A Note From Bob
The day that belongs to Satchel
Tuesday, and today belongs to one man twice over. Leroy "Satchel" Paige was born on this day in 1906 in Mobile, Alabama. Exactly 42 years later, on his birthday, Bill Veeck signed him to the Cleveland Indians and made him the oldest rookie the major leagues had ever seen. The critics called it a publicity stunt. Paige answered by going 6 and 1 down the stretch and helping Cleveland win the World Series. Today's featured quiz celebrates the fastest arm and the quickest wit the game has ever known. Grab your coffee.
Trivia Question of the Day
In 1920, a star pitcher turned team owner gathered his rivals at a YMCA in Kansas City and founded the first Black professional baseball league to truly succeed, earning him a title he still holds: the father of Black baseball. Who was he?
The answer is at the bottom of this email.
Today's Featured Quiz
Satchel Paige
Fifteen questions on the pitcher who may have won more games than anyone who ever lived. From the sandlots of Mobile to two decades of barnstorming legend, from a rookie season at 42 to three final innings in the majors at 59, his story has no equal in American sports. See how well you know Satchel.
The Answer
Andrew "Rube" Foster
Foster was one of the finest pitchers of his era before he turned to managing and ownership with the Chicago American Giants. On February 13, 1920, he brought rival owners together at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City and founded the Negro National League, the first Black professional league built to last. His motto said it all: "We are the ship, all else the sea." Foster entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, and the leagues he made possible gave us Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and a lanky young fireballer named Satchel Paige.
On This Day
On this day in 1948, Bill Veeck handed a Cleveland Indians contract to a 42-year-old rookie, on that rookie's own birthday. By then Satchel Paige had already spent two decades as the biggest draw in the Negro Leagues, where some of the greatest baseball in history was played far from the major league spotlight. In 2024, Major League Baseball finally wrote the Negro Leagues' statistics into its official record books. Today's companion quiz takes you inside that remarkable story.
Stay
Curious.
Bob
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