Negro Leagues star dies at 103

By wire services
Published August 12, 2005

CHICAGO - Former Negro Leagues star Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, believed to be the oldest living professional baseball player, died Thursday from complications after a long bout with cancer. He was 103.

Mr. Radcliffe was given his nickname by sports writer Damon Runyon 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.

He was frequently in the crowd at U.S. Cellular Field and occasionally visited the White Sox clubhouse. He made it a tradition in recent years to throw out the first ball on his July 7 birthday.

Two weeks ago, he was scheduled to travel to Alabama for a ceremony at 95-year-old Rickwood Field, where he played for the Birmingham Black Barons in the mid 1940s, but he fell ill and was hospitalized in Chicago.

"Double Duty shared such a love for baseball and a passion for life," White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. "We all loved to see him at the ballpark, listen to his stories and share in his laughter. He leaves such a great legacy after experiencing so much history and change during his long life. He will be missed by all of us with the White Sox."

In May, Mr. Radcliffe was among 14 Negro Leagues players honored in a pregame ceremony at RFK Stadium before the Cubs played Washington. Sitting in a golf cart behind the plate, Mr. Radcliffe made the ceremonial first pitch by handing the ball to Nationals coach Don Buford.

JUMPER KNOWN AS PRANKSTER: When Scott Harper's friends found out he was the one who plunged from the upper deck at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, they were shocked for a moment, but not surprised.

The 18-year-old is a dedicated underachiever who organized his senior class prank and once vowed to get face time on an ESPN highlight show, friends told the New York Daily News.

"If we could think of someone who would do it, Scott Harper would be on the top of that list," said Nicholas Hiromura, 17, who graduated with Harper a few weeks ago from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, N.Y.

"We never expected him to get this big," added Peter Merritt, 18.

HAMPTON TO RETURN: Mike Hampton is ready to rejoin the Braves rotation, which means a temporary exile to the bullpen for Horacio Ramirez.

Hampton, the former Crystal River standout who has been on the disabled list with a back injury since July 18, will be activated for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. The left-hander's start will come the day after John Thomson makes his first appearance after three months on the DL with an injured finger.

Though Ramirez is second on Atlanta with 10 wins, he's the fifth starter when everyone is healthy. With off days factored in, the left-hander is likely to be needed only twice the rest of the month.

WRIGHT STOKED: Jaret Wright can't wait for Monday. Sidelined since April 24 with an injured pitching shoulder, the right-hander will return to the Yankees rotation against the Devil Rays. "I'm definitely looking forward to it," Wright said from the spring complex in Tampa. "After everything that happened as far as thinking that it could be over for me when I hurt it and how it felt; to work to get back again, it's exciting."

BAT PUTS FAN IN HOSPITAL: A fan was hospitalized in intensive care two days after she was hit by Shawn Green's flying bat during a game between the Diamondbacks and Marlins in Miami. Karen Wellmeyer, 37, of Boca Raton suffered a ruptured spleen during Tuesday night's game and was in serious but stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital, her husband, John Wellmeyer, said.

ANGELS: All-Star leftfielder Garret Anderson was out of the lineup for a second straight day with a knee injury.

[Last modified August 12, 2005, 00:47:15]