Showdown at Rickwood Author Event

A couple of months ago I posted an interview with Art Black, who has written a terrific new book about the Birmingham Barons, Showdown at Rickwood.

Art will be speaking at the Homewood Library August 3 at 6:30 p.m. and I wanted to share this:

 

Art Black's exciting book, Showdown at Rickwood, paints a vivid picture of Birmingham in the early 20th century, weaving together a history of the city, its people, and their love of baseball. The climax is the 1931 Dixie Series when Dizzy Dean and Ray Caldwell battled at Rickwood Field. Along the way, Rickwood visitors included everyone from Babe Ruth to Ty Cobb to Satchel Paige. But which player attracted the most fans? It wasn't a baseball player at all — it was an NBA superstar named Michael Jordan. He spent the 1994 season playing with the Barons and re-wrote attendance records. Wayne Martin, a former sports writer, started watching baseball at Rickwood in 1953 and covered the team for 25 years. The first newspaper reporter elected to the Barons Hall of Fame, Martin will share tales of Rickwood and its people at the Homewood Library on August 3 at 6:30 p.m. A reception and book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchase.

of course, the fact that you can see my beloved grandfather Bob Hasty in the above photo is just a nice bonus...