Alabama’s Montgomery Biscuits celebrate 20th anniversary
The Montgomery Biscuits host the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in their home opener at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. (Matt Austin / Montgomery Biscuits)
Richard Chamberlain was a Minor League Baseball fan who didn’t mind hitting the road to take in a game. The Montgomery resident would drive to Birmingham or Columbus, Ga., to feed his desire for the diamond.
“I always thought if we ever got a team that it’d be something that I would be interested in supporting,” he said.
After three years of having an independent team in the capital city, Montgomery landed the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate for the Tampa Bay Rays. Chamberlain jumped on the bandwagon and never jumped off.
“When they announced that we were getting the Biscuits, I basically got first in line to get season tickets,” he said.
That was two decades ago. This season, the Biscuits celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Fans line up at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium to see the Montgomery Biscuits play. (Montgomery Biscuits)
General Manager Mike Morgan said the Biscuits organization has done a lot of research as it has prepared to commemorate this milestone season. The club has staff members who’ve been around since the beginning in 2004, including public address announcer Rick Hendrick, a DJ with 95.1 The Fox, and stadium operations director Steve Blackwell.
“We’ve utilized their knowledge and heard a lot of stories about the early days,” Morgan said. “Also, with a lot of fans we’ve been able to have those conversations about the earlier days of the Biscuits.”
This is also the 20th anniversary of Riverwalk Stadium, the home of the Biscuits. The ballclub began the celebration with a stadium replica giveaway on April 12 that was well received by fans.
“The stadium itself was kind of the catalyst for a lot of the revitalization of downtown Montgomery,” the GM said. “We want to make sure that we’re honoring that and celebrating the fact that they were able to keep the historic nature of the building intact and then build onto that with a very modern baseball facility that has all the fan amenities that you’d want. It’s something that’s really special. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in Minor League Baseball that can say they have both sides of it.
“There are a lot of historic ballparks and there are a lot of nice, shiny new ballparks,” he said. “We’re somewhere in between where we have the best of both worlds.”
The on-field talent that has called Riverwalk Stadium home has been highlighted this season with more than 200 players who played for the Biscuits prior to making their Major League Baseball debuts.
“We’re trying to recognize those players,” Morgan said, “and then, of course, some of the bigger names that have come through here.”
Those big names include Evan Longoria, David Price, B.J. Upton, Blake Snell and, more recently, Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Lowe.
“They’re a pair of brothers that are both in Major League Baseball right now, making an impact for their current teams,” the Biscuits GM said. “Nathaniel played here in 2018 and Josh in 2019. We’re doing a double-bobblehead later in June to be able to recognize those guys.”
Morgan said attendance at Biscuits games has remained steady the past 20 years, especially during the past few seasons. That’s no small feat, he said, as Montgomery is one of the smallest markets in Double-A baseball.
“We’re very lucky to have the support that we have here from our community, both from the people that live here, the surrounding areas and then also being kind of very close to a military base with Maxwell Air Force Base being right down the street,” he said. “We have tremendous support from that group as well.”
The Montgomery Biscuits have played a significant role in downtown Montgomery’s revitalization over the past two decades. (Montgomery Biscuits)
Chamberlain has been a big part of that fan support. As such, he was part of the Biscuits anniversary celebration as he threw the ceremonial first pitch on opening night. It’s rare that he’s not in place to hear, “Play ball!”
“The Biscuits started in 2004 and I’ve been to every home game that the Biscuits have had, except I missed two of them in 2005 when I was in the hospital,” the fan said. “I’m at 1,338 total games and 1,206 consecutive games. That’s Biscuits games at Riverwalk Stadium.”
Those two games Chamberlain missed were the first two games of a three-game homestand as he dealt with complications from diabetes.
“I actually got out and made it to the third game of the homestand,” he recalled. “The nice thing now is where I live now, it’s 2.7 miles from my driveway to where I park across the street. I can be home in five minutes after the game. It’s nice and convenient.”
Chamberlain is a true student of the game who chronicles the action in his scorebook. At one point, he spent a lot of time getting autographs from all the players, especially all the top prospects and Biscuits players.
Morgan said the Biscuits pride themselves on having a fan experience for fans who don’t know the infield fly rule.
“You don’t have to be a huge baseball fan to come to the ballpark and have a great time,” he said. “We try to have something for everybody – people of all ages, from all walks of life – where they can come to the ballpark and enjoy a night out with friends and family.
“If you are a hardcore baseball fan, we have a great brand of baseball that’s being played on the field,” the general manager said of the club’s 20-year affiliation with the Tampa Bay Rays. “Tampa is well known for having one of the best Minor League organizations overall in what they do from a player development standpoint.”
That’s something the Major League club controls. The Biscuits try to control the ballpark atmosphere and the fan experience.
“Even if you’re a casual baseball fan or don’t like baseball at all,” Morgan said, “you can still come and have a great time in the ballpark.”
