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'Sweet Lou' Back In Town For Honors During Weekend At The Ballpark

DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - It's a special weekend at Comerica Park, where the Tigers are again paying tribute to players from the old Negro Leagues.

LOU WHITAKER TIGERS
Lou Whitaker, former infielder for the Detroit Tigers in 1991. (Kevin Levine/Allsport/Getty)

They will also honor 1984 World Series Champion Lou Whitaker, who will receive the team's 2015 African-American Legacy Award.

Whitaker says he's never personally experienced the kind of discrimination that kept black players out of the Major Leagues.

"For me it was never a situation of color ... playing, for me it was whoever was on the field, let's play some ball to have some fun," Whitaker said.

Whitaker, nicknamed 'Sweet Lou,' says he's looking forward to meeting some of the old-time players.

"I look forward to when I'm there and meeting each and every one of them, and maybe share a story or two. See what it was like when they played, and how they played. It's not for me, I look at it as a night for players."

Whitaker will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday's game against the Cleveland Indians. On Saturday, the Tigers and Indians will wear the old uniforms of the Detroit Stars and Cleveland Buckeyes.

Previous winners of the African-American Legacy Award include Gates Brown, Jake Wood, Earl Wilson, Larry Herndon, and Bill Bruton.

There will be a special Q and A session with Whitaker at the Big Cat Court, hosted by WWJ's Greg Bowman, where fans will be able to ask questions of Whitaker on Sunday between 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

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