FIRST PITCH THAT DAY, AND I WAS GLAD TO HEAR IT THAT WE WERE FILMING IT HERE AT RICKWOOD. THE ROLE MOVIES HAVE PLAYED IN RICKWOOD HISTORY CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED. THE BALLPARK WAS DARK AFTER THE BARONS LEFT FOR THE HOOVER MET BACK IN 1988. FOR SIX YEARS, IT SAT EMPTY. THEN, ALMOST OUT OF NOWHERE, A SINGLE FILM HELPED KEEP RICKWOOD RELEVANT FOR MUCH DIFFERENT REASONS. THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FILM A MOVIE HERE. IN THE MOVIE, COBB WAS FILMED HERE IN THE 1994, AND THAT CAUSED A REBIRTH OF THE BALLPARK. BUT WHEN YOU TEAR DOWN A BUILDING, YOU TEAR DOWN A HISTORIC STRUCTURE, YOU TEAR DOWN MEMORIES AS WELL, AND THEY THEY WERE HAD ENOUGH VISION TO SAY, WE DON鈥橳 WANT THE MEMORIES OF RICKWOOD TO BE TORN DOWN OR ERASED. COBB鈥橲, STARRING TOMMY LEE JONES, WAS RELEASED IN DECEMBER 1994. IT SET OFF A STRING OF MOVIES TO BE FILMED AT AMERICA鈥橲 OLDEST BALLPARK, INCLUDING SOUL OF THE GAME IN 1996, 42. IN 2013, AND MOS
Rickwood on the silver screen: The role films have played in keeping historic ballpark alive
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Updated: 7:56 PM CDT Jun 7, 2024
Watch full special - "Rickwood Field: Return to Glory"When the Birmingham Barons left Rickwood Field back in 1988 for the Hoover Met, it was in the credit sequence for six years as it sat empty.Then, almost out of nowhere, one spotlight, a single film, helped keep Rickwood relevant for different reasons than just to play ball."The movie 'Cobb' was filmed here in 1994, and that caused the rebirth of the ballpark," said Gerald Watkins, a member of The Friends of Rickwood. "They had enough vision to say, we don't want these memories of Rickwood to be torn down or erased.">> SAINTS VS. SINNERS: How teams from church and prison met on Rickwood Field"Cobb" was released in theaters in December 1994, staring actor Tommy Lee Jones. This set off a chain reaction in the form of several films featuring "America's Oldest Ballpark," including 1996's "Soul of the Game," 2013's "42," and "The League," released in 2023. Stay updated on the latest sports stories with the 米兰体育 13 app. You can download it here.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Watch full special - "Rickwood Field: Return to Glory"
When the Birmingham Barons left Rickwood Field back in 1988 for the Hoover Met, it was in the credit sequence for six years as it sat empty.
Then, almost out of nowhere, one spotlight, a single film, helped keep Rickwood relevant for different reasons than just to play ball.
"The movie 'Cobb' was filmed here in 1994, and that caused the rebirth of the ballpark," said Gerald Watkins, a member of The Friends of Rickwood. "They had enough vision to say, we don't want these memories of Rickwood to be torn down or erased."
>> SAINTS VS. SINNERS: How teams from church and prison met on Rickwood Field
"Cobb" was released in theaters in December 1994, staring actor Tommy Lee Jones.
This set off a chain reaction in the form of several films featuring "America's Oldest Ballpark," including 1996's "Soul of the Game," 2013's "42," and "The League," released in 2023.
Stay updated on the latest sports stories with the 米兰体育 13 app. You can download it here.
