This is an opinion column.

They ain’t lost that swing.

Doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap … pow.

Apologies, Duke, Ella. This long-time baseball fan couldn’t help but get a little jazzy about a group responsible for 14,178 Major League Baseball home runs gathering at Rickwood Field last Thursday afternoon — last sweltering Thursday afternoon, on Juneteenth — to show they still got that swing.

Once a home run hitter, always … at least until time does what it does.

Even then…

Doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap …

Being honest, two of the six former MLBers who swung in the 2025 East West Classic Home Run Derby weren’t really home run hitters. Between them, Louis Brinson and Jerry Hairston had fewer than 100 homers in their collective 22 MLB seasons.

But those other four: Nick Swisher, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Andruw Jones. True swingers. True home-run hitters. They pretty much made up for the 1,400 remaining career home runs that gathered on the same ball field where Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige and 161 other Hall of Famers once performed.

The derby was the prelude for the second Classic, an exhibition pitting former major leaguers against each other in a contest honoring the Negro Leaguers who were too long denied the opportunity to play in the other majors. An exhibition that should be held on this hallowed site every year in perpetuity.

Long after the last Negro Leaguer has swung on this earthly ball field.

Each home-run derby swinger was given 10 swings to see how many times he could launch a deftly pitched ball beyond Rickwood’s fence decorated with throwback advertising.

In the opening round, only Swisher among the quartet failed to send one over the fence. The other combatants found their home-run groove — their swing — at least once.

Fielder, a lefty swinger, pounded a ball or two not just beyond the fence, but beyond Rickwood into the westside neighborhood nestled behind the right-field stands.

Not surprisingly, Jones and Fielder emerged as finalists representing the East and West, respectively. So it was to come down to 10 swings. Though with fatigue (and maybe a little bit of time) setting in, the men finished tied with three home runs each, pushing the competition to a three-swing playoff.

Fielder won a coin toss — delayed a bit because no one could find an actual coin to toss — and put Jones in the batter’s box first. The former Brave, in three swings, failed to get the ball over the fence.

Fielder stepped into the chalk rectangle capless after donning one throughout the competition. Stepped in knowing all he needed to muster was one mighty swing.

Doo-whap…

Fielder flipped his bat before the seamed sphere began descending into the right field beyond.

Call it a flip-off derby win.

Maybe the most intriguing participant in the competition wasn’t even an entrant. During his 22 years in the majors, Gary Sheffield hit 509 home runs as a member of eight teams, most notably the Florida Marlins, with whom the nine-time All-Star won a World Series ring.

Only 25 MLB swingers have hit more.

He should be in the Hall of Fame. I’ll just leave that right there.

On Wednesday night, Sheffield shared with me that this was his first time in Birmingham. The following afternoon, the 56-year-old was the home run whisperer, most specifically with Jones.

Let the swing do its thing, he kept reminding. Let the swing swing.

In my youth, Hank Aaron swung. I know exactly where I was on April 8, 1974. It was my high-school senior year, when, as an Atlanta Brave, he hit his 715th career home run to swing past Babe Ruth’s record. I watched it on tvn with my school newspaper staff as we cut and pasted the next edition together.

Later, Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa and St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire revived a slumbering game, though later we learned that their efforts were not without stain. Still, both men should also be in the Hall.

Then came Barry Bonds, the first player I ever saw who was intentionally walked, well, just because. He holds the game’s record of free passes (688, more than the next three players combined).

On May 28, 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks, leading 8-6 in the ninth, chose to intentionally walk Bonds with the bases loaded. The next batter grounded out to end the game.

I would love a home run derby between the late Aaron and retired Bonds. Five swings.

Doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap, doo-whap…

Let’s be better tomorrow than we are today. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, Instagram @roysj and BlueSky.