How does one write a story about a man who even during his glory days was as much myth as he was real? Leroy "Satchel" Paige is a poster child for the tragedy of segregated baseball. Tye interviewed more than 200 veteran fellow players of the Negro and Major Leagues and fleshes out the Satchel Paige persona. Through Paige’s hardscrabble years growing up in Jim Crow Alabama to his time with the Negro Leagues’ Kansas City Monarchs, his tours barnstorming against the likes of Dizzy Dean and Bob Feller and seasons played in Cuba, Venezuela ,the Dominican Republic, and the Major Leagues Tye tells the story of one of the finest pitchers ever who finally was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. A joy to read as it was about his life outside of baseball as much as about his baseball career.

posted Feb 12, 2010 at 11:34AM

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