In this edition of the Ballpark Digest Broadcaster Chat, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, Mick Gillispie and Kevin Reichard discuss a variety of topics ranging from classic ballparks like Rickwood Field to the various terms scouts use to describe prospects.
In this week’s chat:
- ESPN’s epic Michael Jordan documentary, which launched talk of Jordan’s time with the Birmingham Barons in the Southern League
- Birmingham’s Rickwood Field, the most historic structure with roots both in Minor League Baseball and the Negro Leagues
- Other historic Southern League ballparks, including Chattanooga’s Engel Stadium and Huntsville’s Joe Davis Stadium
- Other historic Negro Leagues ballparks, including the six existing ballparks that served as a full-time home to teams (Wayne County’s Hamtramck Stadium, Indianapolis’s Bush Stadium, Jacksonville’s J. P. Small Memorial Stadium, the aforementioned Rickwood Field, Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium and Columbus’s Cooper Stadium/Red Bird Stadium), as well as existing ballparks where Negro League barnstormed, including St. Joseph’s Phil Welch Stadium
- Historic ballparks where Jesse, Mick and Kevin would love to go back in time and see a game
- Things we love in new ballparks, like the train in Minute Maid Park
- From The Baseball Thesaurus: Scouting terms related to prospects and the draft, ranging from projectible players or a player catching helium to a fringe prospect and an organizational man.
This chat features Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, Voice of the Lansing Lugnuts and author of The Baseball Thesaurus; Mick Gillispie, Voice of the Tennessee Smokies and spring-training broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs; and Kevin Reichard, Ballpark Digest publisher.