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 Saturday, August 21, 2004
Photos and Article by Bert Orlitzky / NLBPA.com webmaster
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE -- The Wilmington Blue Rocks honored Ted “Double-Duty” Radcliffe, a 102-year-old former Negro Leaguer, for the ninth annual "Judy Johnson Night: A Tribute To Negro League Baseball."
At 102, Double-Duty is the oldest living Negro League ballplayer. He tossed out the first pitch of the Blue Rocks game. The Blue Rocks wore the retro KC Monarchs uniforms for the game.
Double-Duty also helped unveil a replica of Judy Johnson’s National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque. The plaque, donated by Johnson's daughter, is a small copy of the one hanging in the baseball Hall. It will be added to the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame at Frawley Stadium.
"We wanted to wait for a special event to unveil this. It was probably one of Judy's most prized possessions," said Joe Mitchell, president and founder of the Judy Johnson Memorial Foundation, which sponsors the annual event.
During the pregame ceremonies, Delaware Lt. Governor John Carney presented each honree with a Delaware Proclamation honoring the event.
Other Negro League honorees included:
Stanley Glenn, Mahlon Duckett, Wilmer Harris, Bill Cash, Harold Gould, Joe B. Scott, Hubert Simmons, Geraldine Day (widow of HOF’r Leon Day), Sean Gibson (great grandson of Josh Gibson), and Marjorie Ash-Ferrell (widow of Toots Ferrell).
Click on the thumbnail images for larger photos from the event:
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 Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe
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 Joe Mitchell and Double Duty in the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame
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 Lt. Gov. John Carney with proclamation Radcliffe and the other honorees
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Double Duty and the other Negro League honorees
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 Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe throws out the first pitch
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 The Wilmington Blue Rocks gather round Double Duty in their KC Monarchs uniforms
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Former N.Y. Black Yankee, Joe B. Scott
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Former Phila Star, Wilmer Harris
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Former Phila Star, Stanley Glenn
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Geraldine Day, wife of Hall of Famer, Leon Day
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Harold Gould chats with a fan.
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Pregame gathering
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Pregame gathering
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Pregame gathering
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Mahlon Duckett (r) with Bert O. (nlbpa.com web guy)
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Wilmer Harris, Joe Scott, Bert Simmons
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Honorees on the field
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Honorees on the field
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Additional media coverage by the Delaware News Journal can be read here.
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