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.

Season Ticket Holder Blues, Grey Sox Paul Hardy by Jeb Stewart, TWIMB

 

 

 THE SEASON TICKET HOLDER BLUES

This is a topic we have visited many times at this blog, a situation that has not improved much from the fans standpoint and will likely worsen with the addition of nets, increased demand for the giveaways scheduled and sour attitudes from some. For my suggestions on improved fan experience, scroll way back down, or search via the "The Dr.'s Notes" function, they remain much the same as they have for years, simply the unanswered laments of a baseball fan.

 

We have learned that Riverwalk will indeed have foul pole to foul pole nets next year. The team offers no discounts or apologies for season ticketholders who, like me, chose their seats carefully so they wouldn't have to sit behind the dreaded nets. That, coupled with the continued eroding of season-ticketholder perks offered in previous seasons has led many of the longtime supporters to question at what point they jump off. 

 THE GOOD OL DAYS

No longer do Biscuits season ticket holders have a concierge, no longer are giveaways held for those who have larger ticket packages, rising prices have largely relegated the "Biscuit bucks" included in the perks to the equivalent of one night of premium beers. Little aid is offered with parking, no gate for speedy entry for season ticket holders, and absolutely no discount is offered for supporting the team by buying tickets via season ticket plan year after year. 

No longer are season ticket holders covered for road games, game notes are drastically reduced and yours truly got absolutely torched by power hungry, entry-level ushers for making forays to the pressbox to retrieve said notes/stats, items that are literally thrown in the trash following the final out of the game.

 

The Biscuits ten percent discount on store merch offsets sales tax, but its effect is nullified by the team now charging sales tax for concession stand food items which are purchased much more often by most fans. Requiring fans not to use cash complicates the tax matter, forcing season ticketholders to relinquish a dollars worth of discount bucks for a ten cent tax. 

The problem is compounded when many concession attendants lack the basic math skills to calculate ten percent sales tax.

Season ticket holder special events have been largely curtailed since the pandemic, the Biscuits still host season ticket folks in the owners suite once during the season and offer a postseason party during the World Series that includes a cash bar. This years Postseason Party drew a massive crowd that may have included some employees and their families. However, by the time I got there for the first pitch of the game the free food was gone and did not get re-served. 

By the second inning of the World Series party, the staff was shutting down the place, it was dark with the lights off in the seating bowl, so I didn't stay to chat long.

Bring back the season ticket holder batting practice? Probably not happening if we are putting up nets to keep fans "safe".

Complimentary playoff tickets for season ticket holders who verbally agree to re-sign for the following year has been kind of a flop as the Biscuits have tanked in the postseason so often many fans now simply skip it. This seems to be a standard across minor league baseball, offering postseason seats for season ticket commitment.

Also, executive level season ticket holders are offered personalized tickets for full season ticket purchases, which I always take advantage of so I can flash the Dr. Miraculous name when I give them away to VIP's such as museum curators, authors, former players and coaches, researchers and other important contacts. This year it required an electron microscope to read the name printed in tiny Times New Roman font.

At $840 full season executive seats, the Biscuits are in the lower end of the pricing in the league, which is to be expected, reflecting the age of their ballpark. However, today's fans need more bang for their buck than they have been getting, and Biscuits supporters are starting to grumble openly that the number of perks that have gone away outnumber the ones that remain.

LETS TAKE A LOOK

 A quick check around the league implies that the Biscuits are trailing in the ticket office competition, with other clubs in the circuit working to sell seats with perks notably beyond what Montgomery is offering.

The Chattanooga Lookouts offer 35% off the ticket price for season ticket purchasers, with a 20% discount in the team store.

The Birmingham Barons offer 15% discount on their team store and discount additional ticket purchases by the holder. The Barons also offer a multi-year discount for fans who keep coming back.

The Huntsville Trash Pandas offer VIP parking, merch discounts of unlisted value, with some areas offering in-seat wait service and others stocking a buffet for hungry season ticket holders.

The Knoxville Smokies offer nightly buffet, early entry, parking pass, VIP gifts and merch discounts for season ticket holders. They also offer 3-5 year term discounts for longtime season ticket holders.

The brand-new Columbus Clingstones offer season ticket holders the right of first refusal at all events at their ballpark. How helpful would that have been for Savannah Bananas, Rays at Riverwalk, All Star Games and other big events? HUGE. Fans hated having to scramble for those seats and were left to fight among themselves as the Biscuits took a hands off approach to making any of those events easy to attend. Also, most Biscuits fans skip non-baseball events, often not even knowing about them, right of first refusal would sell a lot more of those seats.

Another comparison is that of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Biscuits sister team under owner Lou DiBella, where they boast 35% off game-day prices (39% for returning season ticket holders), ten minutes early entry via season ticket holder gate and other unnamed percentages off at the team store.

PRO TIP: Most Biscuits giveaways are easier to get via eBay by the end of the second inning of the game that is featuring the giveaway, leading serious fans to avoid the park as the eBay seller hawks invade, pick up the giveaways and leave the park by the middle of the game. For thirty bucks you don't have to stand in line for an hour or more.

I LOVE THIS TEAM

You know I love the team and support it. I will cheer when they do right, which they often do, such as the outstanding Grey Sox/Negro League tribute, their longtime partnership with the military and embracing  Korean culture. 

But on this I have to shoot straight and say, this club has dropped the ball at the box office in the minds of its fans. When the main perk season ticket holders crow about is buying in bulk "So I don't have to spend twenty minutes at the ticket window before each game, they are so slow!" there is an issue to resolve. 

It's one we have been talking about for years and effects each and every fan that walks through the gates. 

And, obviously, the season ticket packages could use some added sizzle too.

NIKO SIGHTING
Former Biscuits stud Niko Hulsizer is in action down under, patrolling the outfield for Adelaide in the Australian Baseball League. And hitting bombs, of course.. evidence provided!

 

Sam McWilliams ca 2018

SAMMY'S COMIN!

Former Biscuit Sam McWilliams agreed to a post-season interview with Dr. Miraculous, if you would like to submit a question for the hurler, drop it here in the comments or send it to me online at one of those social media sites that are so popular with the kids these days. 

 

 

CONFERENCE SPEAKER JEB STEWART ON MONTGOMERY GREY SOX CATCHER PAUL HARDY

In May we heard a detailed presentation from noted SABR biographer Jeb Stewart on the life and career of one of Montgomery's Negro League greats, Paul Hardy. Offered here is a video of that presentation from the 19th Annual Southern Association Conference held at the Alabama Dept. Of Archives & History. 

THIS WEEK IN MONTGOMERY BASEBALL HISTORY

NOVEMBER 12 1904 Sporting News reports Mr.Jos. E.E.Winters made a stock company of the Montgomery club and put some shares on the market which sold "like hotcakes."

George Whiteman

NOVEMBER 16 1875 Buffalo Bills show makes its first visit to Montgomery.

NOVEMBER 23 1910, the Atlanta Constitution reported that George Whiteman went to the Mobile Gulls on waivers for “the measly sum of $400.” Apparently, he wasn’t getting along with some of his teammates, Hub Hart in particular.

Whiteman would go on to star with the Boston Red Sox in their 1918 World Series alongside Babe Ruth. Following the series victory, Ruth gave his jersey and bat to Whiteman in thanks. While no MVP was awared for the World Series in those years, Whiteman was the consensus for best player in the Boston championship games.

 

NOV 24 1868 The Mobile Register, Nov. 24, 1868 reports on a game at the State Fair between the Montgomery Club and the Capitol City Club, won by the former 37-15.