As part of Major League Baseball’s upcoming event at Rickwood Field, AL.com and The Birmingham News will be producing weekly stories that showcase the history of Rickwood Field, and history of baseball in the state of Alabama.

“Rickwood: The legacy of America’s oldest ballpark” takes a deep dive at stories from the Negro Leagues to MLB icons playing at the historic venue, and how things are progressing as “MLB at Rickwood Field” takes place on June 20, 2024 between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. For the next story in our series, Mark Inabinett takes a look at the All-Stars to play at Rickwood Field. No, not the MLB All-Stars, but All-Stars of the Negro Leagues from Alabama to play at the historical ballpark.

Four baseball players selected for at least 13 all-star games aren’t enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame – Pete Rose, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Alexander “Alec” Radcliffe.

Rose has not been considered for induction because players on baseball’s permanently ineligible list are prohibited from appearing on the ballot, and Rose received a lifetime ban in 1989 for gambling on games.

Bonds and Rodriguez have appeared on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, but their association with performance-enhancing drugs has tainted their legacies in the minds of electors. Bonds’ best showing was 66 percent of the vote – short of the 75 percent needed for enshrinement – during his 10 years on the ballot. In the voting for the Class of 2024, Rodriguez received support from 34.8 percent of the membership.