Honor Roll: Nick Nicholson, Birmingham

By David Krival, MSBL On-Line

"To sit in the same dugout where Willie Mays and Henry Aaron once sat is an awesome feeling,” said 37-year-old Nick Nicholson, fourth year president of the Birmingham Metro Baseball League which formed in 2006.

"We played a few games at Rickwood last season,” Nicholson said. "We hoped to play more games at Rickwood in 2012,” said Nicholson. "But the facility is booked all summer for the production of a feature film about Jackie Robinson, so we'll have to wait until 2013. As soon as we're able to establish a firm relationship with Rickwood, or with any other suitable facility, we'll be able to expand. The league is well-known around town and kids are just waiting for a chance to join.” Nicholson is a facility manager who grew up in Birmingham. He is a charter member of the Birmingham 18-and-over (MABL) league. From 2006 through 2008, he managed a team in the league, the Shockers, and took over as President in 2009.Like its MSBL counterpart, the Birmingham Metro MABL is an eight-team league. "We play an eighteen-game regular season followed by two-tiered playoffs,” Nicholson said.

The league shares access to Hoover High with

Birmingham Metro Presiden Nick Nicholson

the Birmingham MSBL. "We play Sundays and Thursday nights,” Nick said. "In the height of Alabama summer, those night games are a blessing.” Maintaining a harmonious working relationship with Hoover High and the Birmingham MSBL is one of the major accomplishments of Nicholson's presidency.

Bill Blake, manager of the league's Birmingham Bash, regularly takes an All Star team to represent Birmingham at the Fall Classic. Blake and several other league members worked with a local historical society to help restore Rickwood Field, once a AA Southern League facility, as well as home of the legendary Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League.