Ode to SatchBy Shane Smith"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you!" --Satchel Paige Call it barnstorming and showboating, The game was still baseball. Label him cocky and flamboyant, This clown prince wowed them all. A whooping crane with a golden arm, Blacks and whites marveled the same. Could this be, and dare we say. . . A colored man conquering a white man's game. No finer phenom ever sprouted up, From such obscurity to national fame. This unheralded string bean from Alabama, You know, that negro leaguer with the funny name. Where's his name in the baseball annals? Overshadowed by less "colorful" players of his time. For when Leroy "Satchel" Paige joined the show, He was a 42 year old rookie, well past his prime. I think of the adage that Satchel coined, "Don't look back. . ." were the words he lived by. But the only thing that ever "gained on" Satchel, Was something greater than father time's watchful eye. Just count the great ones that baseball "gained", Jackie, Willie, and Hank to name a few. But let's not forget the great ones we missed, How 'bout giving Josh and Cool Papa their due. Some say he pitched well over 2,000 games, 50 no hitters according to his own score. But the greatest achievement of his 40 year career, Was that Satchel made baseball see more. Fans finally saw baseball played in color, All eyes opened up to a brand new game. Today we praise Jackie for crossing the line, But let's not forget that pitcher with the funny name. Leave feedback on our message board. |