The first-ever Double Duty Classic will take place July 7 at U.S. Cellular Field. The game, named in honor of the late Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, will feature the White Sox-sponsored Amateur Elite City traveling team taking on the Midwest Al
Game time is at 2:30 p.m., and the players in the game will be wearing uniforms honoring some of the great teams from the Negro Leagues. The game will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first Negro League East-West All Star game that was played at old Comiskey Park in July of 1933. “The Double Duty Classic is about honoring the legacy of the great players in the Negro Leagues who worked and sacrificed so that we all could enjoy this game,” said White Sox general manager, Kenny Williams.
“By the same token, this event is about teaching that legacy to the next generation of players and ensuring they carry on that heritage as they develop as players and people.” Prior to the game, a special forum on the Negro Leagues and the current status of African Americans in the game of baseball today will be held at U.S. Cellular Field’s Conference and Learning Center beginning at 11 a.m.
The forum will be chaired by Sharon Robinson, the daughter of the late baseball pioneer and Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. Also attending the forum will be Negro League historians Eddie Bedford and Larry Lester along with Harold Baines and Jermaine Dye of the White Sox.
Among the members of the White Sox Elite traveling team are Jarnell Blue of Harlan, Samuel Bumpers of Kenwood, Nick Collins, Christian Hickman and Jonathan Dorsey of Simeon, Kyle Huber of Lane Tech, Adrian Perez of Clemente, Marchus White of Jones College Prep and Christopher Rogers of Morgan Park.
The head coach of the White Sox Elite traveling team is Kenny Fullman of Harlan. Featured players on the Midwest all-stars include Malcolm Frazier of Milwaukee, Micah Johnson of Indianapolis, Trey Massenberg of St. Louis and Blair Springfield of Decatur.
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