Under sunny skies in Mobile, it was the kind of day Satchel Paige might’ve called perfect for throwing his “submariner, sidearmer, and my bat dodger.”

Batting leadoff on Wednesday – high leg kick and all – was a one-ton bronze version of the legendary pitcher himself.

Paige’s statue was the first to be installed along the future Hall of Fame Walk on Water Street, a star-studded tribute rising in downtown Mobile. Watching proudly from the dugout—er, podium—was the man who helped bring the moment to life: Mayor Sandy Stimpson.

All that was missing was the peanuts and Cracker Jack.

“We’ve had ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings but nowhere have we had something like this,” said Stimpson, mayor of the city since 2013. “This tells the history of the individuals who brought fame to the City of Mobile. I’m excited to see the statues almost in place.”

Formidable lineup

Perched atop a 1-foot pedestal, Paige led the lineup in true ace fashion. A towering figure, Paige spent much of his career dominating in the Negro Leagues before making history as the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball at age 42. He’s still considered one of the greatest pitchers to ever toe the rubber.

And like any good leadoff hitter, he set the tone for an all-star lineup that followed.

Next up was Willie “Stretch” McCovey, the fearsome left-handed slugger who smashed home runs for the San Francisco Giants over a 19-season career. Then came Billy Williams, the sweet-swinging Hall of Famer who starred with the Chicago Cubs.

From there, the roster only got deeper. Work crews placed statues of Ozzie “The Wizard of Oz” Smith, whose magic at shortstop made him a legend in St. Louis; Robert Brazile, Mobile’s lone NFL Hall of Famer from Canton, Ohio; and finally, Hank Aaron—the home run king whose bat changed the game forever.

An empty pedestal will also be included within the park to allow people to stand on and take selfies with the statues in the background.

The statues mark just the cornerstone of a larger vision: a future $11 million park that will honor Mobile’s rich legacy of athletic excellence. And fittingly, it all starts with Satchel, the man who never did anything without a little style.

“It speaks volumes for the community,” said Cleon Jones, 82, of Mobile’s Africatown community who starred as an outfielder on the 1969 New York “Miracle” Mets and who has long had a vision for embracing and retelling Mobile’s rich professional baseball history.

“In my opinion, it’s something that should have been done years ago,” Jones said. “I am just so happy that I’m alive to see this action. I’m thankful to the mayor and his staff for putting this together and to make it a reality.”

Project

The arrival of the statues marks the key moment in the development of the park adjacent to the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. The park is expected to be finished by May, and a ceremony commemorating the park and the athletes memorialized with a statue will take place in late June.

The statues will remain uncovered and visible. City officials hope the statues will entice people to stop and take pictures of them and then visit other amenities along the waterfront including Cooper Riverside Park that is undergoing a revitalization.

“The idea was we wanted something on Water Street to captivate people’s attention,” Stimpson said about the origins of the project, which date back to at least 2021. “You can ride by here and now wonder, ‘What is this about?’ And when you hook them in you can learn about their connections to Mobile and maybe come visit Cooper Riverside Park. It’s about activating the waterfront.”

The statues were designed and created by artist Brett Grill of Grand Rapids, Mich., who was in Mobile to assist work crews with placing each one on their respective pedestals.

Grill said the statues each took about one year to plan and then complete. A self-described baseball fan who once collected the sports cards of each of the ballplayers whose statues he created, Grill said the project represented “an amazing story to tell.”

Mobile’s story with Major League Baseball is unique. No city in the United States comes close to Mobile in having more native residents, on a per capita basis, enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Only New York City and Los Angeles have more native residents who are baseball Hall of Famers.

“I think it tells a story of the greatness of this town,” Grill said about the statues. “So many of these guys knew one another and played against one another. The larger story is if you’re surrounded by good people, greatness is possible. Excellence becomes that much easier.”

Baseball story

The baseball greatness goes beyond just the Hall of Famers in telling Mobile’s story with professional baseball. The entire outfield of the 1969 Amazin’ Mets was from Mobile – Jones, Tommie Agee, and Amos Otis. Jones and Agee are members of the Mets Hall of Fame.

Mobile has birthed other baseball stars: Jake Peavy, a Cy Young winning pitcher during his career that included world championships with the Giants and Red Sox; Tommie Aaron, Hank Aaron’s younger brother who also played with the Braves; Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe of the Negro Leagues; Alex Radcliffe, an accomplished third baseman with the Negro American League, to name a few.

“People used to ask me all the time, ‘Why do so many great athletes and ballplayers come from Mobile?’” Jones said. “I would then tell them what Hank Aaron used to tell me, ‘it must’ve been in the water.’ We have the same water.”

He added, “I hope that this inspires other athletes to come to this area and see these wonderful displays and the history that was made for this region.”

Stimpson said he is hopeful that the city can celebrate its story with the game during the celebration in June. He’s hopeful for Major League Baseball, the Hall of Fame, and the living Hall of Famers – Williams, Smith and Brazile – are able to attend, as well as family members of the others who are no longer alive.

“It will be a grand affair,” Stimpson said, smiling over the arrival of the statues. “I’ll just say, this is really cool.”