It could have been — by all accounts, should have been — a washout. Another heavy dose of rain descended upon Fairfield on Friday morning, just as officials from Major League Baseball gathered to unveil the renovation of Willie Mays Field in the city where the late baseball legend lived as a child.
Then someone yelled, “Want to take a lap?!” With that, members of the blue-and-gold Fairfield Mighty Tigers 6-and-under championship team took off down the first baseline for the first round-trip around the pristine diamond.
The field was dedicated under a crying sky, yet the spirit of renewal in this struggling city was joyful not dampened.
“You’ve got to pivot,” said state Sen. Merika Coleman as the several dozen attendees huddled under a tent.
The renovation cost an estimated $1.5 million.
Coleman presented an oversized check symbolic of $325,000 contributed by the state (which committed an additional $500,000). MLB committed $250,000 raised from a charity auction. Other financial support came from the MLB and Atlanta Braves foundations, former major leaguer (and Mobile native) Jake Peavy and Michael Mays, Willie Mays’s son.
“I’ve been coming out here throughout the totality of the renovation,” Coleman said, “but today I saw things I hadn’t seen before. Most of the work was really done in the last two weeks. I didn’t even think we were going to make today’s deadline. So today, my heart is filled with joy.”
Added Mays: “To see this community, MLB, local leaders and most of all these local kids out here today enjoying themselves on this beautiful field is not only a personal dream come true, it’s a testament to the kind of development and good news possible when we all come together.”
On Thursday afternoon, weather permitting, the oldest baseball park in America will host MLB’s second annual East-West Classic, an exhibition featuring former major leaguers. Among those in town for the game are CC Sabathia (who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month), Ryan Howard and Gary Sheffield ( a member of baseball’s elite 500-home run club).
Also in Birmingham and at the dedication was World Series champion manager Dusty Baker.
Thousands of exciting online slot games are available to play for free right now. Many of the best are available at Real Prize, one of the country’s most popular online sweepstakes casinos.
I spent a large amount of time looking over many of the different slots provided by Real Prize casino. On this page, I highlight five of the best new slots to play with our Real Prize promo code offer and explain what makes each one special.
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Top 5 new slots to play with our Real Prize promo code
Real Prize has been one of the country’s best sweepstakes casinos since launching in late 2024. Despite being around for less than a year, it has developed a huge user base thanks to its great game selection and simplistic design.
The bonuses at Real Prize are excellent, too. With our Real Prize promo code, all new players are eligible to receive 625,000 Gold Coins, 125 free Sweeps Coins and 1,250 VIP points with one purchase of $100.
Real Prize specializes in slot games, offering nearly 500 slots from the top developers in the industry. That is more slots than some of the country’s best real money casinos offer.
Below, I highlight five of the best new ones available to play right now.
The Dog House – Muttley Crew
A screenshot of The Dog House Muttley Crew slot game.Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play launched The Dog House – Muttley Crew in October. It was recently added to the game library at Real Prize, and it’s become a major hit with players around the country.
This game features a 5×5 grid with 25 paylines and an average return-to-player (RTP) rate of 96.50%. It comes with a huge number of fun features, including free spins and wild symbols.
Players also praise the game’s theme. The game is set on a pirate boat controlled by various dog breeds. It looks fantastic using all types of devices and has a fun soundtrack that truly adds to the experience.
Crystalium
A screenshot of the Crystalium slot game.Swintt
One exciting new online slot game now available to play at Real Prize is Crystalium. It was developed by Swintt and features seven reels and an average RTP rate of 94%. This game utilizes cluster pays, meaning players can earn winning combinations by landing five or more matching symbols anywhere on the grid.
Fans of larger, more complex slot games are likely to enjoy this game. It feels in many ways like an arcade game. Cascading symbols add to that feeling, as winning combinations fall off the grid and make way for new symbols to appear. This allows players to earn multiple wins on a single spin.
This game features a more classic slot game theme. While it’s not necessarily among the top high RTP slots available today, it offers a huge maximum payout of 5,547x your wager.
