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March 31, 2008
2008 Southern
Association Conference To Be Held in Nashville April 12th
Birmingham, Ala - The Fifth
Annual Southern Association Conference will be held
Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at the Metro Nashville/Davidson
County Library Archives in Green Hills.
The theme of the Conference will be "Nashville Baseball" and
will highlight the teams and players of the Nashville Vols.
Player panel discussions and
individual presentations will offer a first-hand glimpse at the
history of Nashville's proud baseball history; for
additional information, please contact:
David M. Brewer, Friends of Rickwood,
d.brewer@rickwood.com.
February 3, 2007
2007 Southern
Association Conference to highlight southern Negro League baseball
Birmingham, Ala - The Fourth
Annual Southern Association Reunion Conference will be held
Saturday, March 24th, 2007 (this is a date change from previous
announcements) at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
The theme of the Conference will be "Southern Negro League Baseball"
and will highlight the teams, players, and cities in the region.
Larry Lester, renowned negro
league historian, will deliver the key note presentation at the
Conference on Saturday!
The Conference will be held in
conjunction with the Alabama Negro League Baseball Association's
annual banquet which will be held on Friday, March 23rd (this is
a date change from previous announcements). In
attendance will be 30 to 40 former Negro League players in
Birmingham. Attendees will be able to
purchase tickets to the Friday night ANLBA banquet, and the
Conference will be scheduled for the Saturday following the Friday
night banquet.
For additional information, please contact:
David M. Brewer, Friends of Rickwood,
d.brewer@rickwood.com
September 29, 2006
"Grand Slam!" exhibit at
Metro Archives
extended through October 6th; offers nostalgic look at Nashville's baseball history
Nashville, Tenn - An exhibit of vintage photographs, autographed
baseballs, game programs, rare newspaper accounts and other
memorabilia are on display and has been extended through October
6th at Metro Archives. The
exhibit offers Nashvillians a nostalgic look back at the history of
both pro and amateur baseball players, teams, and the historic
fields in Nashville where they played.
Titled "Grand Slam!", the exhibit is open to the public free of
charge.
Metro Archives, located next to the Mall at Green Hills at 3801 Green
Hills Village Drive, is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to
5:30 PM.
For more information about the exhibit and open house, call Metro
Archives at (615) 862-5880.
October 9, 2006
26th Annual
Oktoberfest in Historic Germantown to be held on Saturday, October
14th, 2006
Nashville, Tenn - There is no better way to spend a beautiful October
day than at the Annual Oktoberfest Celebration in Historic
Germantown. This colorful, autumn festival slated for October
14th, will again entertain, regale, and delight thousands from
Middle Tennessee with its unique brand of traditional German
revelry.
The day will begin with the Paulaner Bier 5K Oktoberfest Run/Walk
at 8:00 a.m. At 9:30 a.m. the two historic sponsoring churches
will conduct community wide worship services. The rest of the day is
full of fun, food, fellowship, and entertainment. Featured
entertainment this year is the Capital Swing Big Band entertaining
from 3:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
For more than a quarter century, this original, city wide
celebration has been offering authentic German food, crafts, tours,
dance, and entertainment. Established in 1980, this festival
is one of the few nationwide that can claim an authentic German
neighborhood as a venue. Oktoberfest showcases the best of
this Germantown neighborhood - it’s past history, present
revitalization, and expanding future growth and diversity.
Oktoberfest offers something for everyone, especially the children.
With the kids’ Funland area - along with music, crafts, food,
dancing, the 5K Run/Walk, and tours of historic homes and churches -
Oktoberfest is truly a family oriented, family friendly, family fun
festival.
(note:
www.sulphurdell.com will have a booth at Oktoberfest with
t-shirts, caps, and other items for sale. Sulphur Dell was
located only a few blocks from Historic Germantown.)
For 26 eventful years, historic Assumption Catholic Church and
Monroe Street United Methodist Church conceived, nurtured, expanded
and operated Nashville’s largest and oldest cultural festival.
In 2001, the two churches invited Historic Germantown Nashville,
Inc, the neighborhood association, to join in sponsoring this event.
Teaming with the neighborhood association allowed the churches to
expand this popular festival, while adding additional energy,
manpower and new ideas to Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest is a nonprofit organization. Proceeds go to the
continuing historic restoration of Assumption Catholic Church and
Monroe Street United Methodist Church and neighborhood improvement
projects.
