Ypsilanti's Duncan, 79, Former Detroit Star is proud

Thursday, July 24, 2008
Baseball
Former Detroit Star is proud
Ypsilanti's Duncan, 79, considers playing in Negro League the same as making the majors.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Don't tell Negro League veteran Mel Duncan he never made it to the big leagues.

Duncan, a 79-year-old Ypsilanti native, begs to differ, decades after playing the game for nearly seven years in often racist conditions.

"I played professional baseball," Duncan said. "That's what I tell anyone that asks."

Duncan, formerly of the Detroit Stars and Kansas City Monarchs, is one of several former players to be honored at Comerica Park this weekend as part of the Tigers' annual Negro League celebration.

The event, during a series with the White Sox, marks a time for education and reflection about an era that should never be forgotten, Duncan said.

For years, especially in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Duncan and other black players were often kicked out of restaurants during their travels to games.

And it often forced players to find dinner at grocery stores.

"Bologna and crackers, that's usually what I got," Duncan said.

"We had long bus rides, while white players were on planes eating steaks. You had to do the best you could."

Duncan and friend Gene Johnson, also a former Detroit Stars player, plan to attend this weekend's festivities and spread the word about their baseball experiences -- good and bad.

Johnson, 72, of Detroit, looks forward to the event each year because it reinforces his belief that what he and others did for the game still has interest among younger generations.

"It's a beautiful thing," said Johnson, a Star from 1955-57.

"We get to talk to people, especially kids who always ask about a thousand questions."

You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com