The Hawk

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports

Duckett (left) and Glenn are ambassadors of baseball half a century after retiring from the game.

The celebration of Black History Month may be coming to a close, but there's one sports accomplishment that must be celebrated all year: the history and legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Saint Joseph's received a slight taste of the wealth of history the Negro Leagues has to offer with the visit of two of its most active members, Mahlon Duckett and Stanley "Doc" Glenn, on Feb. 21. Both former players are currently members of the Negro League Baseball Players Association (NLBPA).

But before they were ambassadors of the game's legacy on the speaking circuit, both of them spread the game's message on the field.

Duckett, 85, spent 11 years in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Philadelphia Stars from 1940-49 and the Homestead Grays in 1950. He was a versatile infielder who players second and third base as well as shortstop, and earned the Negro National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1940 at the age of 17.

Glenn, 81, is a Philadelphia native who played for the Stars for seven years from 1944-50, during which time he had the honor to catch the legendary Satchel Paige. Glenn gained experience in several integrated leagues, playing three years in the minor leagues and two years in Canada. Both players also played winter league baseball in Latin America.

Since their playing days ended, both have been active in working for the legacy of the Negro Leagues, including Glenn's book "Don't Let Anyone Take Your Joy Away: An inside look at Negro League Baseball and its legacy".

Their visit to Hawk Hill covered many aspects of their experience in baseball, from their on- and off-field memories to the legacy that they have fought to preserve.

One pervading theme of the speech was the memory of the Negro Leagues, both those that are left and those that have been forgotten beneath decades of racism. Both men emphasized the importance of those men whose legendary performances have been pushed away from the attention they rightly deserve.

"We had some of the best players in the world," said Duckett. "A lot of people thought it was a lower league, but we played by the same rules, had East-West All-Star games, and a World Series at the end of the season. It [the talent] wasn't any different; it was just the color of our skin."

Continued...

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