The Developing Story of Grey Sox Owner Osie Mitchell

Plott & Doc

While researching my upcoming book "Black Baseball in Alabama 1870-1950" I was privileged to be given access to unpublished interviews with former Montgomery Grey Sox players. More than thirty years ago, historian Bill Plott tracked down men such as Marion Cunningham and other notables from the team and he has kindly shared that information with me. It contains a wealth of anecdotal stories and names that reveal much about the development of the Montgomery Grey Sox.

The photograph of the 1916 Montgomery Grey Sox in Bill Plott's excellent book "The Negro Southern League: A Baseball History 1920-1951" is the earliest known image of the team and likely the first photo of any Black team in Montgomery. Unfortunately, it only identifies Henry Hannon Jr. among the players. However, Plott's unpublished interviews provided several other names, which I am thrilled to be able to have included in my book. Yet one figure posed a challenge, multiple interviewees tabbed the suited man seated center as "Ossie Mitchell, owner" but gave no further clues to his identity.

1916 Montgomery Grey Sox, (colorization by Dr.M for the upcoming book!)

 As I searched, I found much information on the Grey Sox of the era which helped tell the story of the team for my book, but Mitchell eluded me endlessly. There was just no info to be found on a trail so cold. After long months tracking every name that "Ossie" could be a derivative of, we were finally able to catch a break, but too late for inclusion in my book. Thanks to my good friend, reliable source and co-investigator Jo and her curious cat's assistance, a different spelling of the name was uncovered. First, a WW1 draft deferment card was found, then a Montgomery Advertiser article confirming Mitchell's connection to the club in one single mention in 1919. With some items spelling his name as "Osie", it opened the door for many new discoveries.

 

OSIE MITCHELL - MONTGOMERY GREY SOX "OWNER" 

Osie Mitchell

 In 1919 ahead of a series against the Bessemer Stars the Montgomery Advertiser reports the Grey Sox team is run by Ossie Mitchell. Taking into account the multiple spellings possible, it becomes clear Mitchell was associating with ballplayers and likely held a controlling stake in the club. He was also a very busy and wealthy guy. And probably a gangster. 

Osie Mitchell, also known as "Ocie" or "Ossie" was born in Montgomery, Alabama on November 6th 1881. He may have had a sister named Exa, they were likely brought up in and around Montgomery, but little is known about their family life. 

 In 1914 Osie was caught, along with a dozen other men, in a late-nite gambling raid on North Decatur Street. Apprehended along with Osie was Joe Scotland, likely the Montgomery-native outfielder known for playing with Birmingham and Indianapolis.

 

By the time WW1 starts, Osie was in his mid-30's and married to Olivia, they would split up in the 1920's without any known children. Mitchell signed his name with a single "s" on his draft deferment, indicating that he used "Osie" as the preferred spelling. It was "Osie" for the census takers in 1920 and 1940, but other documents listed him as "Ocie". 

During World War One, Osie Mitchell was employed by the Army quartermasters at Camp Sheridan, a lucrative and enviable job in "acquisitions" was possibly a role related to his pre-war occupation.

Osie Mitchell ran a bar/pool hall and lived at the corner of Yougene and Smythe Streets, in the center of what is now The Plaza at Centennial Hill. The place was a popular local hangout, Mitchell took it over sometime after 1910 after being employed there as a bartender. 

Osie was deeply involved in illegal liquor. Alabama's alcohol prohibition began in 1907, well before the national booze ban, sending bootleggers into action. Mitchell was picked up by police at fairly regular intervals, often while delivering bottles to clients around the city. Some are elite socialites, others average citizens, race seems to have no bearing on Osie Mitchell's delivery service.

Osie's bar was the location of several prohibition violation raids and vice busts. A few times police sweep in to arrest gamblers, resulting in fines for Osie as owner. At least once a deadly shooting took place, though Osie was not involved, nor even at the location when it happened.

Which is probably a good thing, Osie was often brought to court to account for being caught with concealed weapons. Mitchell pays fines in cash easily, rarely being locked up for more than a night. A fifty dollar fine is simply an annoyance for Osie Mitchell. 

From the turn of the century and through the 19-teens and 1920's, Osie Mitchell was a regular among Montgomery courtroom attendees, but seems almost untouchable. In 1917 Osie and thirteen others, mostly women, had their cases dropped when the arresting detectives, two Black men from Birmingham, conveniently disappeared and were unable to testify.

However, there are always complications for those who operate outside the lines of legality. When police found gallons of booze in half-pint and one quart bottles at his pool hall in 1927, Mitchell was arrested but he quickly posted the $200 cash bail and went back to work. Occasionally white policemen raid the location, more often Mitchell was caught by Black officers working undercover.

In 1928 Osie had a prohibition violation overturned on appeal, an expensive lawyer found multiple courtroom errors during his trail. Then, after a shooting at Osie's poolhall resulted in the closing of his bar, things started to unravel. In 1929 he was slapped with a thirteen month sentence for receiving stolen property. Finally unable to avoid being locked up, Osie spent a year at Atmore's correctional facility (which recorded him as "Ocie Mitchell") before being released in November of 1930.

