Our trip started in Birmingham, Alabama and the 2018 AA Southern League Homerun Derby and All-Star Game. Our first stop was a place called Good People Brewing that was right across the street from Regions Field. Now, I had been to places like this on the road before, but this was the first time the smell hit me so hard right after walking in. After I adjusted to the scent, I enjoyed a Mexican Lager called Muchcaho, and my mom enjoyed a flight of her choosing while we all sat down and I watched the Russia vs. Egpyt World Cup game. After that, the three of us decided to play Apples to Apples. Typically you need more people than we had to get the most out of Apples to Apples, but we made it work in a big way. Some of the exchanges we had were beyond hilarious, a good time was had by all, and we managed to finish the game just as the gates were about to open. I also won the game, just throwing that out there.
We managed to get into the park soon after the gates opened, so there was plenty of time to explore before the Homerun Derby started. Two of the things that stuck out to me was the fact that the apartment complex overlooking Regions Field had a pool that looked to had a view of the ballpark. Everybody loves a good pool party, but a pool party where you could watch Baseball while partying would just be in a different level. The other thing I really appreciated was the signs around the concourse with section numbers and pictures of various famous figures from Birmingham's Baseball history such as Bo Jackson, Dan Bankhead, Reggie Jackson, Piper Davis, and of course Michael Jordan.
Seeing as how Regions Field was completed in 2013, it wasn't the stadium where Michael Jordan played, but my brother and I still couldn't help but try to imagine what crowds were like at their old stadium in the suburbs of Hoover while he was playing. Tim Tebow has recently been a big attraction to people that wouldn't otherwise go to Minor League Baseball games, but there's no way he's brought in as many people, just because he's not as beloved or as big as Michael Jordan. I'm not the most prominent Basketball expert so I can't say for sure whether M.J. really is the best Basketball player of all time, but I think he's definitely the most famous Basketball player, if not Athlete as a whole, in all of America. I can only imagine how cool it must have been to witness his Baseball journey in person, even if he never made it to the Big Leagues.
Apart from the pedigree of an All Star Game, even if only at a Minor League level, the main attraction at this game was Baseball's No.2 Prospect Eloy Jimenez. A slugging outfielder who is in the Chicago White Sox farm system after being to traded to them by, funnily enough, the Chicago Cubs.
The home run derby got underway after we finished exploring, and the thing about Double-A Baseball is that Power is one of the things that's probably the hardest to develop. As a result, the home run totals weren't as high as the ones you see in the MLB home run derby, but I still found it entertaining all the same. Birmingham catcher Zack Collins ended up winning, a very popular victor with the local fans.
The Southern League is split into North and South Divisions, and seeing how the North Division is made up of teams like Chattanooga and Birmingham, who I have seen, and also teams like Montgomery, and the Tennessee Smokies, who I hope to see soon, I decided to pull for the North Division. At the beginning of the game, I started to feel like a good luck charm because not only did the North hold the lead for the first 6 innings, they had a combined perfect game going.
Part of what makes Minor League Baseball, so fun is the fun stuff that goes on between innings. This All-Star Game featured appearances by none other than the Zooperstars. Some of my personal favorite Zooperstars were Nolan Rhino, who made the whole crowd laugh by dancing on the dugout, then falling hard and waiting two full minutes to get back. Yao Flamingo, who had some really sick breakdancing moves. Then there's the most famous Zooperstar of all, Mackerel Jordan. If you've ever come across a fish swallowing a member of the grounds crew at a Minor League game, spitting out all of their clothes, and then seeing them force their way out of his mouth in only their underwear, then you've seen Mackerel Jordan before. It doesn't matter how many times you've seen the video before, seeing it in person is about a million times funnier. I was absolutely dying laughing the whole time.
Anyway, I think that's enough about the Zooperstars, back to the game! The South Division ended up scoring 5 unanswered runs through the 7th and 8th innings to take a 5-2 lead. The North would later tie it up in the bottom of the 8th.
