Biscuits Return

The 2019 Biscuits stormed into the season, earning new manager Morgan Ensberg his first double-A win in his first double-A game. On the road in Chattanooga. Spoiling the Lookouts Opening Day festivities, the Skitz start the year on the Biscuit bus with a lot of new faces.

The team held a preseason workout and meet-and-greet ahead of the road trip, combining two of my favorite events into one. As such, I scarfed down a bacon wrapped hotdog and hurried to watch batting practice and bullpen throwing sessions.

The practice was much as I have seen from first practices in seasons past, beginning with the manager addressing the club. What Morgan Ensberg said is unknown but he took several minutes to speak to his players as a group and before beginning the on-field practice.

LONG TOSS
Pitchers long tossed and threw among themselves to get loosened up while the batting guys worked on some baserunning with the coaches. All players wore workout tops and shorts and the team bp caps. A few of the guys had Rays spring training jerseys on.


 BASERUNNING
Each player worked on getting around second base, picking up how the outfielder was handling the ball and listening for his coaches instructions.

It was a basic mobility and awareness drill that shows off players speed and looks really good for the fans who had come to watch.

BATTING PRACTICE
A round of batting practice came next, a group of about five guys with bats hit a coaches pitches while others shag fly balls. Coaches and pitchers use fungo bats to hit ground balls to infielders while the batters drive balls to the outfield. Bats are cracking, mitts are popping, coaches are shouting and balls are whizzing around the infield.

Pitchers line the warning track and return balls to the center of the field in one of baseballs time honored traditions, enjoying the warm afternoon and taking in the ballpark sights.

Baseball has returned.


ANNOUNCING WHO?
At this point I became aware that the players were being announced, though it was hard to hear much above the music and passing trains.

Some great plays are made in batting practice

WELCOME BACK!

1B Dalton Kelly acknowledges the crowd

Occasionally we would hear a players name we recognized, resulting a nice cheer for the local faves like first baseman Dalton Kelly and pitchers Matt Krook and Dalton Moats.

Other returnees include shortstop Jermaine Palacios, infielder Tristan Gray, catcher Brett Sullivan, pitcher Blake Bivens, shortstop Lucius Fox, outfielder Jesus "Soos" Sanchez, infielder Kevin Padlo and infielder Miles Mastrobuonni.

 

THROWING BULLPENS

Catcher Brett Sullivan

Catchers put on their gear and appeared in the bullpen as pitchers started working under the watchful eye of returning pitching coach RC Lichtenstein.

A group of guys I presumed as the primary starting pitchers left off their standing and stretching and began taking turns heating up on the bullpen mounds in double-barrel action.

I would love to break down the rotation and bullpen staff, but I frankly haven't learned them all yet.

Early in the season roles are yet to be fully determined and pitchers are on limited pitches. And that "opener" thing, so we will revisit that next week.

For now, we saw some guys throwing pretty well. Some were lefties, some were right handed. They all looked pretty good in the bullpen. Thats what I got.

LICTENSTEIN

RC is the longest tenured coach in Biscuits history, now entering his eighth season. He is excited about the new Montgomery uniforms this season, previewing several of them on his Instagram page. "This new ownership group is great! We used to have two uniforms in our locker, now we have like five AND matching hats!"

If you have a chance to talk to RC Lichtenstein, be sure to ask him about giving up a home run to Babe Ruth.


NEW MANAGER MORGAN ENSBERG
I introduced myself to the new skipper, who immediately refused to be addressed as "Mr. Ensberg" and requested we go with "Mo" or "Berger" instead. No probs, Mo, though I usually call the manager Skipper simply out of habit, its just what I learned to do. Mo seemed like a great guy, a couple players described him as fun and fiesty and felt he had a chance to get tossed out pretty often. Always a winner with the fans!

FALL BISCUITS RETURN

Dalton Moats

Two of the returning Biscuits, Matt Krook and Dalton Moats, pitched in the Arizona Fall League. A few previous Skitz have played there but I rarely get to see them afterwards.

I asked Moats and Krook what the AFL did for them, if there was a tangible that they took from it. Neither had something they could point out as that one thing, other than enjoying a championship there, but Moats brought up the instruction at the AFL "There's coaches from other systems, you get a look of different looks at what you are doing."

