RICHMOND, Va. β For more than 60 years, Alvin "Mr. Pickle" Williams has been a fixture in the stands of Richmond's baseball stadium, watching generations of players take the field where Parker Field once stood and where The Diamond now hosts its final season.
The 76-year-old New Kent native has been attending games since he was 16, making him one of the first season ticket holders when the Richmond Flying Squirrels began play. Before the Flying Squirrels, Williams supported the Richmond Braves.
"I started going when I was about 16. So I've been going out there for about 60 years," Williams said.
His dedication to Richmond baseball runs deep. Williams estimates he attends 50 to 60 of the Flying Squirrels' approximately 70 home games each season.
"I think I was around one of the first people to buy season tickets," Williams said.
The nickname "Mr. Pickle" has followed Williams since childhood, given to him by his first cousin when he was a little boy. The name stuck, and now echoes through the stadium where Williams has claimed the first seat of the last row in Section 105 as his own.
"She said, 'Are you Alvin Williams?' I said, 'Yes, I'm Alvin Williams.' I said, 'How you know my name?' She said, 'On your seat,'" Williams recalled of a recent encounter with a stadium employee.
Williams' connection to baseball extends beyond spectating. Born in 1949, he played baseball from age 9 and later pitched fastpitch softball for 30 years, competing in cities from Salem and Lynchburg to Baltimore and New York.
"It's in my blood. I can remember the first pair of spikes I put on," Williams said.
His home displays decades of collected baseball memorabilia, from jerseys to bobbleheads, representing generations of players who have taken the field at Richmond's stadium.
But for Williams, the true value lies in the relationships formed in the stands.
"I meet somebody new almost every night," Williams said. "During the winter time, on Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year, birthdays and stuff, we'll text each other."
As The Diamond prepares to close its doors to make way for the new CarMax Park, Williams faces an emotional goodbye to the venue that has shaped his life for six decades.
"I might cry on the last one," Williams said. "Being at the Diamond and meeting the people, it has impacted my life. Yeah, it made me a better person."
Despite the bittersweet farewell, Williams' loyalty to Richmond baseball remains unwavering. He has already purchased his ticket for next season's first game at the new CarMax Park.
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