Leroy “Satchel†Paige was the extraordinary Negro League pitcher and Hall of Famer, who made his Major League debut at the unprecedented age of 42, signing with the Cleveland Indians on his birthday. From humble beginnings in Alabama, Leroy Paige gained his famous nickname as a boy toting travelers’ satchels from the train station. (That nickname was to gain fame again in 1987, when Woody Allen and Mia Farrow named their son Satchel – which he, of course, dropped as soon as he was able.) Leroy acquired his formidable pitching skills while in reform school and never looked back – as he famously said – “something might be gaining on youâ€. His career began in 1926 and ended in 1968, and took him from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues in a whirlwind of teams and travels, both in and out of the United States. No less a star than Joe Di Maggio remarked of him: “He was the best and the fastest pitcher I’ve ever faced.†Always a cool guy, Leroy Satchel Paige left an envious legacy unmatched to this day.
