Tigers Host 14th Annual Negro Leagues Celebration Game Saturday

July 23, 2008 - 4:42 PM
Tigers

DETROIT- The Detroit Tigers will honor Negro Leagues Baseball Saturday when they welcome the Chicago White Sox to Comerica

Park. A number of pre-game festivities celebrating Negro Leagues Baseball will take place, including several former Negro Leagues

players signing autographs from 5-6 p.m. throughout the Comerica Park concourse. Additionally, former Negro League stars will be

honored prior to the game during an on-field ceremony. For the game, the White Sox will wear throw-back uniforms of the Chicago

American Giants, while the Tigers will wear throw-back uniforms of the Detroit Stars. The following is a list of players scheduled to

participate in the weekend's events:

 

· Frank Crossan: A pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox and former roommate of 1956 Negro League all-star Charley Pride.

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· Joe Douse: A pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1952 and 1953. While with the Monarchs, he struck out 15 Memphis Red

Birds in a single game.

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· Melvin "Buck" Duncan: From 1949 to 1956 he pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Detroit Stars. Before his Negro

League career, he posted a 19-1 record while pitching for the United States Army baseball team.

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· Harold "Bee-Bop" Gordon: A member of the Chicago American Giants from 1950-51, the longest continuous franchise in Negro

League history. He also pitched in the 1954 Negro League all-star game as a member of the Detroit Stars.

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· Gene Johnson: Played first and third base for the Detroit Stars in 1956-57.

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· Marvin Jones: Pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs during the 1954 and 1955 seasons.

· Cecil Kaiser: Played for the Detroit Stars from 1938-1940, the Motor City Giants in 1941, the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1942 and

the Homestead Gray's from 1945-1947.

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· Alton King: Came to Detroit in 1942 and played with the Motor City Giants from 1942-1945 as their player manager. He also

played for the Detroit Wolves from 1946-1949.

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· James "Bullet" Moore: Played for the Detroit Stars, Motor City Giants and the Detroit Brown Bombers.

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· Ron "Schoolboy" Teasley: A Detroit native, he played for the Detroit Cubs, Toledo Cubs, Toledo Crawfords, Toledo Rays, Detroit

Wolves and New York Cubans from 1939 to 1948. He is a member of Wayne State University's Hall of Fame, and has worked for 20

years as an educator and baseball coach at Northwestern High School in Detroit.