Major League Baseball will honor the Negro Leagues in grand fashion next season.
The 2024 Field of Dreams Game will be played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, according to a report.
In case you didn’t know, Rickwood Field opened in 1910 and is the oldest professional ballpark in America.
This was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues which was the team that Willie Mays played for between 1948- 50. Mays went on to play for the New York Giants in 1951 as they later moved to San Francisco in 1958.
Rickwood Field is the oldest professional ballpark in America still in existence. Opening on August 18, 1910 it became home to the Birmingham Barons and Birmingham Black Barons.
The MLBbro Legend That Is Willie Mays Began At Rickwood Field
The past two Field of Dreams games have been played in the famous site of the actual movie in Dyersville, Iowa. MLB will not have an annual game this year as the field is currently under construction. The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox had the inaugural Field of Dreams Game in 2021.
It ended with a walkoff home run by the White Sox star MLBbro Tim Anderson. It was a magical moment.
Since then, these games have been a great event for baseball, as the sport continues to try and engage the younger generation. As great a moment as those games were, the connection between the cornfields and the urban demographic MLB is trying to attract wasn’t a perfect fit.
Negro League History Inspires Younger Generation Of Blacks
This new twist by MLB is fitting because Rickwood Field has a great history of its own. It has carried some of the greatest baseball players like Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks.
It’s amazing that Major League Baseball is going back to the Negro Leagues roots by playing a game at Rickwood Field. This is a game that will bring a lot of memories to the fans of baseball.
Mays just turned 92 and it would be a tremendous way for the Giants to honor him by participating in this game next season. The “Say Hey Kid” was only 16 years old junior in high school when he was part of the Black Barons team that won the Negro American League pennant in 1948.
There have been multiple baseball movies that have been filmed at Rickwood like Soul of the Game, Cobb and 42, which was based on Jackie Robinson and was filmed in 2013. When you see the movie 42, you can really see how the field has been kept in great condition over the years.
The Cardinals are hosting the Giants currently in the middle of a three-game series, which is a reason the story is broke now. This will give goosebumps to lots of the players who may have been part of the game of baseball.
Last season, MLBbro.com reported on MLB analyst and former All-Star Harold Reynolds, who is pushing for a “Field of Dreams”-style game at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. Hinchliffe is one of the last-standing Negro League ballparks. The 10,000-seat stadium is undergoing a $94 million renovation project. That might be a future location for the increasingly popular “Field Of Dreams” festivities.
Former All-Star and Gold Glove winner Harold Reynolds, is a staple around the game of baseball and he’s looking to help bring a culturally significant game to a historic stadium.
Reynolds had his success on the field during his 12-year career and he did not miss a beat after retiring and going into the television world.
According to an article from frontofficesports.com, the MLB Network analyst and the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, Andre Sayegh, are pushing for a “Field of Dreams”-style game played at the iconic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson.
This game, if it were to happen, would feature two MLB teams.
The first “Field of Dreams” game occurred during the 2021 season in Iowa between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. MLBbros stole the show with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Tim Anderson bombing away into the cornfields.
And that was a game to remember as our MLBbro Tim Anderson hit a walk-off homer to give the White Sox 9-8 win. The game will happen again during the 2022 season and will feature the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs.
Reynolds made it clear that he wanted to have a “Field of Dreams” game played in Paterson during the inaugural game held in Iowa and now things are starting to move in the right direction.
Hinchcliffe Stadium
For those who are not familiar with Hinchliffe Stadium, this place has a lot of significance. The 10,000-seat stadium was finished in 1932 and was a host site to the historic Negro league.
In March of 2013, the stadium was named a National Historic Landmark. The stadium is undergoing a $94 million renovation project.
MLB analyst and former All-Star Harold Reynolds is pushing for a “Field of Dreams”-style game at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey.
Hinchliffe is one of the last-standing Negro League ballparks.
“This is something that has to happen for our country. Hinchliffe helped integrate baseball,” Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh said per Front Office Sports.
Sayegh could not have said it any better. This would be a significant accomplishment for an MLB game to take place at a stadium that is rich in baseball history. Acknowledging the contributions to baseball and atrocities endured by Negro League players has been something MLB’s shown a commitment to in recent years.
There’s no question that Reynolds will do everything he can to make this happen. It could be the first of many games played at historic Negro League sites each season, attracting young, Black baseball players from all over the country,
Baseball has gotten a lot of mileage in the days following last week’s storybook ending at the “Field of Dreams” game, held in the cornfield near the original site of the 1989 film of the same name.
A walk-off home run by Tim Anderson capped off a dramatic ninth inning that saw the Chicago White Sox defeat the New York Yankees 9-8.
Anderson, along with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton combined for five hits, four home runs, five runs, and 10 RBI on the giant stage of the most watched regular season baseball game since 2005.
The game served its purpose of creating an event that put the spotlight on baseball, which can struggle to keep America’s attention once football pushes its way back onto the scene.
