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“Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common.” –Satchel Paige
Leroy Paige's Childhood
Leroy Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama in approximately 1906 to a very poor family. He was the 7th of 12 children, and he got a job at the Railroad station when he was 12 years old, to make money for his family. He would carry people’s suitcases, or satchels. He found a way to get more dimes by getting a long, wooden stick to carry more satchels with. One of his friends told him that he looked like a satchel tree. This name stuck. He loved to throw things and was very good at it. He got so good at it, he could throw a rock, and hit a bird flying in the sky. He also liked throwing baseballs when he could get his hands on them. One day, