Ruminations and ponderings by the Last of the Montgomery Rebels Fans on the Montgomery Biscuits and Montgomery Alabama area baseball history, author of "Black Baseball in Alabama" coming March of 2026.
The title says it all, covering the baseball teams, players, games and events as the sport spread across the state and country in Black communities from the Civil War through 1950. Grab a copy and wave it at me, I would be thrilled to sign it for you, and hopefully we can chat - perhaps about C.I. Taylor, Steel Arm Dickey or how Gadsden joined the NSL. Or who was bankrolling the Birmingham Black Barons and how to spell Montgomery Grey Sox. I hope the publishing of this book brings the conversation forward,
sparking fresh ideas and renewed interest in the exciting history of
baseball in the South.
First and foremost, I am a baseball fan and I hope to be a well-informed fan. Learning more about baseball is a passion, sharing it with you on this blog has been an incredible journey. I thank you all for reading!
If you know about a team I missed, you bet I want to hear about it. If I
left your favorite player out, I might have missed them in my research
and would love to know about them (leave a comment below!). Hopefully some folks will find their
past relatives, always one of the most rewarding aspects of covering
history that I have experienced. There was a lot going on, not
everything fit into the space allowed, maybe I have a note that could
help someones research, I am always thrilled to talk baseball and look
forward to sharing with those who know or want to know more, like I
do.
IT WAS SUS
I didn't wander into baseball history with an eye towards Negro Leagues, but it wasn't hard to see something didn't sit right. Lemme get this straight... Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, and like fifty other greats - all came from Alabama but we have ZERO record compiled about their combined development? We know nothing about the situation that fostered such greatness? Birmingham is the only non-white team in the whole state that anyone kept track of? And they were legendary but few know exactly what they were legendary for?
Satchel Paige
When one looked up Alabama baseball history among Black communities, it literally began with Satchel Paige's 1906 birth. The internet had seemingly never heard of Black people playing baseball in Alabama before 1920, when the Negro Southern League was formed. Even info on that was sparse, until Bill Plot's book on the league came out. Plott is a consummate researcher, his focus had not been on early development. His book on the Black Barons also began in the 1920's. When I asked him and others what came before, I found that even experts weren't sure what was going on before 1910.
Local sportswriters? One longtime Montgomery sport reporter literally told me "That was before my time, nobody cares about that stuff." Now THAT lit me up. As a sportswriter, I feel it is your JOB to know about "that stuff" and I am certainly not "nobody". Hmph.
So what happened? What makes historians and sportswriters turn away from a hundred years of events? How bad can it be?
Oh. My. God.
2019 Dr. M
My beard didn't used to be white, but then I studied Black baseball in Alabama.
Lots of killing, stabbing, shooting, electrocutions, poison too. Bootlegging, political assassinations, bulldozing entire massive communities, systemic racism, car crashes, train accidents, cross burnings, prostitution, swindlers, crooked cops, racketeers, and so much more.
Good grief, these people were just trying to play baseball!
From the Civil War throughout its existence, Alabama Black baseball was handled as a current event almost exclusively. No one felt it important to put it into a historical context, compare past and present. Even the Negro Southern League rarely took time to fully tabulate its own final standings. The games were deemed more of an entertainment than a sport, one rarely subjected to historic recognition. Beyond occasional box scores or short game wraps, most Alabama newspapers rarely used more than a few lines to describe even the most notable events.
No wonder Black
baseball was swept under the rug. Black folks were likely painfully aware of how they had been treated, and
white folks probably didn't want to be reminded. So in that sense, I suppose we can now understand the "nobody cares about that stuff" sentiment from a company veteran. Hopefully we have moved into an era that allows us to view the game and its growth in a more objective light.
Throughout the writing process, new information was becoming available literally every single day. As each new item is digitized, it revolutionizes our understanding of Negro Leagues teams and players as well as Black baseball's 19th century origins. It was a privilege to have access to some of the nations best institutions archives and to have the advice of many leading experts in order to put together what I feel is the most complete story of Black Baseball in Alabama.
The new year brings new beginnings, for this blog and myself - my first book "Black Baseball in Alabama: Rough Diamonds of Dixie" hits the shelves in just days and I could not be more excited and thankful.
It is a thrill to get a chance to pitch in the literary big leagues after twenty seasons in minors, as an aspiring indie writer covering players and teams that few seemed to care about, and deep diving a history that had been left for dead decades before I came along. As years went by, I blogged not knowing if anyone was even reading it, feedback was usually pretty minimal outside of friends and rabid fans of the local team (I love you guys!)
It happened suddenly, now more than ten years back. I was standing in a long line to meet the celebrity guest at Birmingham's annual Rickwood Field throwback game, the Rickwood Classic (that name is no longer being used... and I have been asked not to reveal why) when I heard my online moniker used in public for the very first time. "Dr. Miraculous!" someone at the table alongside Dwight Gooden proclaimed, prompting the former MLB legend- and everyone else in the crowded room, to turn and eyeball me.
There I stood, clad in my full House of David throwback uniform, including striped stirrups and vintage flannel pants, caught like a deer in the headlights holding a baseball to be signed. Hailing me with my nom-de-blog was Clarence Watkins, a stalwart of the Friends of Rickwood, one of the event organizers.
And that was how I met Clarence Watkins. Clarence, a baseball researcher and author, had somehow discovered my efforts to bring Montgomery baseball history into the light. Since that moment, my writing and research has taken a much more serious direction and I am very indebted to him for his encouragement and collaboration.
When Clarence's book "Baseball in Montgomery" came out, he gleefully brought it to show me as we shared lunch at the Scott Street Deli, poking through the pages like a new comic book. Clarence had another surprise for me, pointing out where he had thanked me in the forward as we cheerfully leafed through his pre-release copy. I was completely humbled.
I recall Clarence being a little nervous when he first told me he was
writing a book on Montgomery baseball, knowing my own aspirations. He needn't have been. It was a pleasure to have helped Clarence in researching his book, mostly through discussions, enjoyable meetings usually held over lunch at various local eateries. Seeing his book on store shelves always brings a smile as I recall our first meeting and the many baseball talks we have shared.
Dr. M with Clarence Watkins and Bill Plott
Indeed it was Clarence who introduced me to several of the experts who helped put me on the track to rooting out baseball history, perhaps chief among them William "Bill" Plott.
Bill Plott is the foremost expert on the Negro Southern League, having literally written the book on its full history, as well as being deeply versed in the tales of Black baseball across the South. Plott also authored one of the most complete histories of the Birmingham Black Barons, and was immensely supportive and very patient with my many questions.
When Bill shared his unpublished interviews with former Montgomery Grey Sox players with me, saying "Oh I have these, they might interest you", I was absolutely floored. Much of that information was relevant to the book, greatly improving what we know of the development of the Montgomery Grey Sox. As I researched the info gleaned from those interviews, it unlocked secrets that had been hidden for over a century. At one point, in my excitement of a new discovery, I literally phoned him to share the info, as there is noone more instrumental in preserving this very-nearly lost history as William Plott.
William Plott was a featured guest at our Baseball History Conference held in Montgomery in May of 2024, speaking about the Negro Southern League and his writing on baseball history. Many thanks to the Alabama Department of Archives & History for the video of his presentation!
As a researcher and historian, one often stands on the shoulders of those who came before, and that could not be more true in this situation, my work is an expansion of the information gleaned from Bill Plott and Clarence Watkins diligence. Not only are they among the top authors and experts in the field of Alabama's baseball history, they are two of the nicest folks on the planet. They were among the first people I wanted thanked when given a chance to do so, among many of you who have encouraged and assisted in the creation of this book.
Over the course of this year I plan to share the stories of many more of those who have helped make this book become a reality, helped to push open the curtain on the long-hidden history of the incredible men and women who simply wanted to play baseball in Alabama.
Black Baseball in Alabama: Rough Diamonds of Dixie available Jan. 27!
BISCUITS NEWS
It appears the new owners of the Montgomery Biscuits, OnDeck Holdings, has chosen or agreed to retain Lou DiBella as the head of the club, also leaving the previous front office largely intact. Obviously, this is a mixed blessing, as Lou genuinely cares about the fan experience and is a fantastic choice to steward a club. However, he is already exceptionally fantastic at that in Richmond full-time, leaving the Biscuits as sort of a side piece. So it appears that rolling into the new season with the same crew as the last five, we can expect pretty much more of the same going forward.
FORMER BISCUITS
Several former Skitz have been on the move - notable is the promotion for Tyler Zombro, now Vice President of Pitching for the Chicago Cubs. Coach Z is widely respected in the baseball analytics community and is simply the most brilliant baseball mind ever to take the mound in Montgomery togs, ever. A better choice for the position with the Cubs front office could not be made.
Ryne Stanek 2016
Ryne Stanek has found a new home pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals this summer after signing a free agent contract. The former Biscuit hurler made the transition from starter to reliever while in Montgomery in 2015 and has thrived in that role.
Stanek has already spent nine seasons in MLB action, tossing over 450 innings with a tidy 3.85 career ERA. Ryne has a great history as a postseason pitcher, logging a 4-0 Win Loss record in the playoffs, and winning a World Series ring with Houston in 2022.
O'Malley gets a clubhouse nap
Shawn O'Malley picked up a gig as the assistant hitting coach for the Washington Nationals. Sh-O'Malley had been the hitting coach in triple-A Tacoma, a Mariners affiliate. Shawn played three MLB seasons with the Dodgers and M's, he had been a Montgomery Biscuit for four seasons from 2010-13.
The ShOmalley locker ca. 2013
Kazmir
Another ex-Biscuit reaches a post-career landmark that will strike fear into the hearts of longtime Montgomery fans, Scott Kazmir is now eligible for Cooperstown voting. Kazmir was on the inaugural 2004 Biscuits, tossing the first pitches in the teams history. SK is unlikely to gain entry to the hallowed halls of the game, but his eligibility marks a notable turning point in this franchise's history. Former pitcher James Shields received no votes in 2024, the last ex-Biscuit on the ballot. By my count, there have been ZERO votes for any former Biscuit to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
THIS WEEK IN MONTGOMERY BASEBALL HISTORY
JANUARY 12 1954 Sparky Olson named Montgomery's manager- Robert Wiltse is signed after his service time is done, Harry Deseret, Bill Glendenning and Jerry Kliensmith were also purchased for the team.
Jan 12, 1954 Montgomery Advertiser
Also on this day, the club changes its name from Grays back to Rebels officially. Montgomery had been called the Rebels in the old Southeastern League, but were required to switch names when they entered the Sally League in 1951 to avoid confusion w. Charleston Rebels. New Montgomery owner Hoke Vandigriff is said to have agreed to adopt the Rebels name in exchange for the city allowing his signing of Black players. Within a year, Vandigriff would die in a suspicious plane accident, with the team then abandoning its hiring of Black players.
JANUARY 14 1907 Montgomery (Southern League) votes to increase its capital stock from $8,000 to $12,000.
.jpg)
.jpg)