Coin Tree
A screenshot of the Coin Tree slot game.Jili Games
Jili Games has been steadily establishing itself as one of the best online slot developers in the industry. It launched Coin Tree in May, and it is now one of the best new slots to play at Real Prize with our promo code offer.
This game features only three reels and a single payline. It’s a true classic-style slot game that is perfect for beginners who aren’t interested in the bells and whistles connected to many other modern slots.
No real bonus features are connected to this game. Players simply attempt to land matching combinations on the single payline. Land three Golden Coin Tree symbols on this payline to score the maximum payout of 888x your wager.
Battle of Myths
A screenshot of the Battle of Myths slot game.Swintt
Another hugely popular game developed by Swintt and now available at Real Prize is Battle of Myths. This game features six reels, 4,096 paylines and an average RTP rate of 94.23%.
Six-reel slot games tend to come with a large number of unique features, and Battle of Myths is no different. This game features cascading reels, various wild symbols and a free spins feature that offers players eight free spins to use.
I love the theme of this game. It appears to be set in ancient China with a relaxing soundtrack and cool graphics when winning symbols are landed.
Coin Crusher
A screenshot of the Coin Crusher slot game.Booming Games
Another new slot at Real Prize that offers some great payout opportunities is Coin Crusher. It’s a five-reel slot set deep in the ocean. Players will find a variety of unique features, including free spins and four different jackpots that can provide a max payout of 2,000x your wager.
At random times during gameplay, sharks can appear on the screen and trigger the Feeding Frenzy feature. Wild symbols are randomly added to the grid at this time to help players earn winning combinations.
This game has an average RTP rate of 95.80%. It looks great, offers plenty of fun features and is simple enough for even first-time players to understand. These have helped this game become one of the more popular real money slots offered by a variety of online casinos.
Alabama political candidates are one month into fundraising for next year’s election, when voters will choose a new governor, U.S. senator, attorney general, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state.
Candidates for state offices have been legally allowed to raise money since May 19, which was exactly one year before the primary.
It’s too early to learn much about the fundraising in most races, and there is still plenty of time for candidates to get in or drop out.
But it appears that most of the main contenders are lined up for the major races.
Here is a look at who is running for some of Alabama’s top offices:
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces his run for governor of Alabama Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. (Julie Bennett | [email protected]) Julie Bennett | [email protected]Julie Bennett | [email protected]
Governor
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced he was running for governor on May 27, ending months of speculation, setting the stage for a race to replace him in Washington, and helping other would-be candidates make up their minds.
Ken McFeeters, who ran for Congress in 2024 and is a past president of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club, is the only other Republican to announce so far.
McFeeters, 65, lives in Pelham and runs an insurance agency that he founded with his brother in 1981.
On the Democratic side, Will Boyd, pastor of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Florence, is running.
Boyd has been a Democratic nominee three times in the last decade – for the U.S. Senate against Katie Britt in 2022, lieutenant governor against Ainsworth in 2018, and the 5th District in Congress against Mo Brooks in 2016.
Alabama has not elected a Democrat governor since Don Siegelman in 1998.
In fact, Democrats have won only two statewide races in Alabama in the last 17 years – Lucy Baxley for the Public Service Commission in 2008 and Doug Jones in a special election for the Senate in 2017.
Jones lost his bid for re-election to Tuberville in 2020.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., left, and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.,right, speaks at a press conference Monday, May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)AP
U.S. Senate
Tuberville’s decision to run for governor instead of re-election created an opening for top Republicans.
The biggest name so far is Attorney General Steve Marshall, who announced his run for the Senate two days after Tuberville entered the governor’s race.
Marshall has been attorney general since Gov. Robert Bentley appointed him more than eight years ago.
Voters elected Marshall to a full term in 2018 and again in 2022.
Marshall was the second Republican in the race.
Jared Hudson
Jared Hudson, a former Navy Seal who ran for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022, announced his candidacy the day before Marshall.