It's back to work for Osie, who was once more caught selling bootleg liqour in 1934, five cases of bottled hooch were found at his place on Yougene Street. In 1937 he was again in court on "internal revenue" charges relating to unlicensed alcohol sales. This time it was revealed he was involved in a moonshine smuggling operation, his place used as a distribution point for sales of 200 gallons of corn whiskey a week. Osie Mitchell (this time reported as "Obie") got a three year sentence in Atlanta's penitentiary, apparently ending his business for good. The case was noted as the first in the area to be tried with equal members of white and Black jurors.

Following his release, Osie Mitchell seems to have lived quietly until his passing on October 28th of 1957, he was buried in Lincoln Cemetery where many well-known Black Montgomery residents are interred.

 Osie Mitchell was an important part of the transition from Montgomery's 19th century baseball teams to the club that was admitted to the Negro Southern League in 1920. It is Osie Mitchell paying the players, funding the roadtrips, covering visiting teams guarantees and paying the rent on the ballparks being used. Mitchell is seated with the team for the 1916 photo and mentioned as controlling the club in 1919, but after that he is never again publicly connected with the team. When Osie Mitchell first gained control of the team and how he later handed it over to Henry Hannon is currently unknown, but it is likely that is exactly what took place. 

Osie Mitchell is an example of the swiftly changing nature of our knowledge of early Black baseball. Literally a week ago there was zero understanding of who this man was, an unnamed person in an single photograph from a hundred years ago, a human essentially lost to history. Today, we can recognize him as an owner and promoter of the Montgomery Grey Sox, Osie Mitchell was also a part of the lively culture developing in Alabama as Black entrepreneurs learned to navigate in society and around the law in order to maintain their independence in the face of Jim Crow.  

 

If you would like to know more about Alabama's baseball history, I hope you will consider purchasing my new book, "Black Baseball in Alabama 1870-1950" due out this summer! 

 

Book Talk, My Misconceptions!

 

A year ago I presented my research on the origins of Black baseball in the area to the 19th Annual Southern Association Baseball Research Conference. Twelve months later that work has become the book "Black Baseball in Alabama 1870-1950: The Rough Diamonds of Dixie", the first ever published on that topic as far as I am aware of, a trend that gives me immense pride to buck. That no one had taken the time to research and document the stories of Alabama's rich baseball history seems almost criminal. Few states, if any, have such a wealth of history, for it to remain hidden simply could not continue, someone had to help tell the stories of these incredible men and women.

Yes, women. There were multiple teams of Black women playing baseball as early the the 1880's, all across Alabama. Some women's teams travel from other places to Alabama, touring the country and taking on teams of men and women wherever they went. Few individuals are named in connection to the clubs, which often prefer to play games away from prying eyes and hooting fans.

Alabama's influence in Black baseball is not just local, it stretches across the country and beyond. The entire nation of Cuba has baseball largely because Alabama shared it with them, they returned the favor by hosting Alabama's top Black baseball stars in popular Caribbean leagues. Chicago became a Black baseball metropolis thanks in a large part to the efforts of a formerly-enslaved Alabamian.

Early baseball teams were closely connected with politics, infusing ideals with the game that still exist. Soon, however, the rowdy nature of the players often found them being portrayed as low class, which simply was not true. Many Black athletes were well-schooled gentlemen educated in the finest institutions in the country. They are often doctors, politicians, teachers and citizens of the highest social standing.

Communities were connecting and baseball was a perfect vehicle for social interaction. The result was a mix of well-to-do gentlemen and blue-collar laborers playing to defend their respective perceived honors in mock societal combat. With bragging rights at stake, people took interest and started showing up to watch in such numbers that it demanded organization.

The stories of the players and games in my area were one of the things that first interested me in Black baseball history, to that end I included as much information about the players and games in all locations across the state. I hope that anyone in Alabama will find at least one item connected to their city, or within forty miles of it.

 

I had many, many misconceptions about Negro League baseball before I began this project. Such as:

I thought the seasons were shorter. Instead I found Black teams played a lot more games than white clubs. They had to, in order to survive. An idle team makes no money.

I thought the players were unknown/undocumented. I found that false in the sense that "official" documentation is still an ongoing process, leaving many players waiting for their due credit, even though their names are easily found and attached to teams and events. Also, Alabama's teams have largely been pooh-poohed by baseball historians, who overlook huge events and brush off important details.

I thought Black teams were disadvantaged in terms of equipment. I found this unequivocally false, they utilized cutting edge gear. Black teams, like their white counterparts, were equipped on the level of their financial backing, and varied widely. The first catchers masks in Alabama were worn by a Black team.

I thought Black teams played at their own parks away from white teams. I found that after 1920, white and Black teams often shared fields. When any team acquired a new field, local teams of the opposite race were usually given access, as finances dictated the success of any team or ballpark. An idle ballpark makes no money.

