Beginning Thursday July 16th and going through Sunday July 19th 2009, A LARGE NUMBER OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL
LEGENDS ARE SCHEDULED TO APPEAR AT THE 1st ANNUAL MOUNTED MEMORIES FANSEDGE SPORTS SPECTACULAR, SPONSORED BY THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
* Hank "Baby" Presswood, 87 -Cleveland Buckeyes & K.C. Monarchs
* Nathan "Sonny" Weston, 78 - Chicago American Giants
* Johnny "Lefty" Washington, 79 - Chicago American Giants & New Orleans / Houston Eagles
* Don "Groundhog" Johnson, 84 - Chicago American Giants
* Ernest "Ernie" Westfield, 70 - Birmingham Black Barons
* Robert "Bob" Wiggins, 75 - Raleigh Tigers
* Julius "Satchel" Sledge, 70 - Indianapolis Clowns & Brooklyn Royals
* And the lone surviving "white" to sign with the Negro Leagues ...
* Lou Clarizio Jr., 77 of the Chicago American Giants. (All told there were 6 whites to sign in the Negro Leagues. Eddie Klepp in 1946, then Lou, along with Lou Chirban, then 3 others later that year.)
For further information regarding their next appearance contact Gary Crawford (312) 859-7788 or email us @ info@negroleaguelegends.org
IMPORTANT NOTICE
WE LIKE TO WELCOME THOSE HOSTING THE UPCOMING PRIDE & PASSION EXHIBITION @ 50 LIBRAIES NATIONWIDE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN.
NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS.ORG IS A PROUD CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS EVENT, ASSISTING THOSE FOR BOTH PLAYER APPEARANCES AND SPEAKERS.
WE ARE HONORED TO BE LISTED AS THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES AND NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME (IN COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK) AS THEIR "GO TO SOURCE" FOR BOTH SPEAKERS AND NEGRO LEGEND BALL PLAYERS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION & FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR EVENT, PLEASE CALL (312) 859-7788 OR EMAIL US AT INFO@NEGROLEAGUELEGENDS.ORG
ELSEWHERE:
On Friday January 30th 2009, former
Negro League Legend Nathan "Sonny" Weston, 78 had his baseball jersey retired by Bloom High School, where he was a three-sport athlete, and arguably one of the fastest of them all!
Bloom, located in Chicago Heights, Illinois, has had many famous alums attend its great school, including Jim Bouton, Bryant Young and Jerry Colangelo, now 69, an American Businessman and Sports Mogul, as the former majority owner of the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Colangelo was also instrumental in getting the former Winnipeg Jets of the NHL transfered to Phoenix now becoming the Phoenix Coyotes. Most recently, he was the National Director for USA Basketball helping Team USA bring home the Gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
As for Mr. Weston he played the 1951 season with the Chicago American Giants (along with the late great Ted "Double Duty" Radcliff) and also had tryouts with both the Brooklyn (nee Los Angeles) Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox where he was their "last cut."
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On
Friday Friday May 15th 2009, former
Negro League Legend Johnny "Lefty" Washington, 79 had his #20 baseball jersey
retired by Morgan Park High School, located in Beverly Illinois.
Washington was a two-sport athlete, and
arguably one of their fastest swimmers! Today, the Morgan Park High School baseball club, nicknamed the Mustangs, is managed by a newphew of the legendary Double Duty, Head Coach Ted Radcliff. A versatile player, Washington was a left-handed starting pitcher, who also played first base and the outfield during his two seasons in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Even before Johnny finished high school, baseball was in his blood.
In 1948 Washington joined the Armour Meat Packing Company’s semi-pro team which played on Chicago’s South Side over at Washington Park. There he pitched twice a week in front of huge crowds, and it was during that time that he and fellow Negro League infielder Jack Marshall were encouraged to visit Dr. J. M. Martin - the owner of the Chicago American Giants.
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On May 16th thru May 18th 2008, we celebrated the largest gathering of former Negro League Legends in the Mid-West since the opening of the Negro League Museum in KC back in 1999. All this took place in Naperville, (Chicago) Illinois.
Legends on hand included many who played both in the Major Leagues and in the Negro Leagues such as; Cubs great GEORGE "Daddy Long Legs" ALTMAN, Hall of Famer MONTE IRVIN, Reverend BILL GREASON, SAMMY DRAKE and JC HARTMAN.
Some of the other names appearing included:
Carl Long, Hank "Baby" Presswood, Jim "Zapper" Zapp, Johnny "Lefty" Washington, Nathan "Sonny" Weston, and Ernest "Ernie" Westfield.
The Negro League Legends were there to help celebrate the 88th Anniversary of the first ever Negro League Baseball game, which was played May 20th 1920.
• In 1954 REV. BILL GREASON was the St. Louis Cardinals 1st African American Pitcher
• SAMMY DRAKE - along with his brother Solly (who was unable to attend this show) were the first African American brother combination to play in the Majors. They both broke in with the Chicago Cubs and played along side Ernie Banks. The also played with Cubs & NY Mets.
• Mr. J.C. HARTMAN played with the Houston Colts 1962-1963 was the mentor to Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.
OTHER NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS...WHO WERE THERE WERE:
* Hank "Baby" Presswood, 86 -Cleveland Buckeyes & K.C. Monarchs
* Nathan "Sonny" Weston, 77 - Chicago American Giants
* Carl Long - Birmingham Black Barons
* Jim "Zapper" Zapp (3B, OF) 1948-1954 - Birmingham Barons.
A great time was had by all.