Matt Krook mentioned the level of competition. "You're playing with guys that are really good, from all organizations, on your team. You look around and see who is doing what, it helps develop good habits and reinforces that what you are doing is working."


#BULLPENLIFE

THIS WEEK IN MONTGOMERY BASEBALL

Wow, are you ready for some baseball history? There is a ton of it this week!
Some of my fave exhibitions take place this week, including the 1898 Montgomery-Auburn game and a contest that totaled 27 runs between two big league teams!


APRIL 5 1941 
The St. Louis Cardinals defeat Montgomery 4-0 in exhibition game

APRIL 5 1928 
The Cleveland Indians defeat Montgomery 6-1 in exhibition, George Grant pitching, Alabama native Luke Sewell catching for Cleveland.

APRIL 5th 1936
Chicago Cubs defeat Phillies at Montgomery, 11-1.

APRIL 5th 1949 
The Montgomery Rebels host the Philadelphia Phillies, get beat 2-1 in rain shortened six inning match

APRIL 5 1969 
Cincinnati vs Detroit in exhibition game in Mgm is rained out

APRIL 6 1898 
Montgomery hosts Auburn (alabama polytech) in an exhibition game. A super-rarity, this early exhibition pits a collegiate Auburn club against a much more experienced Montgomery team.

This Montgomery club featured three young future Major Leaguers, Jim Delahanty, Topsy Hartsel and Jack Harper along with a short list of relative unknowns. 

The game gets more print than any other single game in Montgomery until Babe Ruth barnstorms through in the 1920s. If you are interested, let me know and I will post the whole article, which is of considerable length - another rarity in local baseball research.

APRIL 6 1934
Cleveland Indians defeat NY Giants in a Cramton Bowl exhibition game.

APRIL 6 1936 
Chicago Cubs - Philadelphia Phillies game at MGM rained out


APRIL 6 1946 
The Cinci Reds face the Boston RedSox in an exhibition Double Header, the RedSox win game one 10-0, and the Reds win game two 7-5. The two teams started their regulars in game one and the second game featured the rookies and bench players.

APRIL 6 1953 
The Montgomery Rebels host Philadelphia Athletics, losing to pitcher Bobby Shantz in a game featuring a Gus Zernial home run.

APRIL 7 1954

A's beat Pirates 17-10 in a exhibition game hitting festival at Montgomery, featuring NINE homers!

April 7th 1954 
The Montgomery Rebels take the field with black players on the roster for the first time.

Breaking the color barrier in Montgomery: John Davis OF, John Mackley Catcher and George Handy 3b. Shortstop Price West, a Montgomery native also is among the first black Rebels.

By the end of 1956, Montgomery would give up its SALLY league team and move to the smaller, segregated Southern Association until that leagues deserved death.

A notable moment in history that is often unrecognized. So complete is the whitewashing of Montgomery's baseball history, I have been unable to recover a single image of the team or any of its players from this season.




APRIL9 1942 

St.Louis Browns face Montgomery in exhibition game, with no score reported.

APRIL 9 1947 
Ny Yankees face Montgomery in exhibition game, win in 11 innings on a Yogi Berra RBI.

APRIL 8 1948 
NY Yankees face Montgomery in a second exhibition game that got way less coverage. Like almost zero.

APRIL 9 1956 
Boston Red Sox vs Philllies in exhibition game at Montgomery, Phils 2 Sox 1, Robin Roberts the Phillies starting pitcher goes all nine innings. Ted Williams plays, goes 0-4.

Did you get enough history? I have started adding the newspaper clippings where I can, let me know if you like it better!

McKay or No? History-Full March!

The fresh batch of Montgomery Biscuits will arrive in a few short weeks and the season will open with Montgomery's squad on the road, leading to an odd weekday night Opening Day.

A new manager has local fans wondering if he can get the job done and bring home a pennant for the Biscuits. Fans are abuzz about the upcoming season, the possible players and teams promotions.

MCKAY OR NO?
Some debate going about whether Montgomery gets a two-way player to start the year.

Its a tough call, but I went on the side of more seasoning in single-A. He is ready as a pitcher, perhaps a good spring at the plate puts him in a Biscuits uniform on Opening Day. However I felt there was a good chance the Rays would be conservative with their unique prized prospect.


ITS ABOUT DEVELOPMENT
Now we will see where the rubber meets the road concerning that statement.