I thought Black teams played for Black fans. I found that after the 1880's crowds were primarily mixed, with the general feeling among white fans that it was much more enriching to sit alongside Black fans who knew the players and teams well and were active baseball supporters.

I thought Black teams struggled financially. I found that in Alabama, Black teams often earned more at the gate by drawing larger crowds than white teams in the same city and had executives on par with the best in the country.

I thought Negro League history just laid there. I found that it was actively changing, almost daily new information is becoming available. A thriving community of researchers, biographers, baseball enthusiasts and historians are busy uncovering details and updating our understanding all the time. 

Lastly, I thought Black baseball was about baseball. It is so much more than that alone, influencing every aspect of American society and culture. Movies, music, politics, food, dance, law, finance, there was no area that Black baseball was not somehow closely tied to.

 

It's been an incredibly enriching experience to expand my understanding of Alabama's baseball history as regards it's amazing Black baseball legacy. I hope you will consider giving it a look when it appears on shelves later this summer.

Announcement! Black Baseball in Alabama 1870-1950: The Rough Diamonds of Dixie

While waiting for the Biscuits to get their heads together on how they want to handle their most vocal internet supporter, I have much more important news!

 

At the NSL Museum

On Saturday I enjoyed the Jackie Robinson Day festivities in Birmingham at the Negro Southern League Museum, meeting again with its founder, Dr. Layton Revel as well as Dan Creed, the senior researcher on the NSLM staff. I also met Bham Mayor Randall Woodfin and several former Negro League players, including one from Montgomery who had some wonderful tales.

Also on the agenda was visiting and photographing the location that was formerly West End Park, known as the Slag Pile, where Birmingham's biggest ballgames were held before Rickwood Field was constructed. This will all come in very handy for my upcoming project, which I am now very happy to be able to announce.

 

 BLACK BASEBALL IN ALABAMA 1870-1950: The Rough Diamonds of Dixie

Coming to bookshelves this summer, my first book, "Black Baseball in Alabama 1870-1950: The Rough Diamonds of Dixie" will be available and I can not be more excited about it! From The History Press publishers, it should be in stores across the state, nation and perhaps beyond by September. For me, it is the culmination of years of study and research, I am thrilled to have the chance to share it with everyone.

The overlooked stories of the men and women in Alabama who aided the development of baseball have long been in danger of being lost, the African American contributions to the sport are immeasurable and a crucial part of the American experience. Lending a voice to those who can no longer tell their stories themselves and sparking more discussion on the amazing and largely unheralded history of Alabama's Black baseball legacy has been the most amazing adventure.

 

PREPARE FOR A SHOCK

There are many surprising stories, shocking me even as I researched them. Some are so incredible you will wonder if they can possibly be true. You will question what you have been previously told about famous players, teams and events after reading this book! 

What I thought I knew about baseball was wrong. 

What I thought I knew about Negro League baseball was wrong. 

What we are told is a streamlined myth, a fairy tale crafted to let young children sleep easily.

There is simply no area of American life that was not in some way connected to Black baseball in Alabama. Alabama Black baseball influenced, and was influenced by, everything across the country, from music to food to education to travel to politics. 

WHATS IN THE BOOK?

With the Dr. Miraculous style that has, to many, become synonymous with telling Alabama baseball history, lost stories are brought back from the past to be held in the light of the sun, often for the first time in decades. Forgotten players who were legends in their day are again heralded, juggernaut teams that have fallen into oblivion are again championed, even cities that no longer exist are given their due for the game they loved.

The tales and images range from old-time 1800's to mid-20th century and modern, they illustrate the life and times of ballplayers and the spread of baseball from city to city. People and places are the focus, identifying as many individuals as possible and sharing their struggles and victories, as well as the constant dangers that existed for those who simply sought to play baseball. 

1880's Western Railway of Alabama, now the location of Riverwalk Stadium

WHO'S IN IT?

Lots of famous players are mentioned, including info about Satchel Paige never printed before. Stars like Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella appear, but just as shining are the unheralded greats such as Geechie Meredith and George Lockhart. 

Some have tragic stories, the dangers of being a Black ballplayer in Alabama were inescapable. Police reports were as common as scouting reports in my research. I was surprised at the body count for this baseball history, which will also fall into some readers "True Crime" collections. It is not for the fainthearted. 

There are ballplayers, managers and owners too. But the cast of characters includes much more. Jazz and blues musicians rub shoulders with gamblers and gangsters, politicians and actors are involved, as are bootleggers and policemen. There are a lot of names you will know, some you won't and many you should.

Dozens of cities across Alabama, large and small, are documented for their earliest and most successful Black teams. Crossroads and ditches, mills and mines, colleges and fire department teams and their players are recognized for their baseball accomplishments. 

Many players career records are identified for the first time, entire cities are added to the map of important Alabama locations that have featured major league players, teams and hosted games.

Many players, including Hall of Famers, are identified as appearing with Alabama teams for the first time.

