Rickwood Field Celebration a Time to Remember, Reflect

by David WhitleyFiled under: Minor Leagues BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- When Reaf Blue first showed up at Rickwood Field he was told to hold a rope separating the white people from his colored people. When Blue showed up Wednesday, he was asked for his autograph. It was the 100th birthday party for Rickwood, America's oldest active baseball park. The Double-A teams wore throwback uniforms and the umpires sported bow ties. Babe Ruth returned to the park, or at least a guy dressed like the Bambino showed up. As nice as that nostalgic trip was, my imagination was drawn to 33 players almost nobody remembers. They wore jerseys with names like the Black Barons and Clowns and Royals. One player was in a wheelchair, another walked with a cane. After being introduced, they posed for a group photo. The ones who'd knelt in the front row had a hard time getting up. "We're not as young as we used to be," Blue said with a laugh. He pitched for the Atlanta Black Crackers in 195...