Birmingham Amateur Baseball Federation
1937
1938
1939
1940
1937-5-13 Italian Day will be held sometime this year. This event used to draw 6K-7K.
1940-3-06 Has dim pic of Sunny Jim Downey shaking hands with Paul Florence, president of the Birmingham Barons. Barons have offered use of Rickwood Park to amateurs and the national tournament.
The Birmingham Barons will match any offer made to local amateurs. Six have recently signed with Atlanta.
Listing of some of the 32 teams that have applied for BABF membership for this season so far. Sloss are 3x city champions.
1940-6-17 Pinson club has three Chandler brothers - Mose, Noah, and Bill - three Goodwins, two Rickles, two Thompsons, and two Dardens. (Includes brothers of MLB Ed Chandler, who was from Pinson.)
1940-7-14 News + gossip. Player deadline is 7-15. List of players signed. Three teams have given up ghost - their players are signed.
1940-9-01 National tournament will be held at Birmingham. To get teams to come James A. Downey, Jr., president of both BABF and NABF, has promised to underwrite meet. Will take $5K+ to bring tournament out of red. 24 teams will compete. Two are from Birmingham district - one representing BABF, and one representing Jefferson County. As many games as possible will be held at Rickwood, home of Barons.
1940-9-01 VERY GOOD. Pic + profile of James Asbury Downey Jr, AKA "Sunny Jim." Will retire from amateur baseball organizing after season. Is head of both Birmingham Amateur Baseball Federation and National Amateur Baseball Federation. The first Southern president of NABF, he oversaw the first national tournament held in the south - Birmingham, Sept 07-15.
In 1928 Birmingham sent first team to national tournament - Sloss team went to Cincinnati and made it to semi-finals.
From 1926 to 1929 Birmingham City League grew from 17 to 30 teams. During that time Downey was secretary and Cosper was president. In 1930 Cosper retired and Downey replaced him. He was promptly elected to the National Federation of Amateur Baseball Clubs board of trustees. In 1930, the Municipal and City Leagues merged into Greater City League.
"Sunny Jim has been the guiding force behind amateur baseball in Birmingham since, with the exception of 1931, when he stepped out for business reasons."
In 1934 he consolidated the various independent leagues into the Birmingham Amateur Baseball Federation - the largest organization of its kind. When Sunny Jim assumed the presidency of the City League, there were five leagues with six teams each. Today the BABF has ten class A leagues, 60 class A teams, and a number of Class C teams. All told there are about 2K players playing under BABF.
Twice since 1928 Birmingham's representatives have placed second in national tournaments. The Sloss club did so in 1934 and Jordan Park did likewise in 1939.
1940-6-23 (Post-Herald) Some lines
1940-9-01 Empire team
Birmingham
1940-1-28 Westfield amateur team had Riggs Stephenson, Joe Sewell, Red Holt, etc.
T.C.I. League (Manufacturing Division, Mining Division)
T.C.I. League (Manufacturing Division, Mining Division)
TCI = Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company Used convict labor until 1910s, then model villages for workers.
1940
Carnes, Carl "Prince" 1917 Ensley Indians
Glazner, Whitey 1917 Ensley Indians
Walker, Ernie uncle of Dixie & Harry Walker 1917 Ensley Indians
Vines, Oscar pitcher 1917 oldest pitcher in league
three pitchers 1917
season runs 4-28 to 9-08 - schedule
1917-6-27 quotes from TCI folks
1917-8-18 3.5K ATT at double-header - Pratt City will play Ensley in next ten days
Glazner reportedly threw a no-hitter in TCI 1940
Chattahoochee League
1920
1927 Lanett
Smith, Bob 1920 West Point ss in 1920 - converted to pitcher in major leagues when he was 30 and had 13-year career on the mound
1920-9-04 #1 champ series * West Point 2, Lanett 1.
1920-9-15 #3 * West Point 7, Lanett 0. 3K ATT - "largest crowd that ever witnessed an athletic event in this section of the country." Summary of West Point's season.
\ latter two dates are news dates
MG:
1920
Lanett: Robinson
West Point: Carl Eubanks
Dixie Amateur League
Dixie Amateur League
1943 5-04 standings
1951
Parks, Woodford "Woody" p 1951 Langston "Old Man River of local semi-pro ranks"
Chapman, Ben 1943 Acme Roofers
1943-6-18 All-Star team listed, with small stats
1948-7-08 All-Star team listed, with small stats
1951-4-30 All boxes
Pros:
Beasley, E.O. (I think) 1914 Bay-Minette no-hitter
Fittery, Paul 1927 Lanett champions of GA-AL - "McHenry's long drive into to the colored bleachers"
1914-5-06 opening day - "the colored people were jammed in their section"
1915-6-20 Jack Nabors has thrown 47 consecutive scoreless innings
https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=%22father%20rafferty%22&p_province=us-al&p_city=montgomery
Woody Parks - career lasted from 1922 to 1955.
https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=%22father%20rafferty%22&p_province=us-al&p_city=montgomery
Woody Parks - career lasted from 1922 to 1955.
http://drmiraculous.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-old-man.html Great post! Has good info about Dixie Amateur League.