CANT READ? THATS OKAY!

Look at the pictures! 

Norman "Turkey" Stearnes

Oh, these images, if I have been errant in my attention to you on the blog it has largely been due to the challenging hunt for rare photos to accompany the stories and characters described. And that hunt has been very fruitful, I am happy to report. I have scoured the planet and found help from the very best in the baseball research world and beyond. 

Institutions such as Harvard, UCLA, Tuskegee University, Alabama State University and many others opened their archives for this project, some for the very first time in their history. Libraries of ten American cities shared info and photos, some never before published. 

Dr. Ravel of the Negro Southern League Museum kindly provided many more, often unseen, photos. Historian William Plott gave use of his images, including some photos never before seen and unpublished interviews with Montgomery Grey Sox players. 

Museums were generous with support, including leading photography galleries in New York. Locally, the Alabama Department of Archives & History and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts were extremely helpful.

Many nationally recognized Negro League experts, simply too many to name individually, assisted with info or shared player and team images for this project.

 

 NEED MORE? OF COURSE WE DO!

George  "Tubby" Scales

But it's not enough to just have pictures. We need names.

Again, I gotchu fam.

 I identify teams that have been lost to history for decades, in many cases over a hundred years, and include the names of their known players in order for their modern descendants to locate them and for researchers to locate them in other known photos.

If that's not enough, I include every nickname I could find, Steel Arm and Candy Jim are just the tip of the Cool Papa Bell iceberg. 

WHAT WILL BE LEARNED?

Montgomery's first No-hitter was thrown by a Black man. You will see his name and face together for the very first time.

The legendary Satchel Paige has some very startling revelations, including how he got started in pro baseball and other stories never told before.

Read the origin story of the Montgomery Grey Sox, previously entirely unknown, and how it was sparked by the most notorious gangster in town. 

The Birmingham Black Barons beginnings are laid bare, as are the organized crime syndicates battling for control of the team.

Discover who won the disputed Negro Southern League championships of 1920 & 1921, the mystery finally untangled.

Hear how Birmingham and Montgomery became major league teams, and the players who starred for them. 

Josh Gibson brought his Homestead Grays to many Alabama cities, including one of the biggest games of his career.

See the faces of the men who played with Montgomery's major league team for the very first time.

Barnstorming became a way of life, learn how it saved the Black Barons and cemented their legendary status.

Stories include, bats, balls, gloves, facemasks, guns, knives, razors, poison, cars, busses, trains, tornadoes, electric chairs, moonshine, phrenology, the KKK, chain gangs, minstrels, and so much more!

 

WHERE DO I GET IT?

The release date has not yet been announced, and I will be debuting the cover in about six weeks or so. I expect the book to be on shelves in bookstores and ballparks across the nation, particularly in the South and in Alabama. Of course as I am able to, I will share updates on when/where to get it, and I look forward to sharing the stories of Black Baseball in Alabama with everyone!

 

 

It's Just Some Pictures, Guys

It's just pictures, guys. Let's go!

Let me explain.

In 2016 I was approached by the team front office for images of their players to supplement their promotions. I said no problem, I like to help out. I had previously been providing them images as requested for free, but the team indicated they wanted to move beyond that and work together. I was happy to do so. 

 

I shot the pictures for the team baseball card set and heard a lot of good feedback from players, fans and the front office. I was paid exactly one hundred dollars for what amounted to two weeks of shooting, focused on getting usable shots of each player. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it and didn't mind the low pay. Probably came out to about two dollars a picture, instead of the usual pro rate of $25-$125 per. I was helping the team, right?

Later that summer I was told by the front office
that my images had been mistakenly passed to an advertiser, but was not told who. My images were on a portable usb device that had somehow been handed off, and I would not get my usb device back. Okay, fine.

 

Then I found my images used without my knowledge for third-party merchandise. As many as four images of players I had shot were included in the Southern League All-Star team card set produced by the Mississippi Braves. I was not asked and if I signed away permission for their use I do not recall it, as I was under the impression our agreement was for the use of my images for Biscuit promotions. 

Either way it would have been nice to be compensated, provided a copy for my own archives or at least told about the use.

After that, I was quietly refused further photography jobs with the team. I have repeatedly asked what we can do to continue our work together. But instead, the club first handed an expensive camera to entry level staffers before finally hiring a media person for camera work along with many other duties during games. Fine, whatever.

When MLB took over MiLB and the pandemic shut down the season, my media pass became obsolete. Since then I have repeatedly requested media access from the Biscuits, who have said "Oh sure we will email you that info. It comes from MLB now." It is literally the same guy I worked with when shooting for MiLB.com and Minor League Baseball with no problems, but I don't have his contact info so I requested several times to be put in touch. 

I've been waiting to hear back from the Biscuits with that contact info, which I request every six months.

For four years.

I do not understand the delay. Nor do I appreciate it, since I have been quietly sitting on the fact that my images were likely used for third-party merch and been denied further work with them.

