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June 12, 2006 Salisbury, MD - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that they have teamed with the Delmarva Shorebirds to hold "Negro League Night" at the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium for the second straight year. The event will be held Thursday, June 15, 2006 at the stadium, located in Salisbury, MD. The first pitch of the game against the Lakewood Blue Claws will be at 7:05 pm with the Delmarva Shorebirds wearing replica jerseys of the Baltimore Elite Giants. Perdue Stadium will once again transform its 2nd floor concourse into the auction zone to benefit a continuing partnership with UMES. A portion of the funds from the auction of those game-worn jerseys will support "Your Delmarva Shorebirds Scholarship Fund at UMES." "What an excellent event, honoring some excellent men," said UMES Acting Director of Athletics Keith Davidson. "I am thrilled that the Delmarva Shorebirds are holding this event for the second straight year and that they are generously donating the proceeds to help UMES Athletics. We have a great relationship with the Shorebirds and we are very proud that two of the Eastern Shore's finest sports organizations work so well together," he added. The evening will also be highlighted by the appearance of five former Negro league greats. On hand will be Al Burrows, who played for the Black Yankees and the Indianapolis Clowns. Joe Durham, who played for the Chicago American Giants and was the second African-American player to play for the Baltimore Orioles. Luther Atkinson, who played on the Satchel Paige All-Stars. At the Stadium will be, Hubert "Bert" Simmons who played for various teams throughout his 12-year professional career, including the Baltimore Elite Giants. And finally, William "Sonny" Randall who played on the famous Great Lakes Naval team with Larry Doby. These former greats will be on hand throughout the game to sign autographs, have pictures taken and answer fans questions about their stories while playing in the Negro Leagues. "Negro League Night is a way for Your Delmarva Shorebirds to remember a very important and significant chapter in the history of baseball in America. The African-American players that participate in the Negro Leagues during their prime were not recognized at the time by this nation for their amazing accomplishments. We are trying to do our part to help them mark their place in history, before this great generation of players is no longer with us." General Manager, Stephen C. Yaros stated. "Your Shorebirds will wear special "Baltimore Elite Giants" Jerseys to help show their support, plus raise money for a wonderful scholarship at UMES. It will be a great night to help recognize diversity on The Eastern Shore and bring the family out to watch some terrific baseball action!"
This outing is just another great event held within the partnership between UMES Athletics and the Delmarva Shorebirds. This past basketball season UMES Athletics recognized the Shorebirds during a home basketball game. Not only was the partnership honored, but UMES also recognized the hard-working Shorebirds staff and their great fans. As part of the pre-game ceremonies on June 15, Your Delmarva Shorebirds will honor the life of Baltimore Orioles' Legend, Elrod Hendricks. Hendricks was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball for 37 years. During his 12-year career, Elrod played 658 out of his 711 games with the Baltimore Orioles, which included three consecutive trips to the World Series from 1969-71. Hendricks is most remembered for his 28-year role as the bullpen coach for the Orioles, the longest coaching tenure in Orioles history. To help make this night a success, Magic 98.9 of Clear Channel Radio of Salisbury will be promoting this event. For ticket information on this extraordinary event or any other upcoming Shorebirds baseball Games and exciting promotions, please call (410) 219-3112 or visit www.theshorebirds.com. Portions of this release are taken from the official Delmarva Shorebirds release and appear compliments of their Media Relations Office. Delmarva Shorebirds Contact: Nicholas Mirabello (410) 219-3112 |
