Chicago White Sox to Host Tribute to Negro Leagues All-Star Game

Double Duty Classic to feature high school talent from across Midwest and commemorate 75th anniversary of East-West All-Star Game

CHICAGO, 03/27/2008 -- This summer, the Chicago White Sox will host the first-ever Double Duty Classic - an event celebrating the history and tradition of Negro Leagues baseball in Chicago and promoting the next generation of inner-city baseball players.

The game will take place on Monday, July 7 at U.S. Cellular Field with inner city high school players from across the Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and St. Louis) participating in the All-Star showcase. The players will dress in uniforms honoring the Negro Leagues' East-West All-Star Game.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the first East-West All-Star Game, which was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) will collaborate with the White Sox on the event, which will include a special forum on the history of the Negro Leagues and African-Americans in the game of baseball. The forum will precede the game on July 7 and feature a roster of speakers and prominent members of the baseball community.

"It is with great honor we host the first-ever Double Duty Classic," said Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox chairman. "With this event we hope to provide young inner-city players an opportunity to showcase their skills. Equally important, the event honors the legacy of the Negro Leagues and its history in the city of Chicago."

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe was born on July 7, 1902 in Mobile, Ala. and played for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues. At the age of 41, Radcliffe earned MVP honors for his performance during the 1943 season with the American Giants. Nicknamed "Double Duty" because he would regularly pitch the first game of a doubleheader and catch the second game, Radcliffe was one of the most dynamic players in the Negro Leagues and all of baseball. Beginning in 2002, until the year of his death in Chicago in 2005, Radcliffe threw a ceremonial first pitch prior to a White Sox game.

Chicago White Sox Charities (CWSC), on behalf of the Double Duty Classic, will make a $10,000 donation to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Source: MLB

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