BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WHNT) — The Rocket City Trash Pandas took to the historic Rickwood Field Wednesday for the first time in franchise history, giving players and fans a taste of America’s oldest baseball park.
The Trash Pandas and Birmingham Barons paid tribute to the history of Negro League Baseball at Rickwood. The Barons played as the famous Black Barons, while the Trash Pandas played as the original Huntsville Stars, a barnstorming team that operated in the Huntsville area during the 1940s and 1950s.
Rocket City’s jerseys were replicas of the jerseys worn by the Stars. General Manager Garrett Fahrmann said he visited the Negro Southern League Muesum in Birmingham and saw the jersey in a display. At that moment, he knew he wanted the Pandas to wear them when they played at Rickwood.
“I was just like, wow, this is the jersey we got to wear for this for the Rickwood game,” Fahrmann said. “
Wednesday marked the first time the Trash Pandas had played at Rickwood Field, and team officials made sure the Rocket City was well represented.
“We would love to come here every single year, it would be awesome,” Fahrmann said. “We brought all of our staff down, and we also brought a bus of season ticket holders down as well, so we have a good fan base here today.”
For many fans like Stephen Roberson, it was the first time getting to step foot onto one of baseball’s most iconic places. The feeling left him emotional.
“It gives me goosebumps. This place has been here since 1910. I looked up some history and saw all the different players, and that was pretty sweet,” Roberson said. “To see the Trash Pandas here taking on the Barons was sweet as well.”
Other fans said the quirks of a historic ballpark like Rickwood are what made the experience so memorable. One of the quirks of the park that many may not know about is hidden right behind the scoreboard.
Nestled behind the scoreboard, volunteers like Dan Weinrib manually fill the scoreboard. The trip requires a climb up a ladder and doesn’t give them a place to sit, but the experience of watching the field from one of the most unique seats in the house makes it worth it.
“There is no question, this is the best seat in the house,” Weinrib said. “We are all volunteers, none of us are getting paid to do this. It’s really a privilege.”
Weinrib said that there aren’t many parks where you can take a trip behind the scoreboard while a game is going on.
“Can you do this at Wrigley or Fenway, where anybody can get a view of the game while people are working behind the scoreboard? No,” Weinrib said. “You can here at Rickwood Field, and I think that’s a unique draw.”
In 2024, Rickwood underwent a major revitalization. The park received a $2.5 million renovation and was rewarded with hosting a Major League Baseball game.
“There were things that we had to do. We had to have padding on the outfield walls, we had to have enhanced areas for handicapped individuals to sit, we had to have new dugouts because of the small old dugouts,” Rickwood Field Executive Director Gerald Watkins said. “We had all that done and then the field, which is spectacular now.”
Watkins said the hope is that Major League Baseball returns to Rickwood Field and that his team will continue to keep the field to ensure they have the best chance of hosting another game.
“Commissioner Manfred told me they would come back, so we will see,” Watkins said. “Their timetable is not the same as ours. We hope they’ll come back sometime.”
Rickwood will host the East/West Classic on June 19.
Wednesday’s Rickwood Classic was the first time the Barons had returned to Rickwood since 2019. Watkins said, despite that, Rickwood is more than a field.
“The tradition we have here goes back 110 years. We are happy to have Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball back at Rickwood Field to go along with the travel ball and everything else,” Watkins said. “It’s not just a ballfield, it’s a historical icon, and we love sharing the stories of people who have been here before and talked about the people who are making new memories today.”
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