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UAB BLAZER BASEBALLUniversity Alabama BirminghamBlazer's Playing Field Was Old Sandlot Site Southside Of Birmingham's Field Of DreamsThe UAB Blazer Baseball playing field is an old baseball sandlot site on Birmingham's southside where many Birmingham area American Legion baseball games were played.
This field saw many a young baseball player grow and learn his baseball skills on this field of dreams.
The present placement of homeplate of the Blazers diamond was in the leftfield corner of the old sandlot field. In essence, the old and the modern diamonds have been spun around 180 degrees. The site has a much remembered past history for us old codgers who have gone past those days of dreams for reaching stardom. Along the side of the street running beside University Boulevard is the remaining part of the stonework seating which was behind and to the third base side of the homeplate area for the old diamond. These stonework seats are now beyond the right field fence of the Blazer's current playing field. I recall as a teenager playing American Legion Baseball on occasion at this diamond. The boys who grew up on the southside of Birmingham spent many happy moments playing baseball at this ball field. You might say many of these kids on the southside of the city earned their spikes learning the game here at the site of the UAB Blazer Baseball field. All the young baseball players on the southside of the city went on to greater thrills playing varsity baseball at Ramsay and John Carroll high schools. Birmingham, the city, and the surrounding Jefferson County, were a baseball playing mecca as the Birmingham area burst forth like magic and growing like a "Magic City" from the early 1900's. Our nation was emerging from the unemployment scourge of the Great Depression and the native and immigrant families were finding plenty of work in Birmingham.
Birmingham, Alabama located here in the Heart Of Dixie was a place where climate and raw materials combine to make this area a place of choice and destiny. The Birmingham area was blessed with three ample raw materials, coal, limestone and iron ores neccessary for the making of iron and steel. Work was readily available and Birmingham did indeed become a Magic City growing like there was no tomorrow. My maternal grandad, "Dan Liles" a brick mason by trade, came to Birmingham as a young man because of this booming growth and good work was readily available. Because of our industrial base of steel making, we were also known as The Pittsburgh Of The South." Alongside all this bustle of employment and population growth, schools were filling to capacity. Schools filling to the brim meant that the power of athletic events and sports saw a growth to unprecedented heights of popularity. Birmingham was fast becoming the kingpin of sports in the South. The Birmingham City schools were known as the "Big Five." Legion Field, "The Gray Lady," had a marquee signage proclaiming Birmingham as the Magic City and Legion Field as The Football Capital Of The South. Woodlawn, Phillips, Ramsay, West End and Ensley High Schools were the pride of Birmingham. These were the public schools and the parochial school for Roman Catholics was John Carroll high School, one of the top leading schools of the South. Two of these schools were located on the southside of the city. Ramsay high school was the public school and John Carroll high school was the parochial school. The baseball players, playing their ball at these schools, learned the fundamentals of the game right here at the present site of the UAB Blazer baseball field. Just as sandlot playing fields had to give way to the modern day facilities such as the UAB Blazer Baseball field, our entire livilihood also changed. Gone, in most part, is the smokestack industry of iron and steel. Our skyline is now filling with Medical and Biotech, along with Insurance, Banking and Computer Age Facilities. Now back to the old sandlot field on the southside of Birmingham, the present site of University Alabama, Birmingham i;e the UAB Blazer Baseball diamond. This field is only one of several on the southside of town;, however, it hosts the current active baseball team our UAB Blazer Baseball. Ironically, one of the lads who grew up on the southside and no less played on this field as a youngster, is the current UAB Blazer Baseball coach. Larry Giangrosso the UAB coach grew up near this field and no doubt played here on this field of dreams. There is an old saying, "You can never go home." You may return but things have changed and what once was is no longer. Sad to say, Larry grew up playing baseball as a standout allstar catcher right in the area where he has reluctantly resigned as coach for the UAB baseball team. Larry Giangrosso not only was a super catcher, he went on to be a hugely successful coach away from home. Coming home to coach the Blazers, the succes was not to continue, and his resignation at the end of this season means he will move on to more success another day and another place. Pete Giangrosso is Larry's dad and he has passed his competitive spirit on to his son and therefore I am sure Larry will now be moving on to more and brighter accolades. I must compare Larry to the hugely successful major league manager and "Baseball Wiz," Tommy LaSorda. These two fiercely deep blue eyed competitors of Italian heritage will win and make you proud.
One of my web pages I referred to the relation of brother to brother as being a baseball players greatest loyal fan but let me tell you, Pete the dad and Larry the son, are just as I've described this loyal fan feeling. A lot has happenned on the old sandlot site of the UAB Blazer baseball field. Larry, instead of struggling to turn UAB baseball playing fortunes around maybe if we had only turned the field around, say 180 degrees, then maybe the wins would have come back to our field of dreams. Godspeed Larry and may you have a following wind. Do not forget our history if you forget it you must repeat it, go back to the Baseball History page, click here UAB Blazer Baseball Batter Up----Let's Play Ball.... Return to BaseballFarming our home page which is an introduction to the concept of baseball farming which includes ideas on strategies, training, and winning
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