West Alabama Thursday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama. It is Thursday June 20, 2024.
A year's planning is over and now it is time to play the game. Tonight is the Rickwood Classic in Birmingham as Major League Baseball pays tribute to the Negro Leagues and the late Alabama native Willie Mays who pay in the park.
According to Rickwood's website, "Rickwood Field is not only the oldest baseball park in America, but It is also revered as the oldest remaining park that was home to a Negro League ballclub, the legendary Birmingham Black Barons. The Black Barons, forged from players from the local industrial leagues (primarily ACIPCO), rented the ballpark on Sundays when their white counterparts were on the road. The Black Barons enjoyed immense popularity and drew admiring fans from the entire community, both black and white."
The famous Connie Mack recommended that the new ballpark use Shibe Park in Philadelphia (which was controlled by Mack's team and later renamed Connie Mack Stadium) and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh as the models for the new park. It was the first concrete-and-steel stadium in Minor League Baseball when it opened on August 18, 1910, one day before the old Comisky Park in Chicago.
The venerable old ballpark was home to the Black Barons, Birmingham Barons and Birmingham Athletics during its heyday and now hosts college and high school games each year. Several movies and documentaries have also been filed there.
MLB and Birmingham poured a ton of money into restoring the stadium's grandeur inside and out. It will look the part it played as one of the grand minor league stadiums in the country that it was
The San Francisco Giants, Willie May's team, will face the St. Louis Cards tonight before a national television audience.
The weather should be good and hot for tonight's game.
The Forecast:
Topping the News:
Alabama U-S Senator Tommy Tuberville is accusing President Biden of intentionally destroying U.S. Borders with 94 executive orders that have allowed terrorists and other unidentified illegals into the country…(SB/tt).>>Tuberville says a debtor nation like the U.S. cannot afford the invasion.
Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2024 season is headed toward the central coast of Mexico, but the National Weather Service advises those headed to the Alabama Gulf Coast this weekend you will see some impact. There will be a high risk of rip currents and high surf conditions, a coastal flood advisory has been issued for portions of Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Waves are topping out at 7 feet high.
Patrick Stallworth and Derick Brown were both found guilty of federal kidnapping charges in Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney’s 2019 abduction and death. They were sentenced to life in prison. But because evidence needed by the state to try them on capital murder charges is still in federal custody, that trial is being delayed. A hearing is set for September.
If you like to winter in South Florida, you are in lick. Spirit Airline is adding a non-stop flight from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth to Ft. Lauderdale. The service begins on October 10th. Spirit is the 5th airline serving Birmingham to offer non-stop to 22 destinations in the U.S.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has joined other celebrities and Alabama coaches in sending Lulu Gribbin best wishes to the Mountain Brook teenager who recently was seriously injured in a shark attack on the Gulf Coast. “Lulu, Miss Terry and I are certainly wishing for your very speedy recovery,” Saban said. “We know you’re a fighter, we know that you’re going to prevail through all of this. “I want you to know that there are many, many people out there that are praying for your speedy recovery. So, God Bless and Roll Tide”.
Tide basketball coach Nate Oats has contacted the teen as has current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer also made a video and invited Lulu to visit the facility once she gets well.
Alabama's new law limiting those who can assist with filing an absentee has come under review of the U.S. Justice Department. A statement of interest has been filed in a federal court in Alabama to ensure a uniform interpretation of voting laws, specifically as they pertain to voters with disabilities.
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