The fact that Black ball players were the central figures in the outcome of the game was icing on the cake.
Alex Rodriguez made note of that fact, hoping that this historic moment might continue to inspire young Black athletes to give themselves a chance to fall in love with baseball.
@AROD nailed it. Great cultural perspective. Great insight. That’s why #MLBbro.com was started on April 1. If you support diversity in baseball then support the voice of that diversity by giving us a follow. pic.twitter.com/AZmq3dxp2K
Anderson and Black Ace CC Sabathia both openly stated that they had never seen the film and really didn’t plan too.
Major League Baseball’s fan base is the oldest its ever been, at an average of 57 years of age. By comparison, the NBA’s fan base is a full 15 years younger.
The country is getting younger, and browner. MLB has to start making a cultural adjustment.
Baseball can keep its “Field of Dreams” nostalgia fest, and also reach out to those fans who don’t see any reflection of themselves in the Iowa cornfields.
Here are a few sites that might resonate with Black families and honor the contributions that our community has made to making the game what it is today.
Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama is home to some of the greatest Black players to ever grace a big league diamond, including Henry Aaron and Tim Anderson. The Deep South has plenty of baseball talent and is home to dozens of minor league teams.
Why not celebrate that by partnering with the Birmingham Barons and hosting a Rickwood Classic Weekend?
A minor league affiliate of the White Sox, the Barons have hosted the game for years in the 110-year old ballpark.
Hamtramck Stadium, Hamtramck Michigan
MLB is already part of the effort to help restore the former home of the Detroit Stars. The ball park has been used as a community field for years, but once the restoration is complete, what better way to reopen than with a major league game.
There are other sites as well; stadiums that have endured in one way or another, still carrying memories from generations past. Any would be great.
Imagine the feeling of watching Black major leaguers walking out of the dugouts of stadiums that once provided the only stage for them to play, wearing the uniforms of the men whose dreams they now live.
Imagine the impact on Americans who would see again the fallacy of there ever being “separate but equal” conditions.
Imagine the stories suddenly being told by family members who had heard of or had seen some of those legendary players and inspiring the next generation to come.
Possibly the most famous line from Field of Dreams is “if you build it, they will come.”
Baseball has a chance to build a bridge to millions of potential fans.
Major League Baseball won big with the inaugural Field of Dreams game in Dryersville, Iowa.
The instant classic drew 5.9 million viewers nationwide, making it the most watched baseball game in 16 years.
Yet, even with the colossal success of the event and Hollywood ending to the game, I can almost guarantee most young fans have never seen the movie and have no intentions of doing so.
And who can really blame them? A movie about two fictional all white teams coming back to life and playing each other in an Iowa cornfield doesn’t exactly make me say, “Damn, I really need to watch this.”
While well executed, the Field of Dreams game serviced the same old, white audience baseball has always catered to. There was however, one event during this showcase that gave me hope for MLB’s inner-city efforts.
On the Wednesday before the Field of Dreams game, Major League Baseball hosted an exhibition game called “ A Dream Fulfilled” where the Chicago White Sox Amateur City Elite Program took on the East Harlem and South Bronx-based DREAM program from New York.
These types of showcases are extremely important for growing the game, and the kids definitely put on a show.
While the MLB has already announced the return of the Field of Dreams game next season, there is another classic baseball film that could serve as the perfect theme for another showcase.
I’m referring to the 2002 classic “Hardball’.
https://youtu.be/e0qpJCNLViQ
Based in Chicago and centered on an inner city youth baseball team, this film was a cult classic in the Black community, especially amongst young ball players like myself.
The “Hardball Classic” (that’s what I’ve decided to name it) would be held in Chicago and feature The White Sox and the Cubs.
However, instead of being played at historic Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field, the MLB could create a similar band-box atmosphere by renovating Robert Taylor Park, which sits at the heart of what was once the largest public housing project in America.
A gesture like this would show that the league is invested in growing the game of baseball in Black communities. If a full renovation isn’t feasible, then the game could also be played at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
This beautiful stadium is home to the UIC flames and has one of the most breathtaking backdrops of any stadium in America; the Chicago Skyline.
Hosting the Crosstown Classic in such a unique manner would not only give the league an opportunity to shine a spotlight on Tim Anderson, who legendary commentator Joe Buck recently said should be the face of baseball, but it will also give young MLBbros like Brennan Davis, who is likely to make the Cubs 2022 Opening day roster, the opportunity to shine.
The Field of Dreams game was great, but more than anything it proved that fans enjoy innovation.
And for a league that needs to connect with its diverse demographic, embracing cultural references that happened in the 21st century would be a great start.
It was a trio of MLBbros who stole the show Thursday night in Iowa.
In this edition of MLBbro.com’s “My Two Cents” Assistant Managing Editor Mark Gray reflects on the importance of Anderson taking a giant leap toward superstardom on a cornfield in Iowa in front of an entire nation.
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