see you right back here next week [Music]