Charleston University Athletics
Charleston University Athletics
Never Look Back
New Year's resolutions come and go – except for me.
to many years ago – not how many – I adopted a number of good intentions of the legendary African-American baseball player Leroy Paige established.
He was best known as a "satchel" – a nickname he acquired as a young boy with luggage for nickel on the Mobile, Alabama, station.
I had the pleasure of the survey of the known stars when a living barnstorming the country with a back-up team deserves from the old Negro League.
At that time I was a rookie sportswriter for the Flint (Michigan) Daily Journal and referred on the least assignments – black baseball players as seen before the Second World War.
There are not many of us old baseball fans around the exploits of Satch Krug, who may have been the biggest tell of all time. My Rating knapsack is difficult to prove because he played the game before the blacks in the Major Leagues accepted were.
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There were many professional Negro League baseball teams in my days of sports writing. Black players were in the large cities, where there is a population of Afro-Americans big enough to support a team famous.
In addition to Paige, it was cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, who often re-mirrored to a fly ball, Jody Johnson, Pop Lloyd catch – just to name a few.
They played for such Teams like the St. Louis Stars, East St. Louis Cubs, Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs, Homestead Grays Washington, Birmingham Black Barons and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
Although not nearly as good as their white counterparts pay – $ 60 per month plus eating and lodging was typical – Negro League players played heads-up often unorthodox baseball. A Some stars like Paige and Gibson went $ 125 per week.
According to the World Series, toured Pick-up teams of Major League Negro League player knows to play exhibition cities. In these contests, African-American teams regularly beat up the white stars.
The opportunity to learn new tricks was the main reason large barnstorming Negro leaguers went into the League.
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Bag the Kansas City Monarchs brought to Flint of the leading to play teams in the Pro-competent Industrial League. The Monarchs beat up on the hill with Paige, our local boys – but with a grace and skill, the fans feet brought many times.
He had an accurate fastball with which he could to stifle the corners. Opposing batters he claimed to have disappeared on their way to the Plate.
His curve had drop that grown men cry. It was like rolling a ball off the table.
To show in the exhibition games, knapsack Pitch would deduct ten, while in a rocking chair on the hill, or call sitting in the terrorist group to sit behind him while he fanned the side.
After Gibson LED in the first inning with a single and then razzed knapsack. Irritably waved Satchel his teammates in the dugout, ignored Gibson, the third party walked and then hit the next three batter.
Satchel devastating pitch was the "hesitation." In some mysterious way he could supply center for a millisecond pause. It was just enough to confuse the best batter.
He let me swing against bad luck that to warm up in the exhibition. I met three throws and end the day.
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Breakthrough for blacks seeking the Major League came in 1947. Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson for the old Brooklyn Dodgers. Then faded the Negro League for lack of good players.
Satchel was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1948 as the oldest rookie to ever play Major League Baseball. He strained to a 6-1 record with a 2.48 ERA this year to help the Indians win the American League Pennant.
He suggested an inning in the 1949 World Series won Cleveland.
Satch retirement a couple a few years, then came back one season with the St. Louis Brown's play. But the great Paige was somewhere in his late forties – an old man with a baseball standards. He said not to know his age.
away with plenty of youthful speed of his fast ball, he relied on the breaking of order, including the speech hesitation.
He knew well, until they banned the hesitation. Satch was dropped from the squad, but played in the years 1952 and 1953 All-Star Games.
Twelve years later, on the dubious Age of 59, beat Satchel three innings for the Kansas City Athletics to the oldest players in a game of Major League pitch has become.
Roy Campanella chaired a Committee to select some players from the old Negro League for a special section of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Committee concluded two years of work, without any recommendations. It was difficult to select from the hundreds of candidates.
Nevertheless, the first African-Americans are anchored at Cooperstown – on the basis of the record does not Skin color – was Satchel Paige in 1971. He died in 1982.
Sometimes I wonder if he regrets that the color barrier was not broken before his best years, rather than in his twilight years.
But then I dig the cut of the interview that so long ago, and read the wise counsel he gave a young sportswriter for a long and happy Life – pearls of wisdom that I meet every year in January, as my schedule for the coming years:
1st Avoid fried foods, the blood of evil.
2nd If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
3rd Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you go.
4th Go light on the vices, such as transport in society. The social walk is not restful.
5th Avoid running at all times.
6th Finally, the admonition that Satchel Paige made immortal: Never look back. Something you can win.
16th January 2000
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Click here to see this Articles on the website Lindsey Williams
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Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:
LinWms@earthlink.net or LinWms@lindseywilliams.org
Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with over a thousand of Lin’s Editorial & At Large articles written over 40 years.
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Big South: Developing Leaders Through Athletics (:15, A)