Pitchin' Man: Satchel Paige's Own Story

by Leroy Satchel Paige, Hal Lebovitz

Originally published in 1948 from interviews conducted and set down by Cleveland sports writer Hal Lebovitz, this work, the autobiography of one of the most colorful and talented players to play professional baseball, is at once the story of a person and a unique and valuable document in the history of baseball.
As John Holway puts it in his preface, "there were at least three Satchel Paiges. One was the star pitcher of baseball legend. Another was the droll humorist and minstrel show end-man. The third was the least known of all, the revolutionary who helped effect a sea change in the game - and in American society as a whole. Jackie Robinson symbolized the revolution, but Satchel had been one of the crucial pioneers who helped force open the door so Jackie later could walk through."
In this book, we see the first two sides of Satchel Paige quite clearly. He was without a doubt a media star who used his newly acquired visibility to enchant and enliven professional sports and the literature that feeds off it. But, while his greatest playing days were spent outside the major leagues, the bottom line was that Paige - like many other Negro League greats - had vast reserves of talent to bring to white-dominated baseball, racking up major wins in his seasons with the Cleveland Indians.
The story of Paige the revolutionary is here as a subtext. Under his account of his rise from poverty, his life on the road with the Kansas City Monarchs, his pitching duels with black greats, the winning of a major league contract, and his joining the Indians, there is a serious story that in many ways parallels any struggle to succeed against a battery of odds. That Paige retained his sense of humor and his ability to charm, is a testament to the man whose nickname became so thoroughly a household word and whose record established him as one of the all-time greats of baseball.

Genres: Biography, Baseball

130 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

(from Wikipedia): Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues.

Paige was a right-handed pitcher and was the oldest rookie to play Major League Baseball at the age of 42. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47 and represented them in the Major League All-Star Game in both 1952 and 1953. His professional playing career lasted from 1926 until 1966.

Reviews

[Lina Hershberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short book that I read about in another book and thought I would take a look at it.

I thought it was interesting reading about his career and a little bit of his life spoken in his words. Paige was a confident man, it seems, and had every right to be. I'm glad I took a couple of hours to read the book and take a look at the pictures that were included.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The past couple of years—ever since I bought my first Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige baseball cards—I’ve been getting more and more interested in the history of Negro League Baseball and of the integration of the major leagues. I’ve watched documentaries, read articles, and collected more cards of the Black major leaguers who helped break the color line. And I bought this short book comprised of an interview that Satchel Paige gave to a Cleveland newspaperman in 1948, who compiled Paige’s responses into a sort of autobiography. The book is light-hearted. Paige explains his nickname and talks about his childhood in Alabama. He explains how he was scouted for the Negro Leagues at age 17 and played for decades all over North and South America before eventually—after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier—making it to the big leagues. Paige had a long and arduous road to Major League Baseball, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he cheerfully recollects his life story. Part of me wanted to hear about his struggles, and how he overcame them, but after a while I was happier to hear his fond memories of the Negro Leagues. He made good money in the depths of the Great Depression (he made as much in the Negro Leagues as he made playing for the Cleveland Indians), he pitched in exhibition games against the best white players, he spent his winters pitching in the Caribbean and lounging on the beach with Josh Gibson—really, you can’t beat that. I learned that Paige played guitar and enjoyed singing calypso music, too! That’s the stuff you won’t find anywhere else. One thing I do wish is that the book would’ve been written later so it could’ve captured more of Paige’s life (he pitched in the majors for six more years and then made another one-off appearance at age 59). “Pitchin’ Man” is a short 100 pages (I read it in a day), and I’ll probably want to seek out a more comprehensive biography eventually, but hearing Paige’s story from his own mouth is better than ten volumes written by anybody else.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

More or less transcribed from tales told by Satchel Paige to Hal Lebovitz, one of the greatest sports writers of his day. In addition to his head-and-shoulders superior ability as a baseball pitcher, Paige had many other interests, the energy and income to support them, and a terrific sense of humor, making the telling of his story a complete pleasure to read.

I've loved the game of baseball since (I've long estimated) the year 1948, when I was 5 years old and living on the South Side of Chicago, just a few miles away from White Sox's Comiskey Park where Paige made his debut as a major league baseball player with the Cleveland Indians, and where a couple of years later I also attended my own first baseball game. My favorite player at the time was White Sox's left fielder Minnie Minoso, another black player, at a time when blacks were just beginning to be signed regularly with major league teams. The South Side of Chicago (always and to this day one of the most segregated cities in the US) was no doubt a place where they could play with more comfort and less fan harassment than other places.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Paige Turner

My disappointment was intense when I finished the last page, angry that another 100 pages were not there. That's how good, real and full of good humor Pithcin' Man is. Plus, for those of you who have a skewed view of penniless black players, let me tell you, these stars made good money but just not big league money. That would remain open for their grandchildren. Sly honesty from a remarkable unpamoered, non-hothouse athlete. Loved his mother! A great mother and woman of integrity.

[Daniel Fevrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to learn about Satchel in his own words. It was an easy read, entertaining and pretty educational to see how many teams a baseball player could play for in the old days. The trade market was hot and signing bonuses were cars and houses instead of million dollar contracts (of course there were no million dollar contracts back then, at least not in the negro leagues).

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turn To the Next Paige

Excellent autobio. of the pitchers & man I heard about as a youth. I never saw him pitch, but I read about him in the main media for baseball in ‘50s & ‘60s - newspapers. His story is remarkable & best told here in his own lingo. REMARKABLE

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book and very interesting. favorite book ive read

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intresting and educational

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily read in an hour, more or less. Came across the title when I was recently reading an article in the Plain Dealer about Larry Doby, the first African-American to play baseball in the American League. This book was written in 1948, the season the Indians won the World Series. Satchel Paige was signed and brought on to the ballclub in mid-season by owner, Bill Veeck. At the time, Satchel was at least 40 years old and had been pitching professionally in the Negroes Leagues for 22 years (since 1926)! Because the book, written by long-time Cleveland sports writer, Hal Lebowitz, is written in Satchel's own words. It would be a gross understatement to say Satchel was quite the character. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.