For additional information:
http://www.historicgermantown.org/oktoberfest.html
September 19, 2006
Nelson Figueroa named 2006 SANDLOTT Baseball's Man
of the Year
Nashville, TN - It
gives me great pleasure to announce that Nelson Figueroa is
SANDLOTT Baseball's Man of the Year. I hope that you will
take the time to read this brief statement to understand why
we're bestowing this honor to Nelson. It has little to do
with his five years of Major League service as a pitcher who
appeared in the National League 74 times. And if you'll
take the time to read on, you may have a similar appreciation as
to why we hold this former major leaguer in such high esteem.
To explain, you
must first know about another less known person. Black Cat
Riley was a lovable character known to almost all Nashvillians
who have spent time around baseball in the area. Black Cat
was physically challenged and unable to drive but found a way to
almost every important baseball game between local amateur
teams, high schools and colleges. Black Cat would often
serve as bat boy, chase foul balls and at AAA Nashville Sounds
games, sometimes sell concessions. His was often known to
put the "Black Cat hex" on opposing teams on behalf of the team
he favored or when he was serving his duties as bat boy.
Nelson Figueroa met Black Cat while Nelson was playing in
Nashville with the AAA Nashville Sounds. Despite drastic
and apparent differences between a AAA pitcher with major league
experience and a challenged individual, Nelson apparently liked
Black Cat and anonymously helped him in a very kind way.
Many nights Nelson would drive all the way across town to take
Black Cat home after the Sounds' games. While the other
players had dinner or celebrated their victories, Nelson was
driving across town and making sure Black Cat arrived at home
safely. Few, if any people knew about Nelson's self
imposed chauffeuring duties.
Now I realize
sports celebrities do many good works. However, this is
usually done with much fanfare, including press coverage and
their kindness is well documented and credit is bestowed
publicly while others look on. Nelson on the other hand did this
very discretely and expected absolutely nothing in return.
Black Cat could not help him with his pitching mechanics,
negotiate a new contract or even afford to reimburse him for the
gas and time for the cross town trips. Nelson did it simply out
of kindness to a less fortunate individual who needed a little
help.
In 2004 the
Pittsburgh Pirates purchased Nelson's contract from the
Nashville Sounds and he left Nashville to return to the majors.
Black Cat passed away this year (2006) and
www.Sandlotter.com web
master Farrell Owens told me he recently visited Black Cat's
grave site to pay respect to a real baseball supporter. On
the grave Farrell was surprised to see a new baseball that had
become water soaked from lying on the grave. He picked up the
ball and found the following written on the baseball. "Black
Cat, Rest in peace, Nelson Figueroa".
I don't care what
Nelson's ERA or win loss record was during his pitching career.
Nelson Figueroa is my new favorite player, my MVP and someone I
hope to meet and get to know someday. He's a true champion
in the biggest and most important game of all, "the game of
life."
Nelson Figueroa,
SANDLOTT Baseballs Man of the Year.
God bless,
Mickey Hiter
SANDLOTT Baseball
August 23, 2006
2007 Southern
Association Conference to highlight southern Negro League baseball
Birmingham, Ala - It is time to
start planning the 2007 Southern Association Baseball Conference!
We will switch gears with a
theme of southern Negro League baseball. Tentative plans are
to have the Conference the same weekend as the Alabama Negro League
Association banquet, which is held in late February or early March
(date yet to be confirmed by the ANLA). We can then take advantage
of having 30 to 40 former Negro League players in Birmingham.
Attendees will be able to
purchase tickets to the Friday night ANLA banquet, and the
Conference will be scheduled for the Saturday following the Friday
night banquet. The ANLA banquet always attracts several Negro
League historians who could perhaps present at our conference.
We are looking for presenters
for the 2007 Conference. Presentations of 20 to 30 minutes
preferably done on PowerPoint or with strong visual aides are
preferred. Topics can be former southern Negro League teams,
owners, coaches, players, note worthy games or some of the old
ballparks. If you are interested in being a presenter, please
send David Brewer (d.brewer@rickwood.com)
a brief summation of your proposed topic.
Dates and times will be
forthcoming.
For additional information, please contact:
David M. Brewer, Friends of Rickwood,
d.brewer@rickwood.com
July 26, 2006
"Grand Slam!" Open House at
Metro Archives
offers nostalgic look at Nashville's baseball history
Nashville, Tenn - An exhibit of vintage photographs, autographed
baseballs, game programs, rare newspaper accounts and other
memorabilia are on display this summer at Metro Archives. The
exhibit offers Nashvillians a nostalgic look back at the history of
both pro and amateur baseball players, teams, and the historic
fields in Nashville where they played.
Titled "Grand Slam!", the exhibit runs through
September 15. The exhibit is open to the public free of
charge.
