Did you ever wonder?

By David McClelland


Did you ever wonder how "Satchel Paige" got is nick name?

Leroy "Satchel" Paige was born sometime around 1903 - 1906. When asked about his age, he would reply, "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." He pitched the first major league baseball game I ever attended in 1948. It was his first year on a major league team after decades in the old Negro Leagues. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 and Bill Veeck brought Satchel to the Cleveland Indians in 1948. In my first game, Satchel pitched a 1-0 shutout against the old St. Louis Browns (1901 - 1953) and he pitched the complete game.
When Leroy was about 7, he earned money by carrying bags and satchels at the local train station in Mobile, Alabama. He began to dangle several bags at a time from a pole. The kids started calling him "Satchel Tree" and that name was later shortened to "Satchel". He also had a job cleaning at a ball park and that sparked his interest in baseball.
He couldn't afford a baseball and threw rocks for practice. Then, he got in trouble and spent time in a reform school where a coach helped him refine his pitching style and taught him the fine points of the game. He grew to be over 6 feet tall and had long, dangly arms, perfect for a pitcher.
He joined the Indians in 1948 and pitched in the World Series that year. Satchel pitched until 1965 when he was 59 or 62, depending on when he was born. He later played for the St. Louis and the Kansas City and was the pitching coach for Atlanta. In 1971, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Joe Dimaggio called Satchel "the greatest and fastest pitcher I ever faced." Now, you know how "Satchel Paige" got his nick name.