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Watch Anthony Pappalas Throw Out The 1st Pitch At The Papa Hops Tourney

 Mint Condition repeated as champions of the third annual Papa Hops 16-Inch Softball Tournament in Kennedy Park. For the third year in a row, the final game of the 28-team tournament has featured Mint and a team called, Yahtzee.
Mint Condition repeated as champions of the third annual Papa Hops 16-Inch Softball Tournament in Kennedy Park. For the third year in a row, the final game of the 28-team tournament has featured Mint and a team called, Yahtzee.
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MORGAN PARK — Anthony Pappalas threw out the first pitch ahead of the championship game of the third annual Papa Hops 16-Inch Softball Tournament in Kennedy Park.

The 6-year-old Mount Greenwood boy behind Anthony's Avengers tossed the ball Friday night to the Chicago Bears' tight end Tony Moeaki, who was also on hand for the tournament that is held in honor of Tom "Papa Hops" Hopkins.

Hopkins, 59, ran a Sunday softball league at the park at 11320 S. Western Ave. He died in 2014 from melanoma.

His children — Tommy, Martin, Liam and Annie — have raised more than $36,000 for neighborhood families suffering with cancer since his death. Martin Hopkins played football at the University of Iowa with Moeaki. Both were on the the 2009 Orange Bowl team.

A portion of the proceeds from the annual tournament also goes to park improvements — the inaugural tournament paid for a scoreboard at Kennedy Park — and to spread awareness of melanoma: Free skin cancer screenings were available during the tournament.

Pappalas was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor on July 24, 2015. He's been fighting the disease with the help of family and friends who have rallied behind him, stringing orange and gray ribbons throughout the neighborhood.

The tournament brought hundreds of spectators and supporters to the neighborhood park. Besides the celebrity first pitch, the final game was also marked by a helicopter flyover and fireworks during the national anthem.

As for the tournment itself, Mint Condition repeated as champions. For the third year in a row, the final game of the 28-team tournament featured Mint and a team called Yahtzee.

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