Latest Blog Posts

The brand-new book RICKWOOD has been printed, and we have the first copies! Before Amazon or Walmart, you can purchase it from BaseballParks.com, using our eCommerce page. Plus for no additional charge, the book can be autographed by co-author Joe Mock.

The awesome publisher of this book, Stoney Creek, produced this video to promote the book. Give it a watch!

Read all about the contents of the book on our product page. You’ll also be able to see what prominent people in the sport have to say about it. Check it out now!

We’re thrilled to announce the release date of a book that’s been years in the making — 115 years to be exact!

Rickwood Field in Birmingham was built by industrialist Rick Woodward in 1910, so it justly earned the nickname “America’s Oldest Ballpark.” By updating material from the 1995 book Bases Loaded With History by exceptional baseball researcher and writer Tim Whitt, and adding all that has occurred at this baseball palace since (who can forget Major League Baseball’s 2024 tribute to the Negro Leagues and Birmingham’s native son Willie Mays?), this new book provides the park’s definitive history.

Simply entitled Rickwood, this treasure of a book will be eagerly read by baseball fans of all types, particularly those with a thirst for history, including the Negro Leagues. After all, Rickwood Field was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons for four decades.

The projected publication date by the phenomenal team at Stoney Creek Publishing has just been announced: February 24, 2026. Several outlets are accepting pre-orders now:

AMAZON paperback

hardcover

WALMART paperback

hardcover

BARNES & NOBLE paperback and hardcover  Note Premium B&N members receive a discount

Note that a very limited number of hardcover editions will be printed, so if you want one, your best bet is to pre-order it now.

I know many of you will be interested in obtaining an autographed copy. That will never happen through Amazon or Walmart, but in February I will set up a “store page” here on my BaseballParks.com site where you can order a personally signed copy.

And I have an ambitious schedule for March, April and May where I will appear at bookstores and merch shops at MLB exhibitions and Minor League games.

So you will definitely have opportunities to get an autographed copy of the book!

So I wanted everyone to know that the book is finished and is awaiting printing. The release date, again, is February 24.

After reading the completed manuscript, some amazing people offered to write a recommendation of Rickwood. Here’s what the illustrious Janet Marie Smith had to say:

“During my time working in baseball, I’ve felt part of my job is to help a ballpark tell its own story.  Each one is so distinctive and such a reflection of its city and place in the cultural lore of the land. Now comes Tim Whitt and Joe Mock to serve as the voice for Rickwood Field. And what stories Rickwood Field can tell after over 100 years, from its legacy as the sibling of the storied Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia to the moment when the national spotlight coincided with the passing of Birmingham’s own Willie Mays. This book is about more than baseball; it’s a reflection of the last hundred years of our nation’s cultural history, Birmingham’s place in that story, and a reminder of why baseball is America’s Pastime.”

— Janet Marie Smith, Co-founder of Canopy Team, held executive Planning and Development roles in working on Camden Yards, Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Turner Field, State Farm Arena and Polar Park

You’ve probably never heard of Tim and Jamie Standard of Rockmart, Georgia. What they have contributed to amateur baseball in the Peach State is remarkable, but it’s the story of the final road trip that they made together this summer that will truly capture your heart. Read all about their Someday Is Now Journey.

Every autumn, we provide a public service by presenting you with a comparison of the two World Series ballparks. This year is no exception, as Dodger Stadium prepares to host its 12th Fall Classic, while Rogers Centre will see its third. Check out all of the comparisons here!

Knowing that they were coming up on the end of their 30-year lease on Progressive Field, the Cleveland Guardians embarked on an ambitious plan to revitalize their aging ballpark. The renovations paid for with a budget of $202 million were completed in time for (barely) the 2025 season. Read all about the planning and execution of these plans in our special report.

The family that owns the Chicago Cubs has been purchasing the rooftop businesses along Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. One, though, has refused to sell, and is fighting the Cubs in court to boot. Read all about it in our exclusive look at this thorny situation in Wrigleyville.