My photography over the past twenty years includes working with equipment companies, sports agents and players themselves. My photos have appeared in magazines, newspapers, MLB programs and promotions, as well as on national television news programs. I have worked as an on-field photographer at multiple MiLB parks, in dugouts and bullpens during games, quietly doing the job at hand while building a reputation for quality pictures.

Before each game I go to the pressbox and find the info package made available to the media. The Biscuits used to offer that info for season ticket holders, of which I am also one. But they quit that, in spite of the fact that after the game those very sheets of paper are literally dropped in the trashcan. 

This past season I was stopped by an usher who accosted me about going upstairs, verboten to ye peasants of the seating bowl. I mentioned that I had previously had a pass, and he demanded to see it. When I brought the expired pass, which I explained WAS EXPIRED, he took it as valid and said I was good to go upstairs. Uh okay. Of course a day or two later I was again stopped by said usher, who was mad that I had deceived him with my old pass! 

So now, every usher in Biscuitville has my mugshot saying - DO NOT LET HIM UPSTAIRS. 

My buddy goes up to get the same media info every game. I followed him and got tagged by the usher like a highschool kid caught smoking in the boys room.

As with the MLB/MiLB contact, I have repeatedly requested this media stat pack of info, being told "Oh sure, we will bring it to you." only to have it be brought one time and then forgotten. Which is fine if I have access to grab that handful of wastepaper myself.

THE SECRET INFO

Whats in those secret files that are being secured behind an army of polo-topped sentries?

The media pack includes a single page with both teams lineups on the face, along with the umpires and a list of each teams roster by uniform number. This is incredibly valuable to a photographer, knowing the actual players and positions instead of the often errant lineup published early in the day is golden. Not to mention being able to tell quickly who a substitution is by the their uniform number, which is also often incorrect in programs and pre-game lineups.

There is also a deep list of player and team stats. Also worth its weight in gold for photogs. Learning who might be utilized due to their metrics helps prepare for action, knowing a hitter is scuffling means you get a shot of him in the field or else you will end up with pictures of him striking out or staring at an infield popup in the batters box. Players KNOW, multiple times I have had a guy say "Oh man thats a swing-and-miss" on a shot of them at bat.

Team notes. Each team's media crew provides a brief that includes a bio of the days starting pitcher and each of the position players. It also provides info on the relievers and serves as a mini media guide. All the info you won't be hearing from the broadcast booth because you are shooting the game and not listening to the radio/tv call. Many who get these sheets may not read them but it is part of my pre-game to go through EVERY PAGE and highlight any stats that seem like they would impact my days photography. If you have seen me at the ballpark before the game with my nose in some papers and a pen in hand, that's what I am doing.  

I've never requested an autograph while working with credentials, never kept a foul ball or asked for a souvenir while working. I practically refuse to speak to players while on the field. I've never fraternized with players or officials before or after a credentialed media event and I have tried to handle business with respect and professional courtesy.

I'm not demanding a job, if they want to pay a staffer who won't spend it at the beer cart, that is their decision and something that should have been happening every game since 2004. I'm also not competing with them, in fact I think I hype their brand more than any single non-team entity.

Why the delay on the MLB media contact and the refusal for stat packs that literally help me pimp them?

So thats why I say, it's just some pictures, guys! Let's go!

 

 

Rebels Footage By Request! Back to Baseball

Can we get back to baseball now? Great!

I said last time that the Biscuits may be for sale, and that could be a possibility. It could also be that they are suffering from back-burner-ism, with the Rays concerned about where they will play and owner Lou working to secure the same details for his Flying Squirrels. Montgomery fans may have to sit on their hands and wait their turn. 

Whether those details could play into the future of the Biscuits is up in the air, though I would think the Rays might kick the can down the road just to not have another thing to worry about during their ballpark transition.

 

GOOSE

Meeting Goose Gossage was pleasant, he told me a nice story about playing in Japan. "It was just like 'Mr. Baseball'" he told me, and mentioned the move came about due to being blackballed by MLB managers Don Zimmer and Roger Craig. "We have since buried the hatchet," he said, but I could tell he wished it was buried in someones neck instead of wherever they had left it when they made amends. Gossage was great, launching quickly into ballplayer mode with full swearing and gesturing, regardless of the high class location and proximity to expensive suits.

 

REBELS FLASHBACKS

Someone asked recently if I had any Alan Trammell/Lou Whitaker Montgomery Rebels stuff. Oh the delicious irony. Someone else had just recently sent me a link to old broadcasts of local news shows. Talk about a wayback machine, I could not turn my eyes away! After two days of drying my retinas nonstop I found a few gems that I think everyone might appreciate. 

 

Here is a great clip worth clicking thru to watch...

https://youtu.be/tTDvps96ExI?si=JBP_d3PrXrHlA6f-&t=732

Beginning at 12:12 you will see the Montgomery Rebels first spring workout at Paterson Field in 1977, this is the first time Trammell and Whitaker worked together outside of spring camp, having not yet appeared in a single game. 