1964-12-02 Pic + profile. Once won a game while unconscious.
1967-8-04 Profile w/pic. Might have made majors if he didn't make banking his career. Is now vice president of the First National Bank of Montgomery.
Woodford H. Parks. Born 1904-1-16 in Bloomfield KY. (This means he made pro debut at 39.)
1982-7-08 One of four Montgomerians reappointed to Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness.
1982-7-08 One of four Montgomerians reappointed to Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness.
1984-3-07 Pic.
1991-2-10 One of '91 inductees into Montgomery Sports HOF. Says he won over 500 games.
Has some other interesting guys.
Fr. Rafferty
Birmingham Barons
Fr. Rafferty
1939-5-28 Pic of Rev. with his four clubs. Rev. M.F. Rafferty is priest at St. Bernard Catholic church in Inglenook, where he lives. Started several years ago with four junior teams. As some of his players began to age out he was granted a senior team in the BABF.
1939-6-20 "Give every neighborhood in Birmingham a Fr. Rafferty and you could dismiss the police force so far as the boys are concerned." Described as Irish.
1939-6-25 W/Pic. Today, Sunday, will be Father Rafferty Day at Rickwood Park. He is a Catholic priest but his clubs are filled with members of all faiths. His senior team, the Orioles, have four denominations on its roster. Sponsors four teams.
1939-6-26 Pic of Rafferty receiving trophy from Downey. His Orioles lost 7-1.
1939-8-13 Fr. Rafferty Athletic Field is being built. W/ pic.
1939-12-10 There was much sorrow when Rafferty was assigned to Huntsville, but he is picking up where he left off. Has already organized three basketball teams.
1940-3-06 Burst of cheering when telegram from Rafferty read out at BABF meeting.
1942-3-08 In Huntsville has team with players even smaller than his Tiny Mites team - they're called the Chicken Mites.
1946-3-25 Has received a number of applications for the Gaels - stresses that they will have to play faster ball now they are playing in the Dixie League.
1946-3-26 Pic + profile. Montgomery's first "Sportsman of the Week." Fr. Malcom Joseph Raffert, pastor of St. Andrew's Catholic Church. In Huntsville his teams were named the Cavaliers. A number of southern college football and baseball players began athletic careers with his Orioles. His teams in Montgomery are called the Gaels. In 1945, the Senior Gaels won the Independent League championship. His six championship trophies in office: five from Orioles and one from Gaels.
1946-5-19 Dixie League opens today. St. Andrew's Gaels will play Draper Prison.
1946-8-13 Was assistant manager of Montgomery American Legion team, which lost in state finals.
1948-3-05 Birmingham Barons GM, Eddie Glennon, is close friend - going to check out a promising Gael.
1953-3-03 Came visiting to Birmingham. Is member of Montgomery Park and Recreation Board. Manages Big Gaels, Little Gaels, and Civitan Club in Little League. His most famous graduate is Dusty Rhodes of Vols.
1954-9-30 Dusty Rhodes played with 1946 Gaels of Dixie League. Fr. Rafferty is the one who brought him to attention of Larry Gilbert, owner-manager of Nashville Vols.
1954-12-02 Pic of Rafferty, of Montgomery, with Dusty Rhodes. Fr. Rafferty was responsible for Rhodes' early baseball tutelage in Montgomery.
1964-10-07 Pic + profile.
1968-7-07 Tribute in Montgomery Advertiser.
1968-7-08 Tribute in Montgomery Advertiser.
Birmingham Barons
https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Slag_Pile_Field
After 1886 the property was owned by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (TCI) . The park earned its nickname for the piles of furnace slag outside the outfield fences, which served as free seating for those who didn't want to pay to sit in the bleachers.
The field and a few wooden bleachers were leased, in 60-day terms, to the first owners of the Birmingham Barons, who played there from the mid-1880s until the completion of Rickwood Field in 1910.
The field and a few wooden bleachers were leased, in 60-day terms, to the first owners of the Birmingham Barons, who played there from the mid-1880s until the completion of Rickwood Field in 1910.
http://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghambaronsmain.html
http://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghambaronshistory.html
Has news and pics of managers - layout of Rickwood Field, 1949. List of SOUA champions.
http://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghambaronsphotos.html Team pics
http://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghambaronsroster.html has uniform numbers for some seasons
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