For those who cannot visit the Archives on weekdays, an open house is
planned for Saturday, August 19th from 11 AM to 2 PM. This will be a chance to meet
former Nashville Vols and Negro League players as well as current
Nashville Sounds players at an autograph signing from 11:30
AM to 12:30 PM. "Ozzie", the Sounds mascot, will also attend.
Light refreshments will be served.
A history, description, and discussion of Sulphur Dell, Nashville's
historic ball park, will take place at 1 PM.
Metro Archives, located next to the Mall at Green Hills at 3801 Green
Hills Village Drive, is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to
5:30 PM.
For more information about the exhibit and open house, call Metro
Archives at (615) 862-5880.
July 25, 2006
Negro Leagues exhibit visits Greer Stadium
Nashville, Tenn - The Times of Greatness Tour, a traveling Negro
Leagues baseball museum, is scheduled to be at Greer Stadium
TODAY from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at the Nashville Sounds game vs. Colorado Springs.
The 53-foot trailer includes historic photos, uniforms, original works
of art, memorabilia, and a life-sized replica of Satchel Paige.
A history display of
southern Negro Leagues is part of the exhibit.
The Times of Greatness Tour is sponsored by the Negro Leagues Baseball
Museum in Kansas City, MO, founded in 1990. The NLBM
celebrates the rich history of Negro League baseball.
For more information, go to NLBM.com
July 11, 2006
Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association to host
9th Annual Scramble Golf Tournament
Nashville, Tenn - The Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association will
hold their 9th Annual Scramble Golf Tournament at noon on Thursday,
September 21 at Ted Rhodes Golf Course. All proceeds
from the event go to fund the NOTBA scholarship fund which is used
for scholarships for deserving high school senior baseball players.
Over the past 9 years, the Old Timers organization has awarded over
$94,000 in scholarships.
With great prizes, great food, great golf and great fun, the $65.00
per person entry fee includes a meal, golf cart, and green fees.
There will be a "closest to the pin" contest on all par 3 holes and
prizes will be awarded.
Play is limited to 128 players, so begin rounding up your team now.
Pairings will be made for players not forming a team. Team
prizes will be awarded.
For more information, please contact Rip Ryman (615-859-0409) or Billy
Griggs (615-865-0399). You may also speak with Rip or Billy
regarding hole sponsorships.
April 9, 2006
3rd Annual
Southern Association Reunion Conference highlights
Chattanooga, Tenn - Chattanooga’s Historic Engel
Stadium was the site of the third annual Southern Association
Baseball Conference on April 8, 2006. The threat of severe weather
was a concern and delayed the arrivals of several of the
participants. When it was time to start Saturday morning, we had a
beautiful day at Engel. This was especially important since the
conference was set up in the seats behind home plate. What a venue
for a baseball conference!
The concept of taking the
conference on the road away from Rickwood was influenced by several
factors. The upcoming release of two new books on baseball in
Chattanooga, and the availability of having the conference at one of
the few remaining great Southern Association ballparks, Engel
Stadium were two of the reasons. We also wanted to show our support
to Dan Creed in his efforts to create a “Friends of Rickwood” type
organization to save this old ballpark.
Our Saturday program included:
David Brewer, the
director of The Friends of Rickwood, gave an overview of the whole
effort to save Rickwood Field. This was especially important to
Dan Creed and the political and civic leaders attending to
answer the questions on how and why to save Engel Stadium.
Stephen Martini reviewed
his new book, “The Chattanooga Lookouts & 100 Seasons of Scenic
City Baseball,” relating to the ways the fans have stepped up
over the years to save the franchise on several occasions.
The highlight of the day was
our player Q & A session with three former Lookout players,
Hillis Layne, Roy Hawes and Henry “Lefty” Delay.
All it took was a few questions to get them started and the old “war
stories” began. We enjoyed their incites into the history of the
Lookouts based on their personal experiences. Also during the player
interview segment, the local sports talk radio show did a live
remote. This was a first for the conference.
Derby Gisclair, from New
Orleans, gave an overview of the early history of the Southern
Association told through his collection of early tobacco baseball
cards. His interesting stories about these relatively unknown
players were very informative and entertaining. Derby also gave us
an update on the aftermath of Katrina and its impact on the other
baseball associates from the area. We were especially glad to hear
that Arthur Schott, noted baseball historian, was doing well and had
not lost any of his extensive baseball library.
David Jenkins, former
Lookouts beat writer reviewed his new book, “Baseball in
Chattanooga.” His comments focused on the outlandish and
sometimes politically incorrect promotional stunts that owner Joe
Engel used to draw fans to the games.
