At historic Rickwood Field, memories of Willie Mays

Howard, a three-time all-star, had plenty of company when he stopped by Mays’ plaque for a photo. Former Major League stars CC Sabathia, Adam Jones and Jimmy Rollins gathered to pay their respects to Mays, who died Tuesday at the age of 93.

“This is why we’re here,” Sabathia said. ‘To celebrate Willie. To be able to come here and celebrate this holiday. … It feels good that we were already here.”

Major League Baseball planned to use this week — highlighted by Thursday’s Cardinals-Giants game against 114-year-old Rickwood — to spotlight black baseball history and former Negro Leagues greats. Mays, born just five miles from the ballpark, was originally scheduled to attend but announced this week that he would not. Then came the news, delivered to Giants fans mid-game by a distressed play-by-play announcer.

“It changed (Tuesday) night,” Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of former Negro Leagues slugger Josh Gibson, said Wednesday morning at the Birmingham Negro Southern League Museum. “We went from honoring Willie Mays to celebrating Willie Mays. Being here in Birmingham, where he started his career…I believe his time in the Negro Leagues really helped him become a great major league baseball player.”

Mays’ legacy was on full display at the museum and his shadow loomed large throughout the day, whether as part of the 1948 exhibition celebrating the Birmingham Black Barons, on a mural unveiled a few miles away or at a luncheon in the museum organized by the Negro. Leagues Family Alliance, a group of families of former players whose mission is to preserve the history and heritage of the leagues. Among those in attendance were the families of Buck Leonard and Rube Foster, as well as Jackie Robinson’s granddaughter, Sonya Pankey Robinson.

Bria and Renee Scudder, relatives of Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, were also present Wednesday. Radcliffe played 16 seasons as a catcher and pitcher, including four for the Black Barons. Bria Scudder said their family remembers a Negro Leagues event in Washington that Radcliffe attended before he died in 2005. Mays stopped Radcliffe that day and told him how much influence he had on him. That memory surfaced Wednesday with a mix of sadness and gratitude.

“I don’t think you can be prepared to hear something like (the news of Mays’ death),” Bria Scudder said. “It’s Willie Mays. It’s definitely a tough day for us and for everyone as we talk about it. Because, again, we didn’t expect this to be part of the conversation. But he certainly deserves so much credit and recognition for what he has been able to continue to do for the game.

In downtown Birmingham, Mays’ legacy was honored with the unveiling of a mural by artist Chuck Styles. Mays is shown smiling as he leans forward with his hands on his knees. Under his name were pennants and career achievements. In small print next to his name:

“Birmingham’s very own ‘Say Hey’ Kid… Centerfielder and the greatest all-around player of all time.”

Before his death, Mays asked Jeff Bleich and Dusty Baker, who were not present, to deliver a clock to the city of Birmingham on his behalf. Bleich, a former U.S. diplomat and longtime friend of Mays, read a statement Mays wrote acknowledging his roots — and the fact that MLB is finally counting Negro Leagues statistics in the official record:

“Birmingham, I wish I could be with you all today,” Bleich read. “This is where I come from. I had my first professional hit here at Rickwood as Baron in 1948. And now, this year, some 76 years later, it was finally counted in the record books. Some things take time, but I always think: better late than never. Time changes things. Time heals wounds, and that’s a good thing. I had some of the best times of my life in Birmingham so I want you to have this clock to remember those times with me and remember all the other players who were lucky enough to play here at Rickwood Field in Birmingham . Remember, time is on your side.”

Bleich noted that what someone hangs on their wall says a lot about their worth. On the wall of Mays’ home office, Bleich said, Mays had his diploma from Fairfield Industrial High School and the key to the city of Birmingham. And now the city has its native son on one of its walls.

Wednesday night, on the field where he rose to stardom, Mays’ legacy was on display in the Black Stars of generations that came after him. Howard and former all-stars Dexter Fowler and Justin Upton got ready for the ‘Say Heys’. In the other dugout, the “Hammerin’ Hanks” (in honor of Hank Aaron) included Sabathia and Jones, who called Mays the “godfather of center fielders” and said he paved the way for players like him.

“Let’s celebrate his life,” Jones said. “I know it’s sad because he will be gone, but let’s celebrate the greatness he brought. Let’s have some fun. Let’s play the game with flair today.”