I will save you the effort of watching the hours of footage like I did. There were only a handful of baseball related items.

 

It's a real blast from the past!

Rebels footage is found in this broadcast, gotta love those classic orange tops! 

More orange tops in this interview with Al Green, Rebels outfielder in '78.

 

This image is Ted Brazell, Mark Fidrych and other Rebels doing groundskeeper work when the city decided to punish the team by pulling basic support.

PODCAST!

The tech thing kicked our ass. We recorded about three epi's but the sound levels were atrocious, and holiday fun prevented us from working it up. Not to worry, Uncle Mikey and I will be back at it in the next few weeks producing new content with new equipment! Thanks for sticking it out and not throwing things at us. Yet. 

SOMETHING EXTRA

Since I have been tardy and ya'll been so patient, I'm including another video.. yeah ikr.. this one is from last years conference, Jeb Stewart gave a fantastic bio of former Montgomery Negro League catcher Paul Hardy.

Predicting the 2025 Biscuits, Who Killed Hoke?

 

On January 1st we remember a solemn event, our annual predict the team post always coincides with the date of the death of Montgomery Rebels owner Hoke Vandigriff in 1955. After integrating the Montgomery baseball team, Hoke's death spelled the end of integrated baseball in Montgomery until 1962.

It has long struck me that the death of Vandigriff was very "convenient" for those who opposed segregation and so I went about researching the event and its background in order to put my own mind to rest. What I found was more questions and few answers, leading my mild suspicion to increase considerably. In May of this year, I took to the stage at the Alabama Dept of Archives & History and presented my findings. I submit them here for you now, on this, the anniversary of the tragic event.

 

PREDICTING THE BISCUITS 2025

Its possible the Biscuits are being quietly peddled for sale. While I have heard nothing definite, the signs are subtle but there. Lets hope it works out for the best, we are speeding towards that deadline of stadium rental and player development contract time. Both the Rays and City of Montgomery will need to sign up to keep the Biscuits in Montgomery. And of course, we need the team to want to be a part of it.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE - THIS IS THE YEAR

So of course there will be nets in 2025, and I expect it wont be long afterwards that we see the clear bag policy and metal detectors at the entrances.

If you think otherwise, peep the requirements for our "sister" team, the Richmond Flying Squirrels. It appears that in our league Montgomery, Biloxi and Birmingham are among the few yet to adopt this bag policy and/or metal detectors, which other teams state is mandated by MLB. My scorebook is bigger than that!

But at least that will take care of the overcrowding, at least as far as I am concerned. That's where a lot of fans, likely including myself, will drop out for good. For Montgomery, supporting the team only goes so far when the team repeatedly fails to support the fans.

Okay, on to the scrying....

This Biscuits team will have plenty of new faces, but likely returns a solid core around heavy hitting Issac and Tre Morgan. I expect Kevin Boles to come back as manager, but the Rays could do anything with the coaching staff and all bets are off concerning pitching coach and hitting coach.

C Ricardo Genoves

C Tatem Levins

C Kamren James

1B Tre Morgan

1B X. Issac 

2B Cooper Kinney

SS Brayden Taylor

3B Willy Vasquez

OF M. Auer

OF Etzell

OF Brock Jones 

OF Noah Myers

OF Colton Ledbetter

UT Jalen Battles

UT Ryan Spikes

SP Curet

SP Davitt

SP T. Martin

SP  Roel Garcia

SP Chandler Murphy

SP Owen Wild

RP Erbe 

RP Vernon

RP Alex Cook

RP TJ Fondtain

RP Drew Sommers

RP Jake Christianson

RP Jackson Lancaster

RP JJ Goss

RP Dahle

RP Johnny Cuevas

 

A Chat With Sam McWilliams, Hat Stove, Story Time!

 

 

 With December in mid-swing the hot stove is heating up, Willy Adames got a payday and Blake Snell found a new home as well. Today we hear from an old friend and a new one, with several good tales told.

MR FREDERICK'S STORY TIME!

This summer I was in contact with the wonderful Mr. Frederick. A longtime baseball fan, Mr. Frederick has sent along some stories that I will be very happy to share, in regular installments going forward. We start with a great one about Yogi Berra.

YOGI FEELS THE HEAT

Fifty years after the event, Yogi Berra told a story to Tim Russert on TV about a hot night in August in the 1950s at Fenway Park. According to Yogi, the temperature was still 90 degrees or better at 9pm that night. The Yankees had a 9-0 lead about the 6th inning and Yogi was wishing he could come out of the game and take a shower to cool off. Yogi knew that Casey Stengel would not take him out of the game at his request, so he started maligning the home plate umpire hoping to get ejected from the game. 

Without taking his mask off, Yogi started making statements like "You must be blind to call a pitch like that a ball" and calling the ump names so the ump could hear him. After a little while, the home plate ump, one of the most veteran and best umpires in the American League, told Yogi, "Yogi, it's open season on me tonight; you can cuss me and call me any name in the book, but I'm not throwing you out of the game - if I gotta stay out here in this heat, you gotta stay out here too!"

