CHICAGO WHITE SOX AGAIN TO PAY TRIBUTE TO NEGRO LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME

 High School Showcase Honors Legacy of Negro LeagueÂ’s East-West Game

Michael Wilbon to Host Forum with Kenny Williams Prior to Game 

CHICAGO – On Friday, July 10, the Chicago White Sox will host the second annual Double Duty Classic – an event celebrating the history and tradition of Negro League baseball in Chicago and promoting the next generation of inner-city baseball players. This summer marks 76 years since the first Negro League East-West All-Star Game was played at Old Comiskey Park in Chicago. 

Prior to the game, a special, private forum will be held at U.S. Cellular FieldÂ’s Conference & Learning Center, beginning at 10:30 a.m., and feature a question-and-answer session with White Sox general manager/senior vice president Kenny Williams and moderated by Michael Wilbon of ESPN and the Washington Post. Wilbon and Williams will address and answer questions from the young athletes participating in the Double Duty Classic. A number of former Negro Leaguers also are scheduled to attend the game and forum.

“The Double Duty Classic is about honoring the legacy of the many great players who worked and sacrificed so that we all could enjoy this game,” said Williams. “With this event, we also hope to share that legacy with the next generation of players and ensure they carry that on as they develop as players and as people.”

The game, which will be played at U.S. Cellular Field, begins at 1:05 p.m. and will feature the top high school players from across the country (Illinois, Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Texas and Wisconsin). The White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) high school travel team will represent the city of Chicago Chicago in the All-Star showcase. Players will wear uniforms honoring the Negro LeaguesÂ’ East-West All-Star teams. Each team will carry a roster of players from both the ACE team and players from across the country. 

Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe was born on July 7, 1902 in Mobile, Ala. and played for the Chicago American Giants of the former 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 once pitched the first game of a doubleheader and caught the second, 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.

Following is a complete list of the players participating in the 2009 Double Duty Classic:

White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) -

Charles Aldridge (Simeon High School)
Jamell Blue (Harlan)
Ynabon Cabrera-Loos (Whitney Young)
Alvaro Calderon (Thornton Fractional North)
Hector Chapa (Walter Payton Prep)
Nick Collins (Matteson)
Michael Duck (Brooks)
Arefes Everette (Kenwood)
Donovan Norris (Harlan)
Blake Hickman (Simeon)
Ronzell Fort (Harlan)
Reynaldo Gonzalez (Lane Tech)
Daniel Hernandez (Prosser)
Jerry Houston (Mt. Carmel)
Kyle Huber (Lane Tech)
Robert Mack (Evergreen Park)
Herberto Ortega (Prosser)
Tyrone Parnell (Harlan)
Kendall Radcliffe (Morgan Park)
Quintin Richardson (Simeon)
Dimitrius Roach (Morgan Park)
Dontrelle Rush (Harlan)
Duwon Shelton (Harlan)
Keenan Smith (Brooks)
Giovanni Wilkes (Kenwood)


National All-Stars -

Benjamin Anderson (Little Rock, Ark.)
Devan Ahart (Detroit, Mich.)
Clifford Brantley (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Jordan Brown (St. Louis, Mo.)
Claude Johnson (Pine Bluff, Ark.)
Chuckie Jones (St. Louis, Mo.)
William Kneller (St. Louis, Mo.)
Brandon Mims (Carrollton, Texas)
Kevin Phillps (St. Louis, Mo.)
Keelan Prince (Moline, Ill.)
Elijah Roundtree (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Myles Smith (Detroit, Mich.)
Cyrus Wimberly (Rockford, Ill.)