Dan Creed informed us of
his plans to form an organization like the Friends of Rickwood, to
oversee the restoration of Engel Stadium. We all agreed this is a
very worthy undertaking, and plan to support Dan in every way.
We closed the day with an
informal tour of the old ballpark. Highlights of the park included
the incline in centerfield, the location of the old Negro Entrance,
and both seven-foot Coca-Cola Bottles that once sat on the wall in
centerfield. These bottles were the only part of the old stadium
taken to the new park in 1999.
We thank Dan and his wife Cathy
for hosting the conference. We also enjoyed viewing Dan’s extensive
collection of Chattanooga Lookouts memorabilia set up in the old
souvenir shop. We were pleased to have attended Oreon Mann
son of Earl Mann, former owner of the Atlanta Crackers.
We are looking forward to being
back at Rickwood in 2007 and Skip Nipper’s plans to host the
2008 conference in Nashville.
February 22, 2006
The 3rd
Annual Southern Association Conference
Birmingham, Ala -
The Friends of Rickwood Field, and Chattanooga baseball fans, are
very pleased to announce the third annual
Southern Association Baseball Conference
to be held in Chattanooga, TN on
April 7 & 8, 2006.
This conference is dedicated to
the preservation of the history of the Southern Association of
Baseball 1901-1961, with a focus on Chattanooga baseball, with
scheduled events including an opening banquet on April 7th, followed
by a league symposium on April 8th, featuring individual
authors and historians discussing their research and publications,
as well as numerous former ballplayers participating in panel
discussions.
The symposium will be held at
Engel Stadium, former home-park of the Chattanooga Lookouts, and
will also include an opportunity to tour the historic park.
Additional conference details:
April 7th
Reception, 7:00 PM, Chattanooga Choo Choo; Dinner, 8:00 PM
April 8th
Southern Association Conference, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Engel
Stadium, 401 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, TN 37402. Lunch
included with registration fee.
Hotel Reservations: For those coming from out of town, rooms
may be reserved at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Please call
Leigh Kinsey at 877-872-2529. There are several other lodging
options located in the general area.
Room reservations are the responsibility of individual attendees.
For additional information, please contact:
David M. Brewer, Friends of Rickwood, d.brewer@rickwood.com
October 3, 2006
26th Annual Germantown
Oktoberfest to take place on Saturday, October 8, 2005
Nashville, Tenn - Historic
Germantown's Annual Oktoberfest celebration, featuring live German
music, authentic German food and beverages, a variety of specialty
foods and home baked goods, tours of Germantown's historic churches
and community-wide morning worship services, tours of homes and
gardens, a run/walk, a fun-land area, an Appalachian Center for
Crafts, and fall festival at the Farmer's Market and more will take
place on Saturday, October 8th from 9 AM until 8 PM.
The Germantown area is only a few
blocks away from the Sulphur Dell ballpark site. Come by
and visit the Sulphur Dell booth and share your memories!
T-shirts, caps, and other items will be available.
The benefactors/organizers of the
event are Assumption Catholic Church, Monroe Street United Methodist
Church and Historic Germantown Nashville, Inc. Free parking and
complementary motor coach rides will be provided from the Farmer's
Market and other parking areas.
The event is located within a
six-block area between the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall/Farmer’s Market
and Taylor Street, and between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue North.
The two historic churches are on Seventh Avenue North and Monroe
Street where the hub of the activities will occur.
For more information, please visit
Historic Germantown's website at:
www.historicgermantown.org
September 26, 2005
2nd Annual
Southern Association Reunion Conference highlights
BIRMINGHAM, Ala – Some thirty fans of the Southern Association
(1901-1961) gathered at Rickwood Field on Saturday, September 17, 2005
to remember the old baseball league. An evening of casual
discussion took place on Friday evening at a local restaurant.
David Brewer,
director of The Friends of Rickwood, an organization that maintains
the proud tradition and heritage of Rickwood Field, along with the
conference committee, organized and led the event. Rickwood is
America’s oldest baseball park. The Birmingham Barons play one
‘throwback’ game versus a Southern League opponent at Rickwood Field
each year, and amateur and high school teams play over 200 games at
Rickwood each season.
The Southern
Association Reunion Conference held its second annual event to examine
photos, newspaper clippings, gloves, uniforms, programs, ticket stubs,
and memorabilia. Discussions and oral histories were held to
highlight memories of the league.
This year’s speakers
included:
Clarence Watkins,
who spoke on “1928 Barons: Opening Day”, a presentation on the 1928
Southern Association championship team rated in the top 100 minor
league teams of all time by some observers. Clarence introduced
recently obtained video footage of an opening day game played during
the 1928 season between the hometown Birmingham Barons and the
Nashville Vols.