Democrats who are running include Kyle Sweetser, a business owner and lifelong Alabama Republican who spoke at last summer’s Democratic National Convention, Dakarai Larriett, a business owner, Birmingham native, and University of Alabama graduate, and Mark Wheeler of Heflin, a Jacksonville State University graduate and chemist who works for a wire manufacturing company.
Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey poses at the Blount County Courthouse.BN FTP
Attorney General
A district attorney, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice, and Steve Marshall’s longtime top assistant are the Republicans in the race to replace Marshall.
Casey was elected Blount County DA in 2010 and has been reelected twice. Before her election, she served as assistant attorney general and deputy attorney general under AG Troy King, starting in 2007.
Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell
Jay Mitchell resigned his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court to run for AG.
Mitchell was elected to the nine-member Alabama Supreme Court in 2018 and reelected to another six-year term last year.
Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, is running for attorney general next year.Alan Barrington Evans
Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Marshall since 2017, announced her candidacy last week with an endorsement from her boss.
Before working for Marshall, Robertson worked at the U.S. Department of Justice and for U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions as legislative counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Lieutenant governor
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen delivers his inaugural speech during inaugural ceremonies, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Ala. (Photo/Stew Milne) Stew Milne
Four Republicans, including two statewide officeholders, are in the race to replace Ainsworth, who was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
Allen was elected secretary of state, the state’s top election official, in 2022.
Before that, Allen was probate judge in Pike County for nine years and then represented Pike County and part of Dale County in the state House of Representatives for four years.
Rick Pate, Alabama Agriculture Commissioner, at The Lodge at Gulf State Park on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Gulf Shores, Ala. (John Sharp/[email protected]).
Pate has an ornamental horticulture degree from Auburn and spent decades in the commercial landscaping and irrigation business before he was elected agriculture commissioner.
Pate had also considered a run for governor but changed his mind after learning that Tuberville was likely to run. He said he thought only Nick Saban could beat Tuberville.
Nicole Wadsworth is a candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.Nicole Wadsworth campaign
Pastor Dean Odle, who ran for governor in 2022, was the first in the race for lieutenant governor this year, announcing in January.
Odle is the founder of the Fire & Grace Church and Fire & Grace Ministry School in Opelika. Odle describes himself as “the Anti-Establishment Republican.”
Secretary of State
Andrew Sorrell on April 27, 2021, inside the State House in Montgomery, Ala. (John Sharp/[email protected]).
Allen’s decision to run for lieutenant governor created an open seat.
Sorrell was elected auditor in 2022 after serving one term in the Alabama House of Representatives, representing Colbert County.
Sorrell said he started his first company at age 16 and owns four Alabama-based businesses that employ about 20 people.
State Auditor
Sorrell’s decision not to seek a second term as auditor also created an open seat.
Three candidates are running for the Republican nomination.
Josh Pendergrass, a lawyer from Autauga County, was Gov. Kay Ivey’s first communications director when Ivey became governor in 2017.
Pendergrass started his law firm in 2011 and said his practice includes work across the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Autauga, Elmore, and Chilton counties, as well as other counties.
Pendergrass is a former full-time and part-time pastor who has served on the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
Robert McCollum of Dadeville is a business owner who describes himself as a lifelong Republican and conservative.
McCollum ran twice for the Public Service Commission, losing in a Republican runoff against incumbent Chip Beeker in 2022, when he got 37% of the vote, and losing in the GOP primary to incumbent Twinkle Cavanaugh in 2024, when he got 39% of the vote.
Derek Chen is an attorney who lives in Vestavia Hills and and describes himself as a lifelong Republican.
Chen received his undergraduate degree from Hope College, a small Christian college in Michigan, before receiving a law degree from Cumberland School of Law and his MBA from the University of Alabama, according to his campaign website.
