Flashback: Satchel Paige Signed With The Philadelphia Phillies

Yes, legendary pitcher 'Satchel' Paige was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies' organization during his amazing career. Add another famous baseball name (Bill Veeck) to the story and this real-life tale becomes even greater. 

As the story goes...after his Hall of Fame Negro League career, Paige first appeared in the major leagues for the Cleveland Indians on July 9, 1948 when he was 42-years-old. Veeck, who owned the Indians and was a master of marketing, was running the Phillies' then-Triple-A International League affiliate (Miami Marlins) in 1956 when he signed Paige again. 

Hardly a publicity stunt, the still-able Leroy Robert Paige appeared in 105 games for the Marlins (which included 33 starts) through the 1958 season. During that year Paige carved a 2.95 ERA and a 0.991 WHIP. He turned 52 on July 7 of that season!

But that wasn't the end...'Satchel', who won an uncountable number of games since first appearing in the Negro Leagues in the 1920's and is believed to have recorded approximately 300 shutouts, returned to the major leagues in 1965. 

The 59-year-old pitched three innings for the Kansas City Athletics (formerly the Philadelphia Athletics). His line the day (9/25/65) he STARTED that game read: 3 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 1 strikeout and 0 walks.  

Paige also pitched one more time in professional baseball in 1966, when he started a game for the Cincinnati Reds' Single-A team (Peninsula Grays). The two innings he threw were the last of his 40-YEAR CAREER. 

I ask all readers to consider the following: Paige's nickname 'Satchel' was earned because he carried luggage at a train station when he was a boy. 

Thank you Leroy for using your God-given talent and personal inner strength to find your true calling on the baseball field. 

Born in Mobile, Alabama, on July 7, 2006. Paige died on June 8, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 75.

(This video of Paige includes images from his career, his preparations for the 1965 start and segments of his Hall of Fame speech. He was inducted into the Hall in 1971.)  

On certain occasions, I will reference the phrase 'All Hail' to honor someone, or something that is obviously great. So, I end this post by simply writing: ALL HAIL Leroy Robert 'Satchel' Paige.

(1st photo of Paige with the Marlins courtesy of media.al.com. 2nd photo of Paige with the KC Monarchs courtesy of ebay.com. Video courtesy of YouTube.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those who have been following the blog posts about my writing efforts know that my illustrated children's book has taken time and patience to create and produce. 

After successfully reaching a fund-raising goal, we are now set to release our book Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile!!!

This book is about the life of Madison Woytovich and the organization CAP (Children's Alopecia Project) that her father Jeff Woytovich founded a number of years ago.

Three other people also share in the creation of this book:

Maddie's mother, Betsy Woytovich, served as an excellent editor. Her support was invaluable. 

Patrick O'Brien (who is my cousin) was the initial artist who established the visual reality that became Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile. Without his generous contributions, ongoing advice and support, this book might not have been born. 

Melissa Lascala (who served as my main illustrator) offered a sincere creative presence that saw this project through to completion.  

-->>>50% of all proceeds from this book will be donated to CAP. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Maddie Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me recently about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. The feature will be aired during the 10 p.m. broadcast on July 30 (which is the date of today's post). 

-->>Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

Professional reporters and video journalists are vital in an ever-changing media world. Stacey and the Fox staff were first-rate. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook  

Let's connect on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

Fast Fiction and Other Stuff.

I am humbled by the reception it has received to-date and I thank everyone who has been responding to this digital creation.

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback.