The Birmingham Babies, based in Birmingham, Alabama, played a single season in the Southern League in 1887, finishing 18-63. Modern record books usually list the club as the Ironmakers, but the name that shows up in period newspaper coverage of that season is the Babies.
Professional baseball had reached Birmingham two years earlier, in 1885, and the city cycled through names for the next decade and a half. The Maroons followed in 1888, the Grays in 1892, and the Bluebirds in 1896. None lasted more than a season or two, and Birmingham went several years at a stretch with no professional club at all.
The instability was not really about baseball. Birmingham had been founded only in 1871, on a rare convergence of iron ore, coal, and limestone deposits, and it was still building itself into the industrial center of the South while these clubs came and went. Stability arrived in 1901, when the city became a charter member of the Southern Association. Rickwood Field, built for that team in 1910, is still standing and is the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.
The Southern League of this period ran in fits and starts from 1885 through 1899, drawing teams from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Arkansas, collapsing and reforming several times along the way. In the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, teams existed in thousands of small towns across the United States, as Americans looked for recreational activities and entertainment in the era before TV.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