 

BISCUITS HOT STOVE HATS UP

After my old man rant in the last post here, the Biscuits went to work. I immediately got an email that offered season ticket holders a Biscuits cap for just $15 if we would pay up on our tickets for next year. While it seemed like a good offer, the hats involved have been on the sale rack for months at twenty bucks, so the incentive to grab one is greatly diminished. Most of us season ticketholder folks have plenty of hats, in fact I wore a different cap to each game last summer and still didn't have to scrape the bottom of my hat barrel.

And while I got an email for that, I didn't get an email about the Kimchi jersey auction, which I probably would have participated in had I known about. 

But if you missed out like I did, don't try going to the team store for one. I'm told that the morning after the auction closed, all the unsold Kimchi jerseys were purchased in bulk by someone who was tipped off that the jerseys would be offered on the cheap. 

Thanks a lump fellas, ya'll really know how to look out for those of us who have been supporting the team for twenty years.

A CHAT WITH SAM MCWILLIAMS

Sam McWilliams with Biloxi 2024

I recently had a great conversation with former Biscuits pitcher Sam McWilliams about his time with the Biscuits and beyond. The tall, affable righthander has an easy manner and cheerful disposition when not hurling orbs between the chalk, where he is a formidable opponent. Pitching with the Biscuits in 2018 and early in 2019, Sam was an important part of the Montgomery starting rotation. 

Sam was with Biloxi for one game at the end of the year this past summer, helping out the Shuckers in the postseason against Montgomery. He had agreed to an interview and I was glad to have a chance to chat with him this past weekend as we both were getting our holidays started.

I didn't record our convo, so the quotes here may not be exact, but are in the best of my memory, accurate and non-incriminating.

ON BRADY &THE 2018-2019 BISCUITS: Sam was succinct when asked about the former skipper, saying simply "Nails." and "Playing for Brady Williams is easy." McWilliams mentioned how Brady has a way of making players feel at ease by being just one of the guys, a sentiment echoed over and over again by those who have played for Brady Williams. 

McWilliams in the rain

 

Sam was happy to talk about the 2018 club and its success, remarking on his continued friendship with Biscuit teammates from that season, mentioning Curtis Taylor and Matt Krook in particular, as well as Brett Sullivan and Mike Brosseau.

On former Biscuits pitching coach R.C Lichtenstein, Sam pointed to how R.C. could help a pitcher mentally, with a talent for knowing how to approach each player and work with them individually 

"He's able to get to know you, then to get you, mentally, to do more on the field, to challenge yourself." 

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS - I asked Sam to tell us a story, something we didn't know about. He cheerfully reminisced about the scene Biscuits clinch of 2018, smoking cigars and drinking beer while taking over the ballpark train for a victory lap around the park with Biscuits players packing the cars and riding on the roof. I was glad to hear him tell the story, as I partook in that celebration and it is indeed one of the most epic of Biscuit postseason glories.

Jesus Sanchez at Rickwood Field

Sam had a few stories and was very fond of that 2018 club: 

"So many of those guys are major leaguers now!" and he offered a tidbit on outfielder Jesus Sanchez. "So Jesus is, well, he doesn't like dogs, they scare him I guess. So my little pug was in the clubhouse one day, Sanchez is running around and climbing onto the training table to get away from it. Puggie is only about twenty pounds, but Jesus had to get away from that!"

 

 

ZOMBRO - I asked McWilliams if he keeps up with any of his former teammates, and mentioned Tyler Zombro, aka Coach Z. Expecting a discussion of analytics and pitching mechanics, the thing Sam mentioned about his former teammate and training advisor was how much he appreciates Zombro's friendship.  

Tyler Zombro, pitching guru, at Rickwood Field

"The first thing is that he has been the greatest friend, we talk all the time, a few times a week at least. That's been the best." Sam and I talked about how happy we both were to hear that Zombro had been signed as a special assistant for the Cubs organization. "It's been coming for some time" Sam said "he's a great mind in baseball." 

 I could not agree more, Sammy!

 

AB'S I asked Sam about his hitting. In 2021 Sam picked up his first two at bats in his career, doing it with two different clubs! After six seasons in the game how did he feel about getting to hit?  

"It was great! The guy I faced, I was with El Paso, the guy led me off with a fastball. I just watched it go and thought 'It doesn't look too hard' and was ready to take a cut at the next one, I was ready to swing. So the next pitch... I'm ready.. and he throws.. its up and inside. I swung and I don't remember if I broke the bat or what, but it was a weak two-hopper back to the mound. I was just like, aww man! I should have done better! Then the second at bat I struck out and there wasn't much to it. I was a starter and with NL clubs, it was the last season pitchers were hitting, so yeah it was fun!"