Jim
Atkins,
84-year-old former journeyman minor leaguer, spoke vividly about the
experiences of his baseball career, including dealings with Ted
Williams and Jim Piersall during his short tenure with the Boston Red
Sox in the early fifties.
Skip
Nipper presented “Legendary
Larry Gilbert”, a review of the former New Orleans Pelicans and
Nashville Vols manager who spent over 30 years as player, manager, and
team executive in the Southern Association.
Bill Cale, former minor league infielder
who spent a short season with the Nashville Vols in the early 1950s,
spoke of his experience with fellow minor leagues and how his
basebll career helped him in teaching local Birmingham players and
coaches as manager of area teams.
Ben Cook, local sportswriter in
Birmingham, offered a presentation based on his soon-to-be-released
book "Good Wood: A Fan's History of Rickwood Field".
Included in the event at mid-day on
Saturday was a special award by Turner South Cable Network to The
Friends of Rickwood. The “Blue Ribbon” trophy presentation, a result
of voting by the public for the best ballpark story shown by Turner
South, was videotaped for future broadcast on the cable channel and
the participants of the Saturday event were included in the taping.
David Brewer also announced that the
Friends of Rickwood had been presented an anonymous donation of
$5,000.00 at the meeting.
To wind up the conference, the
attendees viewed Southern Bases, produced by WPBA, Atlanta,
Georgia in 1992, which showed film footage, interviews, and other
highlights of the league.
Photos credit:
Clarence Watkins, Birmingham, AL
September 20, 2005
Exhibit on city’s 120-year pro
baseball history at Metro Archives closes on Friday, Sept. 30
NASHVILLE, Tenn – “Home Run,” Metro Archives’ exhibit of
vintage photographs, autographed baseballs, game programs, rare
newspaper accounts and other memorabilia chronicling Nashville’s
pro baseball history from 1885 to the
present, closes on Friday, Sept. 30.
The exhibit is free and open to the public
during Metro Archives’ regular hours, Monday through Friday
from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Metro Archives is
located next to the Mall at Green Hills at
3801 Green Hills Village Dr.
The Nashville Vols, a ball club formed in 1901, and the Nashville
Elite Giants, which entered the Negro League in 1930, both are
featured prominently in “Home Run.” A charter member of the Southern
Association, the Vols played in Nashville for 61 years. The Elite
Giants left Nashville for Columbus, Ohio in 1935.
Sulphur Dell ballpark, also a focal point of the exhibit, was the home
field for the Vols as well as the Nashville Americans,
a charter member of the old Southern League
that played from 1885-99, and Nashville’s other
Southern League teams, including the Blues (1887), Tigers (1893-94)
and Seraphs (1895).
Demolished in 1969, Sulphur Dell was situated near the downtown site
where the Bicentennial Mall is now
located. The Elite Giants played at Wilson Park, which was owned by
the team’s proprietor Tom Wilson and located near the confluence of
Second and Fourth avenues south.
Materials in the exhibit are from the
permanent collections at Metro Archives as well as on-loan from local
private collectors, including former Negro League standouts Clinton
“Butch” McCord and Jim Zapp. Items donated by the Nashville Sounds
include pennants, caps, jerseys and other game-used items.
Call Metro Archives
at (615) 862-5880 for more information about the exhibit, or visit the
Nashville Public Library’s website at www.library.nashville.org.
August 8, 2005
Exhibit at Metro Archives captures
city’s 120-year baseball history
NASHVILLE, Tenn – Two former Negro
League standouts and several alumni of the Nashville Vols, the city’s
longest running professional baseball team, are slated to appear at an
open house on Saturday, Aug. 20 for the exhibit on the history of pro
baseball in Nashville on display at Metro Archives.
Nashville Sounds mascot
Ozzie also will make an appearance at the open house, scheduled from 2
to 4 p.m., to provide entertainment for children.
Metro Archives is located next to the Mall
at Green Hills at 3801 Green Hills Village Drive.
Clinton “Butch” McCord and Jim "Zapper"
Zapp are the former Negro Leaguers who will attend the event. A first
baseman in the Negro Leagues from 1946-50, McCord played for the
Baltimore Elite Giants (including the club’s
1949 National Negro League championship team),
Chicago American Giants, and Nashville’s
Black Vols and Cubs.
McCord followed
up that five-year stint
with a successful career in the minor leagues, where he made history
by becoming the first minor leaguer to win two batting titles and
Silver Glove awards in two consecutive years (1958-59).
