TIGERS HOST 6th ANNUAL NEGRO LEAGUES WEEKEND CELEBRATION JULY 25-26
Central Division Showdown at Comerica Park

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers open a three-game homestand on Friday, July 25 when the Chicago White Sox visit Comerica Park. The three-game series against the White Sox will be the Tigers 6th annual Negro Leagues Weekend Celebration.

Game times against the White Sox are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26. The homestand concludes Sunday, July 26 with a 1:05 p.m. start.

Negro Leagues weekend is sponsored by Comerica Bank and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the following is the event line-up:

Friday, July 25
5:00 p.m.-End of 2nd inning: 50/50 Raffle to benefit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (CHWMAAH) and the Detroit Tigers Foundation. The CHWMAAH will be featured at Gate A on the concourse to give fans the opportunity to learn about the museum and its membership drive.

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Tigers’ legend and 1968 World Series Champion Willie Horton will be signing copies of his book, “The People’s Champion” at Gate A.

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Detroit Stars Singing Competition. The Detroit Tigers, in partnership with WADL TV and Radio One will present the Second Annual Detroit Stars Singing competition, hosted by Tune Up of 105.9 KISS FM (WDMK). The top ten contestants will perform in the Brushfire Grill. The contestants will be judged by an appointed committee:
• Brandon T. Jackson from the upcoming movie Tropic Thunder, the hit movie Roll Bounce, and MTV’s Wild n Out with Nick Cannon.
• Michael Winans, Jr., Grammy Award nominee, producer, and President of Baby Mike Publishing Company.
• Joyce Stearnes, classical singer and the daughter of Negro Leagues player Norman “Turkey” Stearnes.

TIGERS HOST 14th ANNUAL NEGRO LEAGUES CELEBRATION GAME SATURDAY

DETROIT- The Detroit Tigers will honor Negro Leagues Baseball Saturday when they welcome the Chicago White Sox to Comerica Park. A number of pre-game festivities celebrating Negro Leagues Baseball will take place, including several former Negro Leagues players signing autographs from 5-6 p.m. throughout the Comerica Park concourse. Additionally, former Negro League stars will be honored prior to the game during an on-field ceremony. For the game, the White Sox will wear throw-back uniforms of the Chicago American Giants, while the Tigers will wear throw-back uniforms of the Detroit Stars. The following is a list of players scheduled to participate in the weekend’s events:

•Frank Crossan: A pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox and former roommate of 1956 Negro League all-star Charley Pride.
•Joe Douse: A pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1952 and 1953. While with the Monarchs, he struck out 15 Memphis Red Birds in a single game.
•Melvin “Buck” Duncan: From 1949 to 1956 he pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Detroit Stars. Before his Negro League career, he posted a 19-1 record while pitching for the United States Army baseball team.
•Harold “Bee-Bop” Gordon: A member of the Chicago American Giants from 1950-51, the longest continuous franchise in Negro League history. He also pitched in the 1954 Negro League all-star game as a member of the Detroit Stars.
•Gene Johnson: Played first and third base for the Detroit Stars in 1956-57.
•Marvin Jones: Pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs during the 1954 and 1955 seasons.
•Cecil Kaiser: Played for the Detroit Stars from 1938-1940, the Motor City Giants in 1941, the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1942 and the Homestead Gray’s from 1945-1947.
•Alton King: Came to Detroit in 1942 and played with the Motor City Giants from 1942-1945 as their player manager. He also played for the Detroit Wolves from 1946-1949.
•James “Bullet” Moore: Played for the Detroit Stars, Motor City Giants and the Detroit Brown Bombers.
•Ron “Schoolboy” Teasley: A Detroit native, he played for the Detroit Cubs, Toledo Cubs, Toledo Crawfords, Toledo Rays, Detroit Wolves and New York Cubans from 1939 to 1948. He is a member of Wayne State University’s Hall of Fame, and has worked for 20 years as an educator and baseball coach at Northwestern High School in Detroit.

Additional In-Park: Negro Leagues merchandise by Tony Dees Negro Leagues Apparel and Hall of Fame Sportswear will be sold in three locations throughout the evening on the concourse behind section 112, by the Montcalm Ramp at section 121 and at the Brushfire Grill behind section 133.

Tigers.com African American Heritage Page: The Detroit Tigers launched a new African American Heritage page providing a historical review of the African American legends of the Detroit Tigers and their contributions to the franchise. For more information, visit www.tigers.com/aaheritage.