Will the Texas League's Shreveport Captains move to Birmingham?
January 14, 1976
Ray Johnston, the owner of the Texas League's Shreveport Captains baseball team,
says he will move the team to Birmingham if an agreement can be reached with
multiple parties. Johnston has to gain approval from the Texas League and Major
League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom the Captains are affiliated.
Johnston is also working with the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board to
determine a rental fee for Rickwood Field.
"I don't anticipate any trouble getting the Pirates' approval. We have to get
the approval of five more Texas League owners to make the move and I'm going
back to my hotel right now to start on that," Johnston said.
Johnston wants to move from Shreveport because of where the stadium is located
and a steering committee for the club dictates that a profit can not be made.
A motion made today by the Park Board's chairman is awaiting approval by the
Board. The motion is for Johnston to lease Rickwood Field for one year at a cost
of $12,500 or 10% of the gross gate receipts, whichever is higher, plus 15% of
the net profits.
Rickwood Field is available for rent because the former tenant, the
Birmingham Athletics, moved to Chattanooga in November of 1975.
The Texas League is currently a Class AA league and began in 1888. Cities in the
league that are based in Texas are El Paso, Midland, San Antonio, and Amarillo.
There are also teams in Little Rock, Jackson, and Lafayette. The Captains have
been in Shreveport since moving from El Paso in 1971.
"Bobby Bragan and Carl Sawatski recommended Birmingham highly," Johnston said.
Bragan, a Birmingham native, is a former Texas League president and is the new
president of Minor League Baseball. Sawatski is vice president of the Texas
League, and most believe he will replace Bragan as president very shortly.
Johnston also owns the American Association's Class AAA Des Moines, Iowa
franchise.
According to Johnston, he is leaning toward naming the team the Birmingham
Barons.
January 15, 1976
Billy Hitchcock, president of the Southern League, is disappointed to hear that
Rickwood Field would not be vacant. Hitchcock said he was working to bring
Southern League baseball back to Birmingham in 1977. "For the Birmingham fans,
I'm glad to see baseball back at Rickwood. I'm sorry we didn't have the
opportunity to get a Southern League team back in Birmingham, but we would hope
for an opportunity in the future to get Birmingham back in the Southern League
where it belongs," Hitchcock said.
Glenn West, former general manager for the
Birmingham Athletics, helped Johnston and Texas League vice-president Carl
Sawatski with the RIckwood rental. "Birmingham now has a team in a class league
that has good cities and great attendance. I wanted to see Birmingham back in
baseball, and I think Pittsburgh provides the ideal parent club. I'd say they're
one of the top 5 in the major leagues in providing talent for their minor league
teams," West said.
January 17, 1976
Johnston rebuffs comments that adding Birmingham would spread the league too far
out, thereby increasing travel costs, especially for Birmingham. "The Texas
League is divided into the East and West Divisions, so it's not as bad as it
looks at first. Birmingham will be going West only twice all year, and Western
teams will be coming to Birmingham only twice. The remainder of the schedule
will be against Eastern teams," Johnson said. Those teams include Little Rock,
Jackson, and Lafayette.
"I think Birmingham is a sleeping giant, baseball wise. Any city that ever drew
500,000 in one year can return. I'm not naive enough to think we can draw
500,000 again, but we can rekindle some of that interest," Johnston said.
The staff here will be headed up by Mike Holbrooks, the Captains' business
manager. However, Holbrooks knew knew nothing of the move to Birmingham until
Johnston called him a few days ago. "We had been looking, but I never envisioned
going to Birmingham. I was thinking in terms of Longview, Kilgore, Tyler, Texas
area or possibly Odyessa, Texas," Holbrooks said.
January 23, 1976
Ray Johnston has abruptly cancelled Rickwood Field negotiations with the
Birmingham Park and Recreation Board.
"I hope there'll be no ill feelings. I was serious about moving there this year,
though I have a gut feeling Birmingham is better than a AA city. It's a sleeping
giant, and the sky is the limit for anyone who goes in, gives that town solid
management and a respectable club. But I must keep my franchise in Shreveport
this season. The reason I thought about leaving was because the city had
promised me new facilities and until 2 weeks ago the city officials hadn't done
anything concrete about them. This week Shreveport said it would get us that
facility. Since I had promised to keep a team there if this happened, I'm
withdrawing from Birmingham. I think it's the fairest way. I can't say enough
about the reception I received in Birmingham. It's a great city. And I hope no
one believes I used that town as a lever on Shreveport. That wasn't the case at
all," Johnston said.
Not everyone was sad to hear the news, however. Southern League president Billy
Hitchcock expressed his pleasure that the door is again open for his league to
move back into Birmingham. "We're sorry for the fans who were expecting baseball
this summer. But Birmingham is too good a baseball town, and has too fine a
facility, to be without baseball long. We feel that Birmingham should be in the
Southern League, and we will continue to work along those lines, although our 8
franchises are all set for the coming year. We hope that in the not too distant
future something can be done to bring Southern League baseball back to Rickwood
Field," Hitchcock said.
Epilogue
The Captains remained in Shreveport, playing in the Texas League until the team
was renamed the Shreveport Swamp Dragons in 2001. The Swamp Dragons lasted for
two years and then moved to become the Frisco Rough Riders.
Contact Gene Crowley
Last update:
July 26, 2018
