Satchel - book

Satchel The Life and Times of an American Legend, Larry Tye (Random House, 2009)

Millions of words have been written about Satchel Paige, arguably the greatest baseball pitcher of all time, including two books that Paige himself wrote (with some editorial help), thousands of newspaper, magazine and television accounts. As Paige truly was a legend, even in his own time, and like legends everywhere do not always resemble the truth, about all one can glean from all this prose is that, indeed, Satchel Paige was an extraordinary baseball pitcher, public relations expert, unusual personality, and remarkably complex individual who suffered greatly and unfairly from the Jim Crow laws and customs of his time. Although the absolute truth can never be known, this book by Larry Tye, that I am quite certain will become the definitive biography, probably comes as close as is possible. It is a masterful job, carefully researched, and unusually well documented for such accounts. It is also well written and fun to read. Among other things, Tye attempts to provide statistics for Paige’s career, virtually an impossible task, given the length of time he pitched, the various leagues and teams he played in and for, and the fact that records of Black teams were not always accurately kept. But even assuming a large margin of error, Paige’s records can only be seen as incredible. The true numbers of his no-hitters and shut-outs will never be known, but I’m certain no other pitcher even comes close.

The basic legend of Leroy Robert (Satchel) Paige is pretty well known to most everyone who has even a passing interest in the Great American Pastime (or used to be before football). A Black baseball pitcher with a 100 mile and hour fastball, extraordinary control, and almost unbelievable longevity, who was also a genuine “character,” was kept from the Major Leagues until well into his forties. For all of his most productive years he barnstormed across America with Black teams, and even pitched in Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. He also led a team of all-stars that played against Dizzy Dean’s all-stars in what became a long-running rivalry, and also a barnstorming series against Bob Feller’s team. He also played for years on the Harlem Globetrotter baseball team. Having little by way of education (most of it acquired during his five years in reform school), and no other way of making a living, he played baseball his entire life, following the money wherever it led him. In addition to his remarkable baseball skills, he was also a master showman, leading some to say he was just a baseball version of the famous Black actor Stepin Fetchit. Of course this was merely an act that helped him draw unprecedented crowds to games in which he was featured. Tall and very thin, with long arms and legs, he shuffled slowly out to the pitcher’s mound, or later lounged in a special rocking chair near the bullpen, making sure all eyes were on him. No less an authority than Henry Aaron, who rather unsuccessfully batted against him, claimed Satchel was, in fact,” brilliant.” There is little doubt that Paige pitched more baseball, for more fans, in more ballparks, for more teams, for a longer time, than any other player in history. And remember that during this time Black players could not room in most hotels, eat in most restaurants, and even use most bathroom facilities. When they could they relied upon Black families to take them in for a night, feed them, and so on. Often they slept on floors, in barns, or wherever they could find shelter. It was Satchel Paige, who more than any other Black player, demonstrated that Blacks could play against the best White players. By all rights he should have been the first Black player to make it into the Major Leagues, but he was passed over in favor of Jackie Robinson, a slight that hurt him for years, even after he was finally allowed into that august body.

As he grew older, fans wanted to know how old he was. He obliged with tales so fantastic they just kept adding to his legend. My favorite, as reported by Tye: “Proof of his birth date was in the family bible. Unfortunately, his Grandfather was reading that bible under a chinaberry tree when a wind kicked up, blowing the Good Book into the path of the family goat, who ate it.” He cleverly managed to keep his age a topic of mystery, just as he claimed to have a mysterious magic salve he rubbed on his pitching arm to keep it strong for so long. Most people nowadays probably remember him best for his more colorful sayings: “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter,” “Don’t look back, someone may be gaining on you,” and others.

There was, of course, a more serious side of Satchel Paige, one that is far less well known. He was married three times, bigamously for a time to his second wife (but no one seemed to know or even care), before settling down with his third wife and raising a family. Children, including his own, idolized him and he was, by all accounts a good father. Having no way of making a living outside of baseball, and desperate to provide for his family, he continued to play wherever he could until his dotage. Along the way he had bit parts in a couple of motion pictures, was heard on radio, appeared on TV, and had thousands upon thousands of words written about him. In my opinion he was not only a truly great baseball player, but also an unusually fine man.