Featuring the Montgomery Biscuits against the Birmingham Barons wearing 1910 throwback uniforms. This is already my favorite game of the year, even before adding our beloved Montgomery team as the opponent!
Montgomery was the first opponent for the Barons at Rickwood Field way back in 1910. Montgomery lost that one late in the game, but were determined to even the score on this day.
Montgomery manager Morgan Ensberg
Perhaps more than any previous Biscuits manager, Morgan Ensberg is all about teaching the players the art of the game. When he gathered the team together at the edge of the infield before the game, it wasn't the first time I had seen him address the players collectively to start the day.
Manager Ensberg addresses the team
Perhaps more than any previous Biscuits players, these guys listen.
Rickwood Lights
We didn't see them in use but the lights at Rickwood are historic in their own right, having been brought from legendary Tiger Stadium in Detroit. These are the lights that Reggie Jackson hits with a mammoth homerun in the 1971 All Star Game. You won't see the lights in this video because TV engineers never expected anyone to hit a ball there, but here is the vid anyway.
Ivan Pelaez makes new friends before the game
GUEST OF HONOR: LOU PINIELLA
Lou Pinellia throws out the first pitch
Sweet Lou Piniella threw out the first pitch at the Rickwood Classic as the Guest of Honor.
Lou never played in the Southern League but his first pro assignment was with the 1962 Selma Cloverleafs.
When I asked him about his time with the Selma team he told me "Oh, it was hotter than Hades, but I was only 18 years old and too young to know any better, I was just happy to be getting paid to play baseball!"
'62 was the final year for the Selma Cloverleafs, and the Alabama Florida League, which folded after the season. (that final year, only one team, Pensacola, had a winning record, ouch!)
Biscuits warm up in front of the (mostly) hand operated scoreboard
Mile Mastrobuoni
"Lets join the handshake line!"
No high fives, handshakes are the order of the day
I must have heard that twenty times from the Biscuits players, who eschewed high fives in favor of the traditional congratulatory handshake.
Whenever a player would cross home plate with a run scored for the Montgomery side, Biscuit players would shout "Lets join the handshake line!" and rush to offer their teammate a firm handshake. Same when a pitcher finished warming up, his fellow hurlers would line up and offer a grip and a word of encouragement for a successful outing.
Jermaine Palacios looks on between Morgan Ensberg, Brett Sullivan and trainer Luis Gonzales
LOOKING VERY UMPIRE-ISH
League arbiters bear the responsibility of getting calls right and offerring a commanding appearance in every game but the Rickwood Classic gives them a chance to truly look like an umpire.
Umpires Brock Ballou and Tyler Jones know how to throw back to 1910, looking good fellas!
Lucius Fox and Brett Sullivan
Biscuits players seemed to embrace the historic atmosphere at Rickwood Field, genuinely enjoying connecting with its past and the events it has hosted in its nearly 120 years.
Jesus Sanchez
PHOTO STORY: Sus Meets Lambert
Barons starting pitcher Jim Lambert
Jesus Sanchez faced Lambert in the first inning
Jesus Sanchez didn't mind
In fact, 'Sus enjoyed it
but Barons third baseman Ti'Quan Forbes didn't.
PICTURE BACKSTORY
One of the things that got me started taking pictures at games was
the impressive work of George Brace and Charles Conlon, two photographers who have
taken iconic images of the sport. I make sure to open books of their work often, I went back to them again when I saw
what a beautiful baseball setting this Rickwood Classic was.
Lucius Fox also hit a home run during the game
This image of Lucius Fox is one example of the influence of Charles Conlon on my photography, as well as that of most anyone who takes pictures of baseball games and players.
Pirates Honus Wagner, photo by Charles Conlon
*** CONSPIRACY THEORY ALERT ***
Does this image offer proof that the designers of Rickwood Field's scoreboard KNEW that Mobile would be replaced in the league?
Barons outfielder Luis Alexander-Basabe
Kevin Padlo was caught stealing, Laz Rivera applied the tag
Third baseman Kevin Padlo takes the field
Biscuits starting pitcher Riley O'Brien
Third Baseman Kevin Padlo
Behind right field, seen in the pics above and below, is the seating area that used to be designated the "colored section" and later was known to fans as the section that is the most fun to sit in. And it still is!
Biscuits shortstop Tristan Gray
Kevin Padlo at bat
Plenty of hits and lots of runs meant lots of pictures of our guys whacking the ball and running the bases.
And doing it with style!
