"Black Baseball in Alabama" Cover Reveal! Biscuits Fail in Postseason (ver.10.0)

 

Today I am very happy to reveal the cover of my first book, "Black Baseball in Alabama: Rough Diamonds of Dixie" due to be released in January of 2026. Discussing the development of the game as it spread rapidly across the state in Black communities from 1870 through 1950, it is already available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble! So here is how the book will look. I have to admit I am thrilled with the cover! Many thanks to the staff at The History Press for their expert handling of the graphics!

Featured on the cover is the 1916 Montgomery Grey Sox team, colorized for the very first time. Among the players seen are Henry Hannon, Horace May, David Cotton, and Ossie Mitchell as well as the legendary John "Red" and Marion Cunningham. The Grey Sox were formed by Henry Hannon Jr., he and the Cunningham's would have long and important roles in Montgomery's baseball story. May and Cotton are pitching stars discussed in detail in the book, tossing some of the earliest big games in Montgomery's history, including its first no hitter.

Until now, no known photos of many of these men existed, or they were unidentified in pictures. I am extremely proud that John Cunningham, Horace May, David Cotton and many, many others can now be visually identified for the very first time in over a hundred years. In some cases entire teams are identified in rare photos, some pictures have never before been seen.

Images were the most difficult aspect of this book, and I am immensely excited about what has been compiled. So little was known about these teams and players there was concern that we would be unable to find more than a handful of photos. I am thrilled to say that we were able to include over 150 images, more than I ever hoped to dream of finding.

 

Also proudly emblazoned on the cover is a striking colorized image of Sam Streeter, the Madison County native with the Grey Sox, who also sppeared with Birmingham's Black Barons, the Homestead Grays and others. Sam was one of the greatest pitchers of the era and one of Satchel Paige's close friends. Streeter set Montgomery pitching records that still stand today.

 

Representing the famous Black Barons on the cover are Geechie Meredith and Saul Davis, two of the most popular players in Birmingham. Geechie, on the left, was one of the most likeable characters I encountered in my research, his life was tragically cut short and it warms my heart to honor his memory with this rare 1925 picture on the cover. By comparison, here is the photo available for Geechie on his Seamheads.com page, which is considered one of the most complete sources of Negro League info on the web.

Geechie Meredith (?)

On the lower right of the cover is the image of Hobson City's ball game in 1909, among the earliest known depictions of Black baseball in the state. Hobson City was cut off from its white neighbors who objected to having Black residents voting in the municipal elections. Hobson City organized with its own leadership and did just fine without the whitefolks to slow things down, leaving some free time for baseball.

On the back cover is the well-known image of Cramton Bowl in the 1940's, where many Negro League games were held, along with an actual advert for the Black Barons hosting the Chicago American Giants at Rickwood Field. Cramton Bowl and Rickwood Field would often serve as dual locations for Black Barons series against Chicago, in order to draw as many fans as possible. I detail Birmingham's visits to Cramton and the opponents they faced there, including perhaps the biggest game in the Black Barons long history.

 

BISCUITS FLOP YET AGAIN 

FUTILITY STREAK REACHES A DECADE OF "ALMOSTS" 

The Biscuits needed an extra day to fall to the Birmingham Barons in the SL Championship series, stretching their annual postseason choke job out a little longer - with the same fruitless outcome. After winning the opening contest on the road, Montgomery needed just one win in the final two games to seal its first title since 2008, but after a loss in game two and a two-day marathon game that included multiple rain delays - the Biscuits lost. Again.

Local fans were not surprised, in ten seasons the Biscuits have been left wanting in ten consecutive playoff efforts, leading to the realization that the "Montgomery Jinx" is still in full effect (more on that later). Perhaps the new Tampa ownership will value growing talent in the minor leagues over the pipeline system we have seen over the past decade or two. If I seem a little down about the whole situation, well, I am. And if you are too, fear not, for we are not alone.

The majority of MILB teams experienced a drop in attendance, overall minor league attendance is expected to dip below 2005 levels, the lowest in decades, according to Baseball America. Fans are speaking up by staying away in droves. But, is anyone listening? 

Sadly, Minor League Baseball has eagerly distanced itself from many of the things that make fans want to attend ballgames. There just isn't nearly as much incentive for a person to pull for any minor league team for more than two games a year - the one game that person attends and the final game of the championship. That lets folks say "I saw them win" and "our team is the best". 

Beyond that, fans do not care, nor do the teams want to improve it. Even if they did want to, they can't. MLB owns them.

So as prices go up and extra nets are installed and metal detectors are added and clear bags are required and cameras restricted and fans expected to accept whatever they are given while emptying their wallets with glee, I admit that I took the opportunity to engage in other activities. 

This summer, I didn't sit in the sun-scorched seats that often reach 150 degrees. I stood in zero lines for beer and paid considerably less for it. I did not get sponsor laden tee shirts that never soften and keychain flashlights that only work for a month, nor did I hear a single note of the Black Eyed Peas "Tonite's Gonna Be a Good Night" or the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army". For the first time since the teams inaugural season, like many other fans have done lately, I skipped it.

Instead, after twenty years of covering the Biscuits better than the Biscuits while at the same time exposing the hidden history of Montgomery's shady baseball past, I wrote the comprehensive history of Black baseball as it developed in Alabama. I hope you will enjoy it, and that it sparks further awareness of the subject.

 

I also resumed my musical performance life, as I am now the bassist for the band Pleasant Valley. It was very fulfilling to return to the stage after an absence of more than a decade. The band has been a joy, playing in Montgomery, Mobile and other places alongside one of my long-time music mentors. Along with live performances across the Southeast, we will be recording and releasing a new album of original music, to be pressed on vinyl and for sale in the new year. 

Come see us at The Nick in B'ham this Friday. We play in Selma on Saturday, but idk where exactly, they just point me in the right direction and I play the bass. Ya'll come on out!