Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball pitcher who is notable for his longevity in the game, and for attracting record crowds wherever he pitched.
Paige was a right-handed pitcher, and at age 42 in 1948, was the oldest major league rookie while playing for the Cleveland Indians. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47, and represented them in the All-Star Game in 1952 and 1953.
He was the first player who had played in the Negro leagues to pitch in the World Series, in 1948, and was the first electee of the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1971.Paige first played for the semi-professional Mobile Tigers from 1924 to 1926. He began his professional baseball career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League and became one of the most famous and successful players from the Negro leagues. While his outstanding control as a pitcher first got him noticed, it was his infectious, cocky, enthusiastic personality and his love for the game that made him a star. On town tours across the United States, Paige would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side. He played his last professional game on June 21, 1966, for the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League. Wikipedia
“Don't look back — something might be gaining on you.”
"How to Stay Young" Collier's Magazine (13 June 1953)
Context: Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society— the social ramble ain't restful.
Avoid running at all times.
And don't look back— something might be gaining on you.
“There ain't no man can avoid being born average. But there ain't no man got to be common.”
"Words of the Week" Jet (Sep 4, 1958)
"The Independent," (St. Petersburg, Florida, July 8, 1948)
“Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.”
New York Post (4 October 1959)
Source: "On Today's Scene: Paige Admits He's Feeling His Age" by William Gildea, The Washington Post (Apr 29, 1969), p. D2