Miles Mastrobuoni at the plate
Kevin Padlo heading to third base
Lucius Fox hangs out with a Barons runner at second base
Barons Luis Robert had two hits and two RBI's
HAD A GREAT SEAT
I spent the day on the bench next to the Biscuits dugout, getting a great view and a mild sunburn.
I was caught off guard when the game started quickly after the first pitch, standing there to snap a pic of Lou Piniella's toss and had to take the nearest seat when the action began. A few moments later Jesus Sanchez hit a two run homer to take an early lead and I knew I was probably not going to move from my spot. Superstitious? With Montgomery fighting for first place and on a five game losing skid, I wasn't willing to take the risk!
Reliever Ivan Palaez earned his first double-A victory
The one time I did move down to the bullpen the Barons tied the game. And so I headed back to my spot on the bench, whereupon the Biscuits responded by retaking the lead. Coincidence? I didn't care to tempt fate again so I remained where I was until the last out of the game. Put that W in the bag and hand me the aloe vera for this sunburn.
THOSE SWEET UNI'S!!
First Baseman Dalton Kelly on deck
These Montgomery uniforms look to be based on the Arch Persons and Ike Rockenfeld cards in the 1909-1911 T206 Tobacco set.
Persons is a personal fave of mine - when I began the blog I researched the Montgomery players in the T206 set and found Arch Persons to be an unusual guy. He had good stats for his career, but seemed to only play every other year.
The images of these cards were part of what clued me into who he really was. The other players depicted were former major leaguers, why would Arch Persons be among them?
Many of these cards were prepared by artists who spent long hours on trains between seeing ballplayers in order to paint their cards, if a photo of them wasn't already available. The artist for these cards likely prepared them by painting the bodies first, before seeing the player and used a basic pose to add a head and face to when they could detail the features.
The artist who painted these cards probably had not yet seen the uniforms and based his paintings images on the team photo from 1907.
I discovered that Arch Persons was actually Archie Pearson, who either encouraged or allowed a misspelling of his name.
He may have used it to jump contracts and change teams, simply been using a different spelling of his name at times or had been terribly wronged by baseball researchers. It drastically changed his career totals and showed why he was regarded as important enough to be included in the T206 cards.
Being able to connect the dots and give a more complete picture of a guys career is one of the many things about the blog that gives me a warm feeling. I get it every time I see this basic gray uniform with black MONTGOMERY emblazoned in arched script across the chest.
artist proof of shortstop Joe Pepe 1910
The bad news? Montgomery's 1910 uniform didn't look like that. Simply a white or gray top with a block M on the chest. Montgomery wore its name on the chest as a home uniform in 1907 for one season and quickly went back to the block letter. Some seasons the uniforms feature an M on the left sleeve, others have a stylish M with center serif.
This is how the other players in the subsequent issues of the tobacco card set appear. I suspect the artist arrived to paint everyone and was supplied with photos and/or saw a couple games to get the details right.
Totally nailed the throwback hat design though, a dead ringer for the Montgomery road caps from each year 1905-1915. I was told the team looked into using low-crown caps for an added aesthetic, but was denied on the basis that low crown caps aren't approved for game use. Would have looked beautiful, if you know why they wouldn't be allowed, please clue me in!
Two Montgomery players in the 1910 Bham newspaper, Frosty Thomas and George Whiteman(clarence watkins image)
Miles Mastrobuoni scrambles to third base
Dalton Kelly fouls off a close pitch
Ryan Thompson got the call, two innings no hits a walk and two K's
THE FIELD OF WEED
Some of the Biscuits players asked me about the history of the field, one of the stories I told was about what happened after an event.
Tristan Gray jogs off the field
When the Allman Brothers Band played at Rickwood in the early 1970's, the crowd was large and enjoyed seeing the band set up on a stage behind second base facing the stands. But for six months afterwards, the groundscrew was kept busy pulling up pot plants that had sprouted where music lovers had spilled seeds while rolling joints to smoke during the show!
Zombro came in to close out the game
UP IN THE AIR
Third baseman Padlo and shortstop Lucius Fox
Does he do this every time? Shortstop Lucius Fox was seen jumping in the air ahead of the pitch, landing ready to move any direction should a ball be hit near him.
Second baseman Tristan Gray makes the throw for the last out
When I asked him about his time with the Selma team he told me "Oh, it was hotter than Hades, but I was only 18 years old and too young to know any better, I was just happy to be getting paid to play baseball!"
Persons is a personal fave of mine - when I began the blog I researched the Montgomery players in the T206 set and found Arch Persons to be an unusual guy. He had good stats for his career, but seemed to only play every other year.
I discovered that Arch Persons was actually Archie Pearson, who either encouraged or allowed a misspelling of his name.
