is this a black armband for earl averill?

i think so.  the national baseball hall of fame's website that i used to first populate my list of memorial 'needs' does not list a memorial armband or patch worn by the cleveland indians in 1983, but this 1984 topps sticker of toby harrah

and this 1984 topps card of pat tabler

clearly show the black armband on the left sleeve.  harrah's almost looks like electrical tape.  anyway, a stroll through 1983 major leaguer deaths points to indians' hall of famer earl averill.

averill passed away on august 16, 1983.  a quick look at getty images shows no armband on august 4, but armbands are present in photos from september.  so, i'll conclude that the memorial is indeed for averill.  he spent 11 years with cleveland, playing in the first six all-star games and garnering mvp votes in 7 seasons.  averill is still the franchise's all-time leader in such categories as total bases, triples, rbi, and runs scored.  he was voted to the hall of fame by the veteran's committee in 1975.