WASHINGTON (AP) – The Negro Leagues take the baseball field again on Thursday as the Postal Service honors the organizations that gave black players a chance to show their talents before the major leagues were integrated.

A pair of 44-cent commemorative stamps will be dedicated in ceremonies at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

One stamp shows a close play at home plate, while the other commemorates Andrew “Rube” Foster, founder of the leagues that operated from 1920 to 1960.

Legendary stars who played in the leagues included Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, James “Cool Papa” Bell, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1945.

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Online: http://www.usps.com

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AP-ES-07-13-10 1728EDT