Rickwood Field was built in 1910 so Rick Woodward would have a showplace for his baseball team, the Birmingham Barons. Little did he know that 114 years later, Major League Baseball would host a game on this field. The field has hosted concerts, football, and baseball games. It was also home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Southern League. Many famous players suited up at the field, but none more so than Willie Mays, a son of Fairfield, Alabama.

Show Note: An astute listener pointed out that Connie Mack, mentioned in the episode, played for the Philadelphia A's, not the Phillies. We regret the error, and our research department has been sacked.

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At the end of World War II, another war started, the Cold War. To win the minds and hearts of people around the world against the Soviet Union, the U.S. State Department put together a show of modern art that was to tour the world. The show, “Advancing American Art,” did not win the hearts and minds of some of its people. It was recalled and put up for auction at pennies on the dollar. Auburn University recognized an opportunity and bought 36 paintings, the basis for the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.

Support the Show.

Support the Podcast

The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us.

1. Tell a friend about the podcast.
2. Buy some merchandise from the Art Done Wright store at https://www.teepublic.com/user/wright-art
3. Buy Volume 1 of the Book. https://a.co/d/9VhY9cO
4. Buy the newly released Volume 2 of the Book. https://a.co/d/ef1yunC
5. Want to support your local book store? You can do that by purchasing Volume 1 and Volume 2 through Bookshop.org, which gives back to local bookstores.

You can listen to the podcast on the website or wherever you prefer to listen and subscribe to podcasts.

The University of Alabama accepted a bid to play in the 1926 Rose Bowl against powerhouse University of Washington. This was the first time a team from the South was invited to play in this historic event. The underdog Alabama team won the game in no small part because of the play of Johnny Mack Brown. Learn the story of this game and how Brown went from being the “Dothan Antelope” to one of Hollywood's leading men and stars of Western movies.

Support the Show.

Support the Podcast

The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us.

1. Tell a friend about the podcast.
2. Buy some merchandise from the Art Done Wright store at https://www.teepublic.com/user/wright-art
3. Buy Volume 1 of the Book. https://a.co/d/9VhY9cO
4. Buy the newly released Volume 2 of the Book. https://a.co/d/ef1yunC
5. Want to support your local book store? You can do that by purchasing Volume 1 and Volume 2 through Bookshop.org, which gives back to local bookstores.

You can listen to the podcast on the website or wherever you prefer to listen and subscribe to podcasts.