Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rickwood Field.
If you’ve been following my exploits over at the Black Baseball Mixtape you may have already read that I was honored to visit Birmingham, Alabama to witness the second ever East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues up close. It was an experience, both as a fan of baseball, but also a fan of history. It’s a trip that the Negro Leagues were a thriving force in sports for a long time in the last century. Their stories were in danger of being lost, but thanks to events such as this one, we have a chance to share that history with future generations. Here are a few photos from the event.
The event was almost rained out entirely. The downpour was so bad, the who shebang started about 2-3 hours later than scheduled.
MLB legends and alums like Curtis Granderson were on hand to sign autographs and play an 5 inning exhibition game.
Three/Fourths of the Black Baseball Mixtape Monday “Crew” alongside East-West Classic Player and one half of the Black Baseball Mixtape Thursday Show, Lewis Brinson in uniform.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr was the Masters of Cermonies for the event. Roy and I had actually crossed path back I was doing standup, so it was cool to see us link up again. It’s a true story, but we both auditioned for the correspondent role on the Daily Show.
This was taken at the end of the Home Run Derby opening event where Prince Fielder (#28) took home the crown. All in all, a fun time for everyone on the field and stands!
Flobo Boyce 