Call number
Publication
Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, c1993.
Pages
xiv; 295
Description
Satchel Paige was forty-two years old in 1948 when he became the first black pitcher in the American League. Although the oldest rookie around, he was already a legend. For twenty-two years, beginning in 1926, Paige dazzled throngs with his performance in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Then he outlasted everyone by playing professional baseball, in and out of the majors, until 1965. Struggle--against early poverty and racial discrimination--was part of Paige's story. So was fast living and a humorous point of view. His immortal advice was "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1961
Physical description
xiv, 295 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0803287321 / 9780803287327
Similar in this library
Library's review
Is it still arrogance when you really are that good? Satchel Paige was one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball, and he knew it. This autobiography, told to David Lipman in the early 1960s, is an extremely entertaining account of Paige's astonishingly long career in professional
seriously considered for Rookie of the Year at the ripe old age of 42).
At multiple points throughout the book, Paige laments the racism that kept him out of the majors; he heard many times "If only you were white...." and he knew full well that not only was he good enough for the majors, he was good enough to be one of the best in history. He expresses private bitterness at not being the man chosen to integrate the major leagues, though as he admits his personality presumably had more to do with that than his talent, even in his 40s.
Paige was a notorious bullshitter, and it's best not to believe everything you read here; read it for the descriptions of an incredible career told entertainingly, not for a precisely detailed and 100% history. Recommended for baseball history fans.
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baseball, from barnstorming across the country to the Negro Leagues to several seasons in the majors (including Paige beingseriously considered for Rookie of the Year at the ripe old age of 42).
At multiple points throughout the book, Paige laments the racism that kept him out of the majors; he heard many times "If only you were white...." and he knew full well that not only was he good enough for the majors, he was good enough to be one of the best in history. He expresses private bitterness at not being the man chosen to integrate the major leagues, though as he admits his personality presumably had more to do with that than his talent, even in his 40s.
Paige was a notorious bullshitter, and it's best not to believe everything you read here; read it for the descriptions of an incredible career told entertainingly, not for a precisely detailed and 100% history. Recommended for baseball history fans.
Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member ghr4
In Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever, LeRoy “Satchel” Paige’s classic baseball autobiography (as told to David Lipman), the great pitcher of the Negro Leagues (and later with a few short stints in the major leagues) tells his story in his own quirky way, in his own inimitable voice. Satch, one of
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the iconic characters of the game, fully displays his smooth blend of good humor, playful braggadocio, and occasional broad exaggerations that border on Bunyanesque tall tales. This is as close as one can get to actually sitting down with the man and listening to his life story firsthand. One of the essential baseball bios. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader1009
(audio nonfiction/baseball history/autobiography, ~7 hours)
TW/CW: The n-word does come up multiple times; animal cruelty (childhood practice of throwing rocks at birds).
I would've picked a different narrator (one with more charisma, who sounds like he could actually be a ballplayer from Mobile,
TW/CW: The n-word does come up multiple times; animal cruelty (childhood practice of throwing rocks at birds).
I would've picked a different narrator (one with more charisma, who sounds like he could actually be a ballplayer from Mobile,
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Alabama, and preferably a Black narrator) but I am enjoying Paige's recorded oral histories so far. If you don't like baseball, you'll probably get bored, but otherwise an easy read. Show Less