MLB celebrates magical night at Rickwood Field

MLB's Rickwood Field game between the Giants and Cardinals last night, which honored the history of the Negro Leagues, drew 8,332 fans to Birmingham, all of them "soaking in the atmosphere of the most magnetic thing Major League Baseball has done in a long time." The Cardinals won 6-5, but "the star of the night was the field itself and the history of the Negro Leagues." The teams "wore throwback uniforms, the San Francisco Seals and St. Louis Stars, and Rickwood Field was bedecked, adorned and curated like a museum of baseball magic." The game also honored the late Baseball HOFer Willie Mays, which "was always part of the plan" for MLB with this game. Mays' death "transformed Birmingham’s tribute to the Negro Leagues into a national spectacle." And MLB "did everything right at Rickwood Field" (AL.com, 6/20).

The field "was beautiful." The manual scoreboard "had a similar look to the olden days," and "the vibes were outstanding" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/21). It was "hard to believe Mays wasn't physically present" at Rickwood, "but he was here." Mays' son, Michael, "took the field alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Mays' godson Barry Bonds moments before the first pitch." Griffey yelled to the crowd, "Let him hear you!" and they "obeyed and responded with a raucous, joyous applause that felt like it went on for several minutes." The crowd "kept it going with chants of 'Willie, Willie, Willie,' inducing another palpable wave of emotion" (FOXSPORTS.com, 6/20).

From the moment the Giants' team bus pulled into the stadium, "they took every opportunity to honor" Mays. Players, coaches and staff members all "walked off the bus wearing replica gray jerseys, with 'Birmingham' on the front and the No. 8 on the back," the same uniform Mays wore when he debuted at 17 years old for the Birmingham Black Barons (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 6/20).

Dozens of living Negro League players "took the field before the game in a moving ceremony." The Giants and Cardinals "walked them onto the grass, some being pushed in wheelchairs." The ceremony "brought tears to the eyes of many of the 8,000 fans in attendance" and "gave an early reminder that this was far more than just a regular season baseball game" (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 6/21).

MLB's youth development foundation on Wednesday presented the Negro Leagues Family Alliance -- a group of families of former players "whose mission is to preserve the leagues' history and legacy" -- with a check for $500,000 (WASHINGTON POST, 6/20).