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The Newsletter of America’s Oldest Ballpark Volume 1, Issue 3 June 5, 2020 R ICKWOOD T ALES OSTPONES HE TH NNUAL ICKWOOD Rickwood Calendar COVID - 1 9 P T 24 A R 1/6/11/20 to 9/11/20: C LASSIC AND THE J ERRY M ALLOY C ONFERNCE • All Events have been can- All previously scheduled events Please check Rickwood.com SABR’s Jerry Malloy Negro and Rickwood’s Facebook page League Conference, which celled until further notice. at Rickwood Field have been cancelled or postponed due to for developments. If the Barons was announced for June are able to have a partial sea- 11-13, 2020 has officially • Please like our Facebook the COVID-19 pandemic. The Birmingham Barons have post- son, and decide to go forward been rescheduled for June Page for updates about poned the 24th Annual Rick- with the Classic at a later date, 10-13, 2021 at the Shera- the ballpark, including wood Classic, which had been we will make the announce- ton Hotel in downtown Bir- the public reopening: scheduled for June 8, 2020. ment immediately. Meanwhile, mingham. h t t p s : / / www.facebook.com/ friendsofrickwood.com T HE 17TH A NNUAL S OUTHERN A SSOCIATION Get Your Rickwood Gear! B ASEBALL C ONFERENCE WAS A B IG S UCCESS • The Friends of Rickwood The 17th Annual Southern Asso- other league members, includ- ation. However, it was in are excited to announce ciation Baseball Conference ing the Knoxville Smokies, Bir- Nashville where he had his that caps, t-shirts, post- was held on March 7, 2020 at mingham Barons, and New Orle- best memories. He was ans Pelicans. Several years ago, named Most Valuable Vol in ers, books, and other Rickwood Field. The event, which was put on by the Friends Glock’s memorabilia came up 1956 and his manager, Ernie Rickwood merchandise of Rickwood and the Rickwood for sale. Among the more inter- White, called him “’the hus- are available for purchase Field SABR Chapter, was a tre- esting items was Glock’s annual tlingest player’ he ever saw.” on our website. We have mendous success attracting season budget, in which he some great new items, nearly 40 attendees; this was allocated funds for his equip- Following a break, John which we are excited probably the last public baseball ment, transportation, tips, tax- Guinozzo closed out the about. Please visit our event at Rickwood Field for es, and insurance. The budget morning session with a shop to browse and order: 2020 given the current pan- was a reminder that while base- presentation on “Nicknames demic. ball remains a pastime for most https://rickwood.com/ of us, it was also a job for play- for Teams and Players of the Southern Association” while shop/ ers in the Southern Association. After morning coffee and wearing a 1944 Memphis snacks, Clarence Watkins, a Chicks uniform. According to native of Memphis, Tennessee, Gregory Bennington, who trav- John, “the Memphis franchise and the Executive Director of eled from Louisville, Kentucky listed more nicknames than the Friends of Rickwood, for the conference, then pre- any other Southern Associa- opened the conference with sented on his uncle, Bobby tion member. As the custom introductory remarks. While Durnbaugh, who played profes- (in Memphis) in the early wearing a Memphis Chicks jer- sional baseball from 1951-61, days, the team was called sey, he introduced each speak- hitting a respectable .272 as a whatever color uniforms they er throughout the day and kept middle infielder. wore. Hence, Memphis was attendees on their toes with called the Reds, Blues, Browns and Grays.” trivia questions. Durnbaugh appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Reds Clarence then presented on in 1957, but spent most of his Memphis briefly used the Charles Glock, who played in career in the minors, including Egyptians, and later the Tur- the minor leagues from 1937- five seasons in the Southern tles, before adopting the 52 posting a .285 lifetime bat- Association. He played four name Chicks in 1912. The ting average with 1,622 hits. years for the Nashville Vols nickname was short for Chick- Glock spent a decade as a mid- (1955-56 and 1958-59). He asaws and named after the dle infielder in the Southern then spent the summer of 1961 Chickasaw Guard, which was Association, primarily as a mem- with the Mobile Bears and a para-military drill team. In ber of the Atlanta Crackers. Shreveport Sports during the addition, the Chicks nickname However, he also played for final act of the Southern Associ- Continued on Page 2 Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 3 S OUTHERN A SSOCIATION C ONFERENCE Continued from Page 1 the Durham Bulls of the Pied- on the New York Giants 1954 mont League. He died in Savan- World Series championship nah, Georgia in 1977. team. Everyone