With a two-way prospect, do the Rays want him to be a two-way player? Or would they rather he focus on pitching, telling him "sink or swim" by challenging him to hit double-A pitching?

If he were just the hitter McKay, batting .210 at single-A doesn't usually come with a promotion after playing three different levels last year. Learning to hit is tougher at double-A than single-A.

ON THE PITCHER MCKAY

Are you holding the guy back when he pitches well? Sure, pitcher McKay is probably ready to face Southern League hitters.

If he does pitch here, does he start? Last year he started 23 of his 25 appearances, logging 98.1 innings. Less than four innings per game, he can be stretched out some this year but could be subjected to limits on his total innings.

Much like we saw when the Biscuits Mike Franco moved into the rotation a couple seasons ago. Franco was a boss, pitching well as a starter but then he was sent to the bullpen midseason to prevent him from throwing a disproportionate number of innings from one season to the next.

However, if the pitcher McKay can't manage four innings a start, he can make 32 starts and only log 120 innings - much under the one-third increase in innings over two seasons. Are we watching the Rays create a new breed of ballplayer - the two-way opener?

So many questions abound on how to handle a two way player.
And since we have always been told minor league baseball "is not about winning, its about development" it will be interesting to watch this develop.

HISTORY-FULL MARCH

 
Historically, March is perhaps the busiest time for baseball in Montgomery.

FIRST CHAMPS VS MGM

Teams began playing exhibition games in and against Montgomery starting at least as early as 1903 with the Boston NL Beaneaters facing, and beating, Montgomery. In 1904 Montgomery hosted a game against the Champion Boston Red Sox, winners of the first World Series the previous season.

SPRING HOME
 By 1905 the NY Highlanders were the first team holding spring training in Montgomery. Later the A's, Reds, Phillies and other teams would hold their spring training in Montgomery.


Even as early as 1911, when the St. Louis Giants played here against the Montgomery Stars, Negro league teams were also playing Montgomery teams in March spring exhibition games.

Buzzy Wares, traded as rent

BUZZY FOR THE BALLPARK? DEAL!
In March of 1913 the MLB St. Louis Browns trade Buzzy Wares to Montgomery for use of a stadium for spring training.

Wares was eventually sold back to the big leagues, but was indeed traded as rent for the Montgomery ballpark!



THE HOUSE THAT MACK BUILT - IN MONTGOMERY
A few short years later, Connie Mack made Montgomery the spring home for his Philadelphia Athletics, who were the reigning World Champions. Cramton Bowl was essentially built to sway Mack's decision and became home to Montgomery baseball teams for nearly fifty years.

Cramton Bowl 1920's

 STARS IN ALABAMA

This is the time of year baseball stars visit Montgomery. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Rube Waddell, Jimmie Foxx - all hall of famers who played March Exhibition games in Montgomery.
Controversial Hal Chase doesn't play here, instead choosing to jump contract from the Yankees team he is supposed to be here with!

The great Babe Ruth's Yankees make several stops here, starting in 1925, as the Bombers barnstorm north towards their own Opening Day.

Bill Dickey, Babe Ruth and Left Gomez on Yankee barnstorming trip thru Montgomery

CHECK THE BLOG ARCHIVES FOR MORE
White teams, black teams, integrated teams, local clubs, barnstorming teams, major league, minor league, you name it. Montgomery hosted World Series rematch games between barnstorming MLB Champions on several March afternoons.

The '08 Cubs, the '26 Yankees and a whole slew of other great clubs make appearances in the Montgomery area during the month of March. There are lots of stories, many of them just a click away in the blog archives!


MORE COMING SOON.....

Rickwood Rematch Announced, A Chat With Jack Morris

Hey, look who will be playing in this years Rickwood Classic! Its going to be Birmingham taking on Montgomery, a rematch of the first ever game at the oldest park with Lou Piniella as the guest of honor.

Walking through the turnstiles of the century old ballpark transports one into another world, to go back in time and take in a ball game the way it was intended to be seen. The sights and sounds are familiar. Fans enjoy it, players enjoy it, umpires enjoy it. You should come and enjoy it too.

misdated photo gets the attendance right, but is actually the opening game at Rickwood Field, 1910

Of course, if you have read the blog or looked discerningly at the league sked for next year, you saw that the sweet spot for the annual throwback game had the Biscuits on the calendar.

