Satchel Paige

This biography chronicles the life of Leroy Paige from his elementary school pitching days to his signature slow ball in the Negro Leagues and for the Cleveland Indians and, finally, his inclusion the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. Dion Graham narrates at a clip that projects enthusiasm, whether it be for Leroy's early pitching attempts, his satchel-toting services (that nickname Òjust stuckÓ), or his pitching and batting duel with his friend Josh Gibson. Graham slows when the tone of Leroy's life becomes serious such as when he went to reform school, learned the difference between throwing and pitching, and bristled at the differences between the two baseball leagues of the 1920s. Vital statistics complete the recording. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

January 3, 2000
This first collaboration between a husband-and-wife team offers an informal, anecdotal profile of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, one of the all-time great baseball players of the Negro League, the first black pitcher to play in the major leagues and the first black inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The author's style is conversational and flavorful: after explaining that Paige, the seventh of 12 children, earned money for his family by toting travelers' luggage at the train depot, she writes, "When dimes weren't enough, Leroy took to stealing. And when he could no longer run fast enough, it was stealing that caught him." Sent to reform school at age 12, Paige joined its baseball team and was thrilled to encounter "real leather balls (not the ones your mama made with a rock and a rag) and real wooden bats, too." Kids will enjoy her occasional hyperbole: ", his foot looked to be about a mile long, and when he shot into the air, it seemed to block out the sun. Satch's arm seemed to stretch on forever, winding, bending, twisting." Ransome's (Let My People Go) tightly edited, boldly hued oil paintings capture the on-field prowess as well as the personality of the quick-witted, feisty Paige. More sculptural than kinetic, they express the qualities of a man who often seemed larger than life. This vivid book is a fitting tribute to a baseball hero. Ages 6-10.