 

Sammy in SI

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED - Sam was interviewed for a piece in Sports Illustrated, written by Tom Verducci in late 2020 after he signed a major league deal with the Mets for an unheard-of price tag of $750k. I had to quiz him on how it felt and what he thought of the article, which kind of shades him in places. 

Sam says "Yeah it was kind of funny, Tom Verducci calls and is really buddy-buddy, I know he wants his story. But when I read it now its kind of funny, I had stopped throwing my two-seam fastball then and now I am adding it back and throwing it again, so the whole thing has kind of come full circle!" 

Sam explains he decided to stop throwing his two-seamer and rely on his four seam fastball and slider, the idea being that the two seam fastball movement is splitting the difference between the two other pitches and is easier for hitters to adjust to.  

"My four seam and two seam fastball's were both, well, kind of vanilla, so to speak. Like, I felt that not throwing the two seam made my other pitches look better. My slider had more break compared to the four seamer, which had more zip." 

But that was then, this is now. "I've started throwing the two seamer again, using it to set up my other pitches. Guys seemed to kind of be waiting on me, either jumping out to get the slider or sitting on the heater, so having that two seam action now and then gives you something else to make them look for."

Sam McWilliams starting pitcher in 2018

 

K'S GO UP - I had noticed Sam had increased his punchouts as he moved up the ladder, improving his strikeout numbers noticeably as he climbed from lower levels to triple-A. As this is sort of backwards from some guys who light up lower levels and struggle as they move up, I wanted to find out what Sam's thoughts on the strikeouts were and his answer was simple.

"Yeah I just think, over time, you learn where to improve and apply it. You get more confidence and experience and know how to utilize your pitches better." 

Age and experience over youth and talent, errytime!

MEXICO - I knew Sam had made appearances in the Mexican league in 2023, and asked about his time there.  

McWilliams at Rickwood Field 2019

"I actually threw one inning and got that opportunity." Sam said, laughing a little "I did a favor for a friend, they had a game here (in Tennessee where McWilliams lives) that was basically a tryout for Mexican League teams, they needed someone to throw one inning for them. I was like, sure, and went and threw and it felt gooood. A couple days later they called me and were like, 'Can you come to Mexico, like right now?' and I had to ask 'Can I call my wife first?'"

Sam had actually been in retirement when the Mexican League called. 

"I had hung em up, hung up my spikes for good. I was even to the point where I was at peace with it. But my wife, shes great, she says 'Chase that dream!' and so I was going to Mexico. It was fantastic there, they just want to win, the people and the city and the team, its not about anything other than how do you win today's game. It was just what I needed, really."

Following the Mets signing, the weight of expectations had weighed heavily on McWilliams. 

"I had struggled in 2021, so after that season I addressed a lot of the physical and mechanical stuff. I fixed the mechanics, but I wasn't able to fix the mental side, you know, there was still stuff going on.

I wouldn't call it 'The Yips' but that's really what it was. It wasn't like I was throwing the ball into the stands or anything, but I certainly wasn't throwing strikes. And it got stuck in my head that I didn't know where the ball was going. And then pitching wasn't fun anymore." 

After the Mets DFA'd him in May of '21, the Padres picked him up to finish that year, then he signed for a stint with the Reds in 2022. But after an 0-5 start to the season with a lofty 10+ ERA, Sam was released in June and went home to enjoy his family.

"It took a long time. I would watch games and didn't think much about it, there wasn't much desire there. But after a while it was just starting to creep in again, watching my buddies playing on tv and thinking 'I can do that. I WANT to do that!'" 

Sam McWilliams with 2019 Biscuits

And that's when Sam's phone rang with an unexpected opportunity.

It was that one inning in a pickup game, set up for other guys to try out for teams in Mexico. Following the time in Mexico, he says he spent a few weeks in the Dominican League. Pitching south of the border, Sam McWilliams was rejuvenated and soon found opportunity knocking again.

"In Mexico there were no scouts, just fans and they were really into the games. It was only about winning that game, that day. You would pitch and the next day be inactive, a day off. I enjoy getting out in the daytime and it really helped me get back into the groove to have that down time. I was feeling good and the games were fun, it was fun to pitch again. Then, when I went to the Dominican League there were scouts crawling all over, so I guess they saw me and liked what I was doing. My pitching felt great there and I really got my swagger back, so they must have seen that too." 

So whats up next for Sam McWilliams? 

"Stay in the strike zone. Change speeds in the zone. I feel good and just want to do what I know I can do. It's baseball, you just go out and do what you can and let it happen. But it's fun again so I'm really looking forward to getting to spring training and going out to take the mound in whatever role they (the Milwaukee Brewers) want me. The confidence is back and I have my stuff back too, so we just have to see where it goes."

As we ended our chat, I made sure to thank him and mentioned that there are a lot of us supporting him, folks who he maybe doesn't see or hear, but we are rooting for him. We see the work that goes in, the effort and struggle and adjustments and emotions. I told him to keep doing what he's been doing,  opportunities in baseball don't appear by accident and we are looking forward to seeing what the next opportunity will bring for Sam McWilliams.