In the minors he played for the Denver
Bears, Louisville Colonels and Victoria Rosebuds.
Zapp, considered one of
the most feared hitters in the Negro Leagues, regularly batted over
.300 during a career that spanned 1948-54. During that time he
primarily was with the Birmingham Black Barons, where he played with
one of baseball’s all-time greats Howard “Willie” Mays, who is still
one of Zapp’s close friends.
The
Nashville Vols, a charter team of the Southern Association that played
in Nashville for 61 years, will be represented at the open house by
Ray Hamrick, Jim Kirby, Roy Pardue and Larry Taylor.
Hamrick, a Nashville native, was a shortstop with the Vols for less
than a season in 1943. He spent part of that year, and all of the
next, with the Philadelphia Phillies, then finished out his
professional career in the Pacific Coast League from 1946-55.
Kirby started down his baseball career path at the age of 18 in 1941,
after a scout from Cincinnati spotted him shagging fly balls in Dudley
Park. After serving in World War II, Kirby played in the Texas League
from 1946-48. He signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1949 and was sent
back to Nashville to play centerfield with the Vols, but Kirby
finished that year in the majors with the Cubs. He retired from
professional baseball in 1957.
Roy
Pardue, another native of Nashville, had two stints as a pitcher with
the Vols, from 1952-53 and from 1955-57. He followed his baseball
career in the U.S. by playing in the International League in Havana,
Cuba during 1957. He now lives in Franklin.
North Carolina native Larry Taylor was the Vols’ second baseman from
1955-58. After leaving pro baseball to earn his masters degree at
Peabody College, he coached baseball and basketball at Berry College
in Georgia. He returned to Nashville in 1983.
Nashville’s honorary “Mr. Baseball,” J.F. “Junie” McBride, also will
attend the open house. He grew up within shouting distance of Sulphur
Dell ballpark, home of the Vols, and baseball has always played a
major role in his life. McBride played for the West Nashville and
Nashville City leagues before playing pro baseball with the Cotton
League in Monroe, La., from1939-40. After his professional playing
days, McBride coached baseball at Father Ryan High School from
1950-51, and was a player and coach in the Larry Gilbert League from
1955-66.
The exhibit at Metro Archives, titled
“Home Run,” features vintage photographs, autographed baseballs, game
programs, rare newspaper accounts and other memorabilia chronicling
pro baseball in Nashville from the city’s first team, the Americans
(1885-99), to today’s Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League
Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers.
Other local pro teams highlighted in the
exhibit include the Vols (1901-61) and the Elite Giants, which entered
the Negro League in 1930 and left Nashville for Columbus, Ohio in
1935. Sulphur Dell, which opened in 1870, also is a focal point of the
exhibit. Demolished in 1969, it was situated near the downtown site
where the Bicentennial Mall is today.
With the exception of the
open house on Saturday, Aug. 20, “Home Run” is open to the public
during Metro Archives’ normal operating hours, Monday through Friday
from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The exhibit, which is free, closes on
Sept. 30, 2005.
Materials in the exhibit
are from the permanent collections at Metro Archives as well as
on-loan from the Nashville Sounds and private collectors, including
McCord and Zapp. Call Metro Archives at (615) 862-5880 for more
information about the exhibit. (Read more...)
August 3, 2005
The 2nd
Annual Southern Association Conference
Birmingham, Ala - The Friends of
Rickwood Field are very pleased to announce the second annual
Southern Association
Baseball Conference to
be held in Birmingham, AL on September 16-17, 2005.
This conference is dedicated to the preservation of the
history of the Southern Association of Baseball 1901-1961, with
scheduled events including an opening banquet on September 16th,
followed by a league symposium on September 17th featuring
individual authors and historians discussing their research and
publications on Southern Association teams, as well as numerous former
ballplayers participating in panel discussions.
The symposium will be held
at Rickwood Field, America’s oldest baseball park, and former home
park of the Birmingham Barons, and will also include an opportunity to
tour the park and enjoy a series of scheduled amateur ballgames at
this storied ball park.
Conference
details
September 16th Reception, 7:00
PM, Holiday Inn, 260 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL 35209
205-942-2041; dinner, 8:00 PM
September 17th Southern Association Conference, Rickwood
Field 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, lunch included with registration fee
Directions to the
park are available online at www.rickwood.com
Hotel Reservations: For those coming from out of town, rooms may be
reserved at the Holiday Inn Oxmoor – telephone number and address
listed above. There are several other lodging options located in the
same general area. Room
reservations are the responsibility of individual attendees.
Conference registration must be received
by September 12, 2005.
Cost: Conference and banquet: $70 per person; Conference only: $45
per person.
