Former Negro Leagues Star Dies at 103

Yahoo - AP ^ | 8/11/05

[So Cal Rocket]

[Doogle]

died from complications after a long bout with cancer, the Chicago White Sox said.


..at 103 it was quite a bout.
God Bless his soul

Doogle

[fatnotlazy]

These fellas are almost all gone from us. Too bad. They were part of a rather sad time in our history.

Rest in peace, Mr. Radcliffe.

[SaveTheChief]

CHICAGO - Former Negro Leagues star Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, believed to be the oldest living professional baseball player, died Thursday. He was 103.

The Cubbies could have probably used his help this year...

[YoungCurmudgeon]

How dear to my heart is the old fashioned hurler
Who labored all day on the old village green.
He did not resemble the up-to-date twirler
Who pitches four innings and ducks from the scene.
The up-to-date twirler I'm not very strong for;
He has a queer habit of pulling up lame.
And that is the reason I hanker and long for
The pitcher who started and finished the game.
The old fashioned pitcher,
The iron armed pitcher,
The stout hearted pitcher
Who finished the game.

The only decent poem I ever read in my unfortunately long education and I have no idea who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

after catching Satchel Paige in the first game of a doubleheader in the 1932 Negro League World Series and pitching a shutout in the second game

Damn, a real ballplayer. Would have been more interesting to watch than the prima donnas of today.

[Charles Henrickson]

So long to a great baseball guy.

I guess this makes the wonderful Buck O'Neill the oldest living Negro Leagues survivor.

[Borges]

In terms of all baseball players and not jsut Negro leaguers, Al Lopez is still alive.

[expatguy]

Can you say the word "NEGRO" on the interweb?

[Borges]

As long as its preceded by the word 'Former'.

[dfwgator]

If Maris deserved an asterisk for hitting 61 homers, shouldn't the Babe also get an asterisk since he didn't always go up against the best players, since many of them were excluded from the Major League when he played?

[dfwgator]

They still have the "United Negro College Fund" don't they?

[SeeAllSides]

"The only decent poem I ever read in my unfortunately long education and I have no idea who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know."


http://www.dodgers2001.com/multimedia/poetry/old_pitcher.html


google is your friend :)

[Cyclopean Squid]

I don't know right off hand, but I believe I just read it in my "Baseball: A Literary Anthology" [ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/193108209X/qid=1123796678/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1570940-4144834?v=glance&s=books ] book, which is currently sitting at home on my coffee table. I'll try to get you the name of the poet in the near future (unless I'm mistaken about reading it). Plus, this being FR, someone might beat me to it!

[Billthedrill]

Now that's a ballplayer! RIP.

I doubt he'd have hit more than .200 today, though. Most hitters experience a dropoff after their 100th birthday...

[dennisw]

They just don't make 'em like that anymore!

[YoungCurmudgeon]

Thank you! Some day I'll have to give this google thing a try. :)back at you.

[YoungCurmudgeon]

You were beat. But thank you for your offer for help. Isn't FR great? You can find out anything in a matter of moments.

[yarddog]

When I was a kid living in Panama City, Florida, the local team had a manager who played every position during a game.

I think he started at catcher, then pitcher and so on. I think this manager/player was only around 20 years old.