The NBA will hold its 79th draft on June 25-26. Thirty first-round picks will be made starting at 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBA teams have drafted 49 players from Alabama high schools and colleges in the first round, and AL.com is counting down to the 2025 draft with a decade-by-decade look at the state’s first-rounders, including the 1960s:
Picking last in the first round of the NBA Draft, Red Auerbach had chosen future members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame when he took Satch Sanders in 1960 and John Havlicek in 1962. The talent influx helped perpetuate the Boston Celtics dynasty.
Coming off Boston’s fifth straight NBA championship, Auerbach came to the 1963 draft with the last pick in the first round again and in need of more young talent with Jim Loscutoff, Frank Ramsay and Clyde Lovellette in their 30s.
Auerbach picked Colorado State All-American Bill Green at No. 9 in the 1963 NBA Draft. But Green never played a game in the NBA – not because he wasn’t good enough, but because he was afraid to fly.
Green became the second prospect who played at an Alabama high school or college selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and the only one in the 1960s. Auerbach also picked the state’s first first-round choice in 1958 – Texas Southern center Bennie Swain from Westside High School in Talladega.
Green played at Carver High School in Gadsden before going to Colorado State. Across three seasons with the Rams, the 6-foot-6 Green averaged 22.1 points and 9.6 rebounds. As a senior in 1962-63, Green averaged 28.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game to earn first-team All-American recognition by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Newspaper Enterprise Association.
But Green came out of Colorado State with something besides impressive stats and accolades.
“One time, we were on our way back from Utah,” Green recalled later, “and the plane was definitely out of control. Baggage was falling out at the back of the plane. People had started praying. Everyone was panicked. I decided it was time to be concerned. Then I got stuck in a rainstorm over Mississippi. After that, I just couldn’t deal with it.”
When the Celtics picked Green, Auerbach didn’t know about the prospect’s aerophobia. For a preseason game against the Hawks, Auerbach allowed Green to take the train to St. Louis, with the understanding the rookie would fly back to Boston with the team.
“The fear just built to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore,” Green said. “I made up my mind. I wouldn’t do it. Auerbach told me to go work on it and come back later.”
When Green returned to Boston by bus, Auerbach recalled, “As soon as I saw him, I said, ‘Here’s your carfare home. See you later.’”
Auerbach didn’t see him later. But that wasn’t the end of Green’s basketball career.
In the 1963-64 season, what would have been Green’s rookie year, the NBA had nine teams. A step below on the basketball ladder was the Eastern Professional Basketball League, a circuit compact enough to drive to the weekend games.
Green played eight seasons in the league. After averaging 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 1965-66 and 23.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in 1966-67 for the Wilkes-Barre Barons, Green put up 25.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in 1967-68 to earn all-league recognition.
In 1967-68, the American Basketball Association played its first season. The ABA didn’t raid only the NBA for talent, but the top players in the Eastern League went for the red, white and blue basketball, too. Not Green. The ABA teams flew, too.
Green went on to become a teacher and principal in New York City.
After Green, the NBA Draft wouldn’t have another first-round prospect who played at an Alabama high school or college until 1972.
By the final draft of the 1960s, the first round featured 15 picks. But that’s only half the number that will be made in one week.
Three other players with Alabama basketball roots went with selections in the 1960s that would be in the first round of the 2025 draft.
In 1965, the New York Knicks picked Arkansas-Pine Bluff guard Hal Blevins from Druid High School in Tuscaloosa at No. 17 and the Baltimore Bullets picked Auburn forward Joe Newton from Fayette County High School at No. 24.
In 1969, Baltimore picked Alabama State forward Willie Scott from Carver High School in Gadsden at No. 29.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
As the 2025 MLB season nears its midpoint, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers continue to dominate. The Dodgers are currently 45-29, good for the fourth-best record in the league. Los Angeles is currently on a four-game win streak as well.
The Dodgers have been pumping out tons of new gear for players and fans recently. Whether it’s the City Connect line, Stars and Stripes collection, or the All-Star game apparel, Dodgers fans have plenty of options to choose from for new gear.