For
additional information, please contact:
David M. Brewer, Friends of Rickwood, at
d.brewer@rickwood.com
July 14, 2005
Nashville’s 120-year pro
baseball history captured in exhibit at Metro Archives
NASHVILLE, Tenn –
Nashville is steeped in professional baseball history, from the 1885
Nashville Americans, a charter member of the
old Southern League, to today’s Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A
affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers. An
exhibit of vintage photographs, autographed baseballs, game programs,
rare newspaper accounts and other memorabilia on display this summer
at Metro Archives offers Nashvillians the chance to delve into the
storied past of pro baseball in Nashville.
Titled “Home Run,” the exhibit is open to
the public free of charge and will remain on display through the end
of September. Metro Archives, located next to the Mall at Green Hills
at 3801 Green Hills Village Drive, is open Monday through
Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Those who can’t visit Metro
Archives on weekdays have an opportunity to browse the exhibit on one
Saturday in August. An open house for the exhibit designed for all
ages is planned for Saturday, August 20th from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Sounds’ mascot
Ozzie will entertain children during the open house, and former
players from the Negro Leagues and the city’s longest running pro
baseball team, the Nashville Vols, will be on-site to talk baseball
with all ages.
The Vols, a ball
club formed in 1901, and the Nashville Elite Giants, which entered the
Negro League in 1930, both are featured prominently in “Home Run.” A
charter member of the Southern Association, the Vols played in
Nashville for 61 years. The Elite Giants left Nashville for Columbus,
Ohio in 1935.
Sulphur Dell
ballpark, also a focal point of the exhibit, was the home field for
the Vols as well as the Americans (1885-99) and Nashville’s other
Southern League teams, including the Blues (1887), Tigers (1893-94)
and Seraphs (1895). Demolished in 1969, Sulphur Dell was
situated near the downtown site where the
Bicentennial Mall is now located. The Elite Giants played at
Wilson Park, which was owned by the team’s proprietor Tom Wilson and
located near the confluence of Second and Fourth Avenues South.
Materials in the exhibit from the
permanent collections at Metro Archives include
charters of incorporation for the
Americans and the Elite Giants, photographs of Sulphur Dell and
various Vols teams, and newspaper clippings highlighting important
seasons and games for various teams, such as the Vols’ championship
years. A few of the newspaper articles chronicle ball games in
Nashville that took place as early as 1857 “on the grounds north of
Sulphur Springs,” a site that later served as the home of Sulphur Dell
ballpark (1870-1969).
Photographs
chronicling the Negro Leagues featured in “Home Run” are on loan from
former players Clinton “Butch” McCord and Jim Zapp. Items on loan from
the Nashville Sounds include pennants, caps, jerseys and other
game-used items.
A program from the
Sounds’ first game on April 26, 1978, a baseball signed by players
from the inaugural Sounds team and many other items, such as
autographed trading cards, are on loan from private collectors. Call
Metro Archives at (615) 862-5880 for more information about the
exhibit and the August 20th open house.
The Nashville Public
Library system consists of 20 branch libraries, the downtown Main
Library, Metro Archives, Special Services for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing, and the Talking Library, a radio reading service for the
print disabled. Special features include: a collection of more than
1.4 million circulating items, and access to other libraries’
collections through InterLibrary Loan and the
virtual library catalog Athena; more
than 600 public-use computers; several special collections, including
business, local history, the Civil Rights Collection, the Nashville
Banner archives, an extensive image collection, and periodicals
indexes; reference assistance available by e-mail, fax and telephone;
and on-going classes and programs for all ages.
June 16, 2006
Dix Hills, NY -
Robert A. (Bob) Lennon, Southern
Association home run record-holder while playing outfield for the Nashville
Vols, passed away in Dix Hills, NY on June 14, 2005 at the age of 76.
During his record-setting 1954 season in which he hit 64 home runs for the
Vols, he also led the league in batting average (.345), runs batted in
(161), hits (210), and runs (139). His heroics earned him a
late-season call up to the New York Giants at the age of 26.
February 1, 2005
Former Negro Leagues baseball player Buck O'Neil to
speak at Vanderbilt, Feb. 7 speaker is featured in Ken Burns
documentary on baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn
– Baseball pioneer Buck O’Neil will speak
about the legacy of the Negro Leagues during a lecture at Vanderbilt
University on Monday, Feb. 7, as part of Vanderbilt’s commemoration of
Black History Month.
O’Neil will speak at 7 p.m. in Room 103 of Wilson Hall on the
Vanderbilt campus. O’Neil will be available to sign copies of his
book, I Was Right on Time, from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Bishop
Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt.
