Happy Birthday Satchel Paige!!!

Happy Birthday Satchel Paige!!!

Today, we celebrate the life of Satchel Paige.

Paige will long be remembered as a man whose talents was well before his time.  A fantastic pitcher during the Negro League era, Paige’s accomplishments on the field, and before he made it to the major leagues, was Hall of Fame elite.

Paige’s major league career started at the age of 41.  In six big league seasons, Paige posted a record of 28-31 with an ERA of 3.29.   He captured 32 saves during his big league career and struck out 288 batters.

Paige was known to be quite a storyteller.  Some of my favorites are:

“I don’t generally like running. I believe in training by rising gently up and down from the bench.”  

“One time I snuck a ball on with me and when I went to winding up, I threw one of them balls to first and one to second. I was so smooth I picked off both runners and fanned the batter without that ump or the other team even knowing it.”

“It’s funny what a few no-hitters do for a body.”

“I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I would toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation.”

“Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don’t move.”

Thank you for the entertainment, Mr. Paige.

And Happy Birthday!!!