It was on this day in 1971 that Satchel Paige became the first player from the Negro-League to be elected into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Paige was unanimously chosen to be the first Negro-Leaguer in the Hall due to his pitching dominance during the 30’s and 40’s.
Paige was a superstar and the Negro-League’s biggest draw before making the move to the Majors. It was his ability to strikeout batters with a flame throwing fastball as well as his energetic personality that made him so popular.
Barry Larkin and Ron Santo were recently voted in as members of the 2012 Baseball HOF class. In this era of juiced-up players, it will be tough for voters to choose a player who they suspect had some ‘outside help’. In the upcoming years, expect there to be less men making it to Cooperstown, especially with the uncertainty about who put what into their body.
Here is a clip of Satchel’s unique windup and delivery.
Notable Birthdays
Danny White, NFL – Born February 9th 1952 (age 59) in Mesa, Arizona
Andre Savard, NHL – Born February 9th 1953 (age 58) in Temiscaming, Quebec
Vladimir Guerrero, MLB – Born February 9th 1975 (age 36) in Nizao, Dominican Republic