Throw another hat into the ring, as Nike and MLB debuted their ‘Lights Out’ collection, as each team gets an all-black look. The entire Dodgers collection can be viewed here.
Here’s some of the gear listed for the Dodgers ‘Lights Out’ collection:
All of the items above are eligible for free shipping with code “24SHIP” at checkout.
Lou Christie, who topped charts with his 1966 hit “Lightnin’ Strikes,” has died at the age of 82.
The singer-songwriter died at his home in Pittsburgh after a brief illness, his family said in an announcement June 18.
“He was cherished not only by his family and close friends, but also by countless fans whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity, artistic and musical talent, humor and spirit,” the statement read. “His absence leaves a profound void in all our hearts. He will be greatly missed, always remembered and forever loved.”
Christie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on Feb. 19, 1943 in a town just outside of Pittsburgh.
At 15, he befriended musician Twyla Herbert, and the two went on to write hundreds of songs together throughout their careers.
He later signed with MGM Records and released two of his biggest hits, “Lightnin’ Strikes” and “Rhapsody in the Rain,” which went to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 2025 NBA Draft is one week out, and mock drafts are being finalized with players wrapping up pre-draft workouts.
Auburn basketball’s Johni Broome met with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors.
After averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game last year, the 6-foot-10 stretch big displayed low-post offense, passing and shot-blocking abilities as one of the nation’s best players.
Here’s where analyst have Broome on mock drafts ahead of next week’s draft:
With potential trade rumors surrounding Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Jonas Valanciunas. The Washington Wizards are looking to acquire more draft picks and young talent.
With recent draft hits on Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr. Broome can be an anchoring piece in the Wizards frontcourt.
The Athletic – No. 41 overall, Golden State Warriors
After the Warriors second round exit in the 2025 playoffs, there are plenty of questions about what the roster will look like next season.
With the emergence of Trayce Jackson-Davis at center, drafting Broome will allow the Warriors to build on its young frontcourt core.
President Donald Trump has again extended the deadline for TikTok’s parent company to divest its American operations.
“We’re going to extend it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “We’re going to probably make a deal.”
ByteDance had a June 19 deadline; Trump now plans to give the company another 90 days to work on a sale agreement. The new deadline will be Sept. 17, 2025.
In an executive order Thursday confirming the new deadline, Trump also directed the Department of Justice not to enforce penalities on companies or users who access the app after the deadline.
“We’ll need China’s blessing on it,” Trump said of a TikTok sale. “I think they’ll bless it.”
Under a law signed by then-President Joe Biden last year, ByteDance was directed to divest TikTok’s U.S. unit. The company has balked at selling a lucrative business valued as high as $150 billion.
The Trump administration was close to reaching a deal with a potential buyer before an earlier April 5 deadline, but China withheld its approval following the U.S. president’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs, Bloomberg reported.
Both sides now are accusing each other of violating an agreement in Geneva in May to lower crippling tariffs.
Real estate mogul Frank McCourt Jr., who’s bidding to buy TikTok through his Project Liberty initiative, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday that engagement with the Trump administration to hash out a deal has been “fairly quiet” in recent weeks.
While McCourt said he’s still optimistic about Project Liberty’s ability to acquired U.S.-based TikTok over the next 90-day period, he said there’s a distinct possibility that the platform has to shut down in the U.S. altogether. “Something is going to give here,” he said.
A special weather statement was released by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 11:12 a.m. until 3 p.m. for Clay, Randolph, Perry, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Marengo, Dallas, Autauga, Lowndes, Elmore, Montgomery, Macon, Bullock, Lee, Russell, Pike and Barbour counties.
“A line of showers with some thunderstorms continue to move southeast across portions of the southern half of Central Alabama. Brief wind gusts between 25 and 35 mph are expected with or just ahead of this activity. Recent heavy rains and saturated ground conditions will result in trees having a lower resistance to winds and a few of the weaker, diseased or poorly rooted trees may fall, potentially causing impacts to property and a risk to life,” according to the weather service.
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
