BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — As Ajay Stone strolled around historic Rickwood Field and gazed at tributes displayed in honor of Willie Mays and other Negro Leaguers, he clutched a cherished memory under his arm.
It was a picture from 2004 of Mays holding Stone's then-10-month-old daughter Haley, who was wearing San Francisco Giants gear. In Mays' hand was a chunk of a chocolate chip cookie, which he was handing over for Haley to eat.
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — As Ajay Stone strolled around historic Rickwood Field and gazed at tributes displayed in honor of Willie Mays and other Negro Leaguers, he clutched a cherished memory under his arm.
Performers dance before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
The lineup is seen in Rickwood Field as the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals play a baseball game Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Barry Bonds, left, consoles Michael Mays, right, son of the late Willie Mays, before the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco Giants players walk past a bus that was used for travel by the Birmingham Black Barons, before the Giants' baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila. Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Manual scoreboard operators watch the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos (17) runs to field a ball hit by the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals play in the fifth inning of a baseball game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A tribute Satchel Paige is seen outside Rickwood Stadium before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Flowers are seen at the base of a tribute to Willie Mays is seen outside Rickwood Stadium before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Eddie Torres, right, and son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays' No. 24 on the back, pose at Rickwood Field on Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames)
Eddie Torres, right, and son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays' No. 24 on the back, pose at Rickwood Field on Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames)
A replica Birmingham Black Barons jersey hangs in a locker inside Rickwood Field before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field was home to the Black Barons of the Negro Leagues and is where legend Willie Mays got his start in professional baseball. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
A production member shows the Associated Press an image of former baseball player Willie Mays and other former Birmingham Black Barrons players at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons at the start of his career. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A manual scoreboard is seen at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The front entrance is seen at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A manual scoreboard is seen through an opening door to the field at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Ajay Stone holding a photo of his daughter at 10-month old sitting next to Willie Mays, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. Stone traveled from Charlotte, N.C., for the Negro League tribute baseball game. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames
Ajay Stone , left, and his wife Christina pose with a photo of their daughter at 10-months old sitting next to Willie Mays, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.. They traveled from Charlotte, N.C. for the Negro League tribute baseball game. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames
Rickwood Field is seen from the roof, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A plaque honoring Willie Mays is seen before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
A memorial to Willie Mays is seen inside Rickwood Field before a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
“Willie gave her that cookie. She had no teeth,” Stone remembered. "But we took the cookie and we kept it in her stroller for a year and a half. The great Willie Mays gave it to her, so it was special to us.”
Stone and his wife Christina traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to be in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday for a moment they deemed just as special.
It was hours before Rickwood Field hosted its first Major League Baseball game, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Giants 6-5. The game, which MLB called “A Tribute to the Negro Leagues,” was meant to honor the legacy of Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an enduring mark on the sport.
MLB planned a week of activities around Mays and the Negro Leagues, including an unveiling ceremony on Wednesday of a Willie Mays mural in downtown Birmingham. Those tributes took on a more significant meaning Tuesday afternoon when Mays died at 93. As news of his death spread throughout Birmingham, celebrations of his life ramped up.
You could hear the celebration at Rickwood Field on Thursday even before arriving at the ballpark with the rapid thumping of a drum echoing from inside the ballpark, excited murmurs from fans skipping toward the music and frequent bursts of laughter.
Inside, there were reminders of history all around.
There were photos and artifacts of baseball Hall of Famers who played at the 114-year-old ballpark, including Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. The original clubhouse of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where Mays got his pro start in 1948, was open. A memorial of Mays was at the front, with bobbleheads, a signed glove and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys on display.
Outside, fans stood in line to hold a baseball bat used by Mays in 1959. They took photos sitting inside an original bus from 1947 that was typically used during barnstorming tours by Negro Leagues teams. They danced to live music and ate food from concession stands featuring menu boards designed to reflect the look and feel of the 1940s.
Eddie Torres and his son Junior wore matching Giants jerseys as they took pictures inside the ballpark. They're lifelong Giants fans who came from California for the game.
“I never even got to see Willie Mays play, but as a Giants fan, you knew what he meant to the game of baseball,” Torres said. “My son, he’s only 11. Willie Mays had such an effect on the game that even he knew who Willie Mays was."
Musical artist Jon Batiste strummed a guitar while dancing on a wooden stage near home plate just before the first pitch. Fans stood as former Negro Leaguers were helped to the field for a pregame ceremony.
Shouts of “Willie! Willie! broke out after a brief moment of silence.
For Michael Jackson, sitting in the stands at Rickwood Field reminded him of the past.
The 71-year-old Jackson played baseball in the 1970s and 80s with the East Thomas Eagles of the Birmingham Industrial League, which was a semi-professional league made up of iron and steel workers that was an integral form of entertainment in Birmingham in the 20th century.
Jackson’s baseball journey took him to Rickwood Field many times. After all these years, he was just excited that it’s still standing.
“It’s nice seeing them re-do all of this," he said, “instead of tearing it down. We played in the same ballpark they named after Willie Mays out in Fairfield (Alabama). And then I had my times out here playing at this ballpark. It's all very exciting.”
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Musical artist Jon Batiste performs before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Performers dance before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
The lineup is seen in Rickwood Field as the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals play a baseball game Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Barry Bonds, left, consoles Michael Mays, right, son of the late Willie Mays, before the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco Giants players walk past a bus that was used for travel by the Birmingham Black Barons, before the Giants' baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila. Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Manual scoreboard operators watch the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos (17) runs to field a ball hit by the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals play in the fifth inning of a baseball game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A tribute Satchel Paige is seen outside Rickwood Stadium before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Flowers are seen at the base of a tribute to Willie Mays is seen outside Rickwood Stadium before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Eddie Torres, right, and son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays' No. 24 on the back, pose at Rickwood Field on Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames)
Eddie Torres, right, and son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays' No. 24 on the back, pose at Rickwood Field on Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames)
A replica Birmingham Black Barons jersey hangs in a locker inside Rickwood Field before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field was home to the Black Barons of the Negro Leagues and is where legend Willie Mays got his start in professional baseball. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
A production member shows the Associated Press an image of former baseball player Willie Mays and other former Birmingham Black Barrons players at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons at the start of his career. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A manual scoreboard is seen at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The front entrance is seen at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A manual scoreboard is seen through an opening door to the field at Rickwood Field, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Ajay Stone holding a photo of his daughter at 10-month old sitting next to Willie Mays, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. Stone traveled from Charlotte, N.C., for the Negro League tribute baseball game. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames
Ajay Stone , left, and his wife Christina pose with a photo of their daughter at 10-months old sitting next to Willie Mays, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.. They traveled from Charlotte, N.C. for the Negro League tribute baseball game. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames
Rickwood Field is seen from the roof, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Rickwood Field, known as one of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A plaque honoring Willie Mays is seen before the start of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
A memorial to Willie Mays is seen inside Rickwood Field before a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. Mays, who began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 and played at Rickwood Field, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
