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The word fabulous is perhaps one of the most overworked adjectives in the English language.
However, I cannot think of a better way to announce today's guest without reverting to the phrase.
My guest today will be the fabulous Satchel Paige.
I'll begin interviewing my old friend right after we hear this important message.
We played a ball game in Kansas City, Satch. You were driving your car. We left Kansas City Sunday night.
Rode on that bus from Sunday night until Tuesday morning, got into Philadelphia, played a twilight doubleheader.
How is it that you were able to perform day in and day out, living under the conditions that you were?
Well, Jack, it's the only thing I can see that when we was back playing like that, we used to ride with our knees up on our chin,
and four and five hundred miles, and we couldn't eat correctly at times.
And then we'd get out and didn't have time to stretch and jump on maybe one of the best clubs in Philly,
and it'd be a one or two-nothing game. And we'd done that for years, not only just one year.
That's the way we did until you got into majors.
What is the most important thing for a man to be successful?
I remember the great stories that they told about Satchel Pais.
You used to walk three men just to get a Jice Gibson to challenge the greatest hitter, I think, that baseball has produced.
This guy was fantastic, in my opinion. What was the challenge? Is it just a personal thing between you and Jice?
Yes, we was playing in Puerto Rico, and I was playing against Jice. I was playing with Sinclair, and he was playing with Sinclar.
And I'd beat him that day, and he told me one of these days his family was going to be at the baseball park,
and Gus Greenlee, and a whole lot of the big, big people was in pitch play, and that he was going to hit me with a fence and so.
I got by the Kansas City Monarchs, and he still was with the Grays, and so we'd come up there to play him.
And it was two out, so I walked the bases to get to Jice, and then I walked up and told him, I said, here's the chance.
What happened?
I threw him three balls. I threw him two fast balls and one curve ball.
And he sat down, huh?
Yeah.
Well, that's the kind of arm. How is it that your arm is able to stand up under these pressures?
You, because you were the drawing card in the Negro league, you would go in and pitch two, three, four innings every day,
or else the people wouldn't come out. How is it if your arm stood up? Do you diet?
I see. Does that help you stand out? Or can you eat anything you want, or are you picky with your food?
Well, I got to be picky because I have a gastric stomach. I've been at it.
Oh, what do you do? I've got a stomach that's causing me some trouble. Maybe I can get an idea of what I can do for mine.
Well, I started picking goat milk, and it helped me a lot.
Goat milk?
Mm-hmm.
Well, let's just see. Maybe I'll tell my wife about this. Maybe she'll bring me some goat milk and see if that'll help my stomach.
So that's thanks a lot for being with us, and good luck with your career.
And you're welcome.
And that just about does it for now, fans. See you soon.