To be sure, fans have been more than a little expressive about their desire to see Montgomery partake in this game and to be more inclusive of the local history. Indeed the team has responded, first adding vintage photos and images to their displays and promotions in the past couple seasons and now this. Its a nice change from the previous owners repeated attempts to distance themselves from the local baseball heritage. Kudos to the Biscuits staff for making the changes baseball fans want to see.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING FOR THE OCCASION?

 We all know that uniforms play a prominent part in winning ball championships. 

So with the Biscuits taking on the Barons in the daytime tilt at Rickwood, what era can we look for?

The Rickwood staff always provides excellent period entertainers and many fans wear clothes from the era to create a wonderful atmosphere.

Happily I can share with you that the game will feature 1909-1911 style uniforms for both teams and around the ballpark.

1910 Birmingham team

 I am also hearing that the Montgomery uniforms worn for the game will be auctioned AT Montgomery on a date after the game is played. This leads me to hope that we might see a throwback game at Riverwalk featuring the Montgomery Climbers uniforms shortly after the Rickwood game. And to hope that I might get one!

1909 Montgomery team

This could tie into another item I expect to see - the Biscuits will hold another Montgomery baseball history promotional night featuring the Montgomery Rebels, expanding on what they have done the past few seasons. Perhaps even a full Rebels Night on the promotional schedule.


MY REACTION
Obviously, you know I personally am thrilled to see the local history get some recognition.

Our teams have been among the most dominant, our players among the most talented, our history with the game as deep as any in the world. All the greats played here, yet for decades Montgomery's pages were left with gaps and blanks, players names misspelled and dates erroneously reported with no concern to detail.

More than that, the stories are slipping away - tales of greatness and near greatness, of failure and camaraderie. The legends of our local games of baseball. And it seems a crime to lose those legends.

Yes, it is an actual 1910 photo of the parking lot at the first Rickwood game

LEGENDS
Legends like that one created when the Rickwood Classic was rained out on a sunny day in 2005.

Biscuit bullpen at Rickwood Rainout

Many long time Biscuit fans recall piling into the car on a bright June morning for the drive to B'ham. They parked just where those first fans parked in 1910 to cheer on their team in a road game against the rival Birmingham club.

The sun beat down on the large crowd assembled for the big game but in a classic old-time ploy, someone had left the tarp off the field for the previous nights rainstorm.

Biscuits skipper Charlie Montoyo in throwback uni on left

The soaking wet grounds deprived James Shields the chance to pitch in Montgomery's return to Rickwood after 40 years. The field was a muddy mess, umpires waited to give the field time to dry out but eventually called the game. It was a rain out on a sunny day!

James Shield at Rickwood Rainout

 Only it wasn't rained out and left unplayed - the game was made up weeks later. Returning to Rickwood Field on a warm and dry August afternoon with just a few clouds, donning their 1910 throwback uniforms, the Biscuits again faced the Barons in a makeup of the rematch throwback game!

The fans numbered in the dozens for a day game not originally on the schedule. Montgomery lost, 9-1, pitcher Brian Lockwood taking the L. 

Photo Proof provided by Bubba36109

HALL OF FAMER JACK MORRIS
I had the pleasure to speak with a legend who has a local connection. Newly minted Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris was in town to speak at the annual coaches dinner and afterwards we chatted for a few minutes.

Morris was a Montgomery Rebel pitcher in 1976, his first stop in pro ball was double-A which was where I first saw him pitch. I recall that he wasn't very good but still got the ball as a starter, a memory which his 6.75 ERA that summer backs up. But he went on to learn the splitter after leaving Montgomery, setting him on the path to greatness.

Morris had nice things to say about playing in Montgomery. I asked about Paterson Field, he fondly recalled that it was a great place to play and a great place to pitch. Jack did state flatly "the problem there was that the locker rooms didn't have any showers, just lockers!" He chuckled when I informed him that the locker rooms had finally been remodeled a few seasons ago.

Asked about playing in the Southern League at that time, he had high praise. "Oh, we had great players in the league that year" and cited names like Eddie Murray, Dale Murphy, Willie Wilson and Alan Trammell, most of whom were in the SL that season. "It was a lot of fun to watch" he added "as long as you weren't pitching."