Barons officially bid farewell to Hoover
Posted on Sep 04, 2012 in News
The Birmingham Barons opened their gates for the final two games at Regions Park allowing fans to see the Barons take on the Chattanooga Lookouts free of charge. General admission seating for Sunday, Sept. 2nd and Monday, Sept. 3rd was free for all fans as the Barons say ‘Thank You’ to Hoover for 25 years of support. No ticket was required as fans can sit in any of the Regions Park general admission areas.
Throughout the final home stand, the Barons showed their appreciation and gratitude for Hoover by recognizing Hoover Parks and Recreation Board members as well as other Hoover officials before and during each game. Current Barons players greeted fans entering the ballpark each game. A special tribute video will be shown during the games featuring current White Sox players, former Barons legends and current players and coaches. There will also be post-game fireworks following the games all weekend.
“The City of Hoover has enjoyed the long-term relationship with the Barons organization,” said Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey. “We wish them the best in their future endeavor.”
“On behalf of the Birmingham Barons, we would like to thank the people of Hoover for their long time support of the Barons,” said Barons owner Don Logan. “We also want to thank Mayor Ivey and his staff for their excellent leadership, vision and professionalism. Our community will continue to thrive under their watch.”
Regions Park has been the home of the Birmingham Barons since 1988, and during this time over 7 million fans have passed through the turnstiles. The Barons won Southern League Championships in 1989, 1993 and 2002 while playing in Hoover. The Barons provided fans with the opportunity to see future stars including Mike Cameron, Bo Jackson, Mark Buehrle, Ray Durham, Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Bobby Jenks. Most famously, NBA legend Michael Jordan played his lone season in baseball as part of the Barons in 1994 while on sabbatical from basketball. During the 1994 season, the Barons set numerous attendance records, drawing 467,867 fans to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium including a franchise-record 16,247 fans during Jordan’s final Saturday home game.
The Barons will return to Birmingham to the new Regions Park adjacent to Railroad Park and just blocks from UAB in April 2013.