Seeing as how Regions Field was completed in 2013, it wasn't the stadium where Michael Jordan played, but my brother and I still couldn't help but try to imagine what crowds were like at their old stadium in the suburbs of Hoover while he was playing. Tim Tebow has recently been a big attraction to people that wouldn't otherwise go to Minor League Baseball games, but there's no way he's brought in as many people, just because he's not as beloved or as big as Michael Jordan. I'm not the most prominent Basketball expert so I can't say for sure whether M.J. really is the best Basketball player of all time, but I think he's definitely the most famous Basketball player, if not Athlete as a whole, in all of America. I can only imagine how cool it must have been to witness his Baseball journey in person, even if he never made it to the Big Leagues.
Apart from the pedigree of an All Star Game, even if only at a Minor League level, the main attraction at this game was Baseball's No.2 Prospect Eloy Jimenez. A slugging outfielder who is in the Chicago White Sox farm system after being to traded to them by, funnily enough, the Chicago Cubs.
The home run derby got underway after we finished exploring, and the thing about Double-A Baseball is that Power is one of the things that's probably the hardest to develop. As a result, the home run totals weren't as high as the ones you see in the MLB home run derby, but I still found it entertaining all the same. Birmingham catcher Zack Collins ended up winning, a very popular victor with the local fans.
The Southern League is split into North and South Divisions, and seeing how the North Division is made up of teams like Chattanooga and Birmingham, who I have seen, and also teams like Montgomery, and the Tennessee Smokies, who I hope to see soon, I decided to pull for the North Division. At the beginning of the game, I started to feel like a good luck charm because not only did the North hold the lead for the first 6 innings, they had a combined perfect game going.
Part of what makes Minor League Baseball, so fun is the fun stuff that goes on between innings. This All-Star Game featured appearances by none other than the Zooperstars. Some of my personal favorite Zooperstars were Nolan Rhino, who made the whole crowd laugh by dancing on the dugout, then falling hard and waiting two full minutes to get back. Yao Flamingo, who had some really sick breakdancing moves. Then there's the most famous Zooperstar of all, Mackerel Jordan. If you've ever come across a fish swallowing a member of the grounds crew at a Minor League game, spitting out all of their clothes, and then seeing them force their way out of his mouth in only their underwear, then you've seen Mackerel Jordan before. It doesn't matter how many times you've seen the video before, seeing it in person is about a million times funnier. I was absolutely dying laughing the whole time.
Anyway, I think that's enough about the Zooperstars, back to the game! The South Division ended up scoring 5 unanswered runs through the 7th and 8th innings to take a 5-2 lead. The North would later tie it up in the bottom of the 8th.
I actually missed most of the South's rally because I managed to run into a former Negro League Player that had been recognized on the field before the game. Unfortunately, his name escapes me but I know he played for the Indianapolis Clowns, who I once read in a book would actually wear clown makeup while playing, and also do the most outlandish of tricks in the field either between outs or while fielding pop flies. I decided this would be the perfect time to see just how accurate these stories were, and he told that they were all true. He shared one specific story about how one of his infield partners would be dressed like a lady, and they would have to do some kind of dance act, the latter of which he wasn't too crazy about. "I just thank god that I'm still here today," he said to me, "playing the games was easy it was just all the traveling that was hard." He also recommended a book to me called "Barnstorming to Heaven" by Syd Pollock, which I will no doubt order it when I finally have some downtime.
Keep in mind, we drove 2.5 hours to get to Birmingham, and considering it's in the Central time zone, we would be losing an hour on the drive home, and there was still a firework show to be had, we did NOT want Extra Innings. So at that point, loyalties were out the window so it almost seemed like a godsend when the South had a 4 run top of the 9th, and then gave up nothing in the bottom half. The fireworks show itself was pretty cool. I'm not very good at describing firework shows so here's a picture of the fireworks
Keep in mind, we drove 2.5 hours to get to Birmingham, and considering it's in the Central time zone, we would be losing an hour on the drive home, and there was still a firework show to be had, we did NOT want Extra Innings. So at that point, loyalties were out the window so it almost seemed like a godsend when the South had a 4 run top of the 9th, and then gave up nothing in the bottom half. The fireworks show itself was pretty cool. I'm not very good at describing firework shows so here's a picture of the fireworks
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