knows Willie was also short for the Chickasaw Mays, but many people con- Tribe of native Americans, who fuse Rhodes with a profes- live in the Memphis area. John’s Bill Plott, a former reporter, sional wrestler who used the research also uncovered proba- columnist, and editor with The same name. bly the most bizarre team nick- Anniston Star and The Birming- name in Memphis baseball histo- ham News presented next. Bill ry: The “Fever Germs,” which is a longtime SABR member, Dusty Rhodes was born on reporters began calling the club and has written two books May 13, 1927 in Mathews, after a Yellow Fever epidemic in about the Negro Leagues. His Alabama, which is an unincor- Memphis. topic was on Ferguson “Fuzzy” porated community in Mont- Woodruff, the Southern Associa- gomery County. He played tion’s League Historian. professional baseball for 16 Following the morning session, seasons, including 7 with the attendees were treated to a deli- New York and San Francisco cious barbeque lunch, which was Fuzzy gained notoriety as a Giants from 1952-59. In the catered by Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. sportswriter in the early 1900s, minors, he played for the and was a veteran of World War Nashville Vols in the Southern I. In 1919, while working for The Association in 1952. Terry Sloope, a SABR member Birmingham News, Fuzzy began with the Magnolia / Georgia writing a 19-part series of Sun- “Planning is already Chapter, opened the afternoon day columns entitled “Story of Rhodes was a natural pull session with an interesting the Southern League.” The se- hitter, which made Sulphur underway for the 18th presentation on William Virgil ries began with league’s for- Dell’s short right field fence “Jumbo” Barrett. During his 9- edition of the Southern mation in 1885 and continued especially tempting. He batted year professional career, mostly through 1915. However, the .347 and socked 18 home Association Conference, during the 1920s, Jumbo batted columns ended abruptly with runs in 90 games for the Vols. .311 as a power-hitting catcher. the 1915 season. According to Of course, the Polo Grounds In 1927, he hit .360 and set a Bill Plott, “Woodruff, who had a similar configuration which will take place in South Atlantic League record worked for 12 newspapers in down the right field line. With March of 2021.” with 39 home runs while playing 22 years, got itchy feet and the Giants, Rhodes became for the Knoxville Smokies before moved to Atlanta, joining one of one of the most dangerous finishing the season with the the papers there.” pinch hitters in the game. In Memphis Chicks. the ‘54 World Series, Rhodes batted .667, hit 2 homers, Woodruff’s articles are filled In 1928, Jumbo spent spring and drove in 7 RBIs while with clichés, but also “include winning MVP honors. He was training with the New York Giants fascinating anecdotal infor- in Augusta, Georgia competing to presented with a new car for mation on cantankerous Char- his efforts but wrecked the replace veteran Zach Taylor as ley Frank.” Frank was a south- the backup catcher to Shanty vehicle several weeks later. ern baseball legend, who played Rhodes was out of baseball Hogan. However, he failed to from 1899-1902 and managed after the 1962 campaign. make the squad and remained in the Southern Association with the Chicks following an exhi- from 1901-1921, including bition game in Memphis. Accord- stints with Memphis, New Orle- Clarence almost met Rhodes ing to Terry, “Jumbo hoped to ans, and Atlanta. in 2008 or 2009 at his moth- use the ‘28 season as a spring- er’s retirement home, but board to a spot on the Giants’ unfortunately Rhodes’ health roster the following season. Woodruff died in Atlanta at the took a downward turn and he [However, a] badly broken leg age of 45. He was buried with cancelled the visit. Dusty [suffered] during a bitter, hard- full military honors. Rhodes died shortly thereaf- fought four game series at Ponce ter. De Leon Park against the Atlanta Crackers that August brought Clarence Watkins was the final speaker and presented on those dreams to an end.” Planning is already underway “Dusty Rhodes, A Childhood for the 18th edition of the Memory”. When he was growing Southern Association Confer- During his career, the native up in Memphis, Clarence re- ence, which will take place in Georgian also played for the At- called asking his grandfather March of 2021. lanta Crackers and Mobile Bears who his favorite player was. He in the SA. Jumbo’s career ended replied, “Willie Mays and Dusty in 1931 following a season with Rhodes,” who were two heroes - Jeb Stewart Rickwood Tales Page 3 “Members of the Above: Fellow Memphians Clarence Watkins (L) and John Guinozzo (R) at the 17th Annual Southern Association Baseball Conference.