2005 Rickwood Classic

The 2005 Rickwood Classic was the 10th in the annual series of "throwback" games played by the Birmingham Barons in vintage-style uniforms at Birmingham's historic Rickwood Field. The Barons lost 6-5 against the Montgomery Biscuits on July 27, which was the rescheduled date for the June 2 game that was rained-out. During the game, the Barons' bats were hot in making 11 hits; however, costly baserunning miscues cost them the game.

The Barons honored all of the previous teams honored in the classic. This was accomplished by all nine players on the field wearing each of the nine different Barons uniforms previously honored in the classic. Montgomery wore the uniforms of the 1910 Montgomery Climbers, Birmingham's first opponent in newly constructed Rickwood Field. The first 1,500 fans received a Miguel Olivo bobblehead. The game was presented by State Farm Insurance.

The announced crowd for the Thursday mid-day game was 4,633, the smallest crowd to ever attend the event. Special guests included former Black Baron Jessie Mitchell, and former major league player Charlie Moore.

Prior to the postponement of the June 2 game, the inaugural class Birmingham Barons Hall of Fame was announced. The inductees were Rick Woodward (Rickwood builder and former owner), Willie Mays (Fairfield native and Black Baron), Carlton Molesworth (long time player/manager), and Lorenzo "Piper" Davis (Black Barons player and manager).

References

• Segrest, Doug (June 3, 2005) "Splish, splash Umpires call game due to rain, unplayable field". The Birmingham News
• Segrest, Doug (July 28, 2005) "Not quite Classic; Baserunning miscues cost Barons". The Birmingham News