The lecture and reception are free and open to the public. Copies
of O’Neil’s book will be available for purchase. The event is
sponsored by the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at
Vanderbilt University.
O’Neil, who was featured prominently in Baseball – A Film by Ken
Burns, was a first baseman and manager in the Negro Leagues from 1937
to 1955, playing with and against legendary players including Satchel
Paige and Josh Gibson. In 1962, he became the first black coach in
Major League Baseball when he was hired by the Chicago Cubs. He is
chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
“I think Buck O’Neil is a national treasure,” said Frank Dobson,
director of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at
Vanderbilt University. “He represents a legacy that is as important to
the race struggles in America as anything in history. At a time when
black players were denied the opportunity to play in the major
leagues, he and the other Negro Leagues players made a statement every
day about equality, and they did it for the love of the game.”
O’Neil’s lecture is one of many events celebrating Black History
Month at Vanderbilt. Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615)
322-NEWS
Jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu
January 26, 2005
Former Negro
Leagues players, MLB umpire to discuss history of blacks in baseball
at library
NASHVILLE, Tenn - Former Negro Leagues standouts Sidney
Bunch, Clinton "Butch" McCord and Jim Zapp will join current Major
League Baseball umpire Chuck Meriwether, who worked the 2004 World
Series, to discuss the history of African Americans in professional
baseball during a panel discussion on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m.
at the downtown Main Library.
The program, titled "Baseball Then and Now: From the Negro Leagues
to the Major Leagues," is free and open to the public and will be
presented in the conference center auditorium at the Main Library,
located at 615 Church St.
Sidney Bunch, a native Nashvillian, played centerfield throughout
his Negro Leagues career, which spanned from 1946 through 1958. During
that period, Bunch played for the Baltimore Elite Giants, Birmingham
Black Barons, and two Nashville teams, the Cubs and the Stars. A
natural athlete, Bunch also played wide receiver for the British
Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League from 1959 through 1960.
"Butch" McCord, a first baseman, followed up a five-year stint in
the Negro Leagues with a successful career in the minor leagues, where
he made history by becoming the first minor league player to win two
batting titles and Silver Glove awards in two consecutive years (1958
and 1959).
During his tenure in the Negro Leagues (1946-50), McCord played for
the Baltimore Elite Giants (including the club's 1949 National Negro
League championship team), Chicago American Giants, Nashville Black
Vols and the Nashville Cubs.
McCord, who attended spring training with the Brooklyn Dodgers in
1958, but never made it to the major leagues, played minor league
baseball for the Denver Bears, Louisville Colonels and Victoria
Rosebuds.
One of the most feared hitters in the Negro Leagues, Jim "Zapper"
Zapp regularly batted over .300 during his six-year career in the
Negro Leagues from 1948 through 1954. During that time he played
primarily for the Birmingham Black Barons, where his teammates
included now-famous country music singer Charley Pride and one of
baseball's all-time greats Howard "Willie" Mays.
Zapp became part of local folklore while playing with a visiting
team at Nashville's old Sulphur Dell ballpark, which was home to
several professional teams from the late 1800s through the 1960s.
Although not officially on the record books, legend credits Zapp with
hitting the longest home run in the history of Sulphur Dell.
Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire Chuck Meriwether, a Nashville
native, has several professional milestones to go with the honor of
calling the balls and strikes during a 2004 World Series game.
Meriwether, who moved up to MLB in 1993 after more than a decade in
the American Association and the Eastern, Midwest and Pacific Coast
leagues, also has worked two All-Star Games (1996 and 2002) and
several Division Series. Meriwether still lives in Nashville.
"Baseball Then and Now: From the Negro Leagues to the Major
Leagues" was coordinated by the Main Library's Nashville Room staff
members. Call the Nashville Room at (615) 862-5782 for more
information about the program, or visit the Nashville Room on the
second floor at the Main Library.
The Nashville Public Library system consists of 20 branch
libraries, the downtown Main Library, Metro Archives, Special Services
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the Talking Library, a radio
reading service for the print disabled. Special features include: a
collection of more than 1.4 million circulating items, and access to
other libraries' collections through InterLibrary Loan and the virtual
library catalog Athena; more than 600 public-use computers; several
special collections, including business, local history, the Civil
Rights Collection, the Nashville Banner archives, an extensive image
collection, and periodicals indexes; reference assistance available by
e-mail, fax and telephone; and on-going classes and programs for all
ages.
For more information regarding the Nashville Public Library system,
call (615) 862-5800 or visit the Nashville Public Library Web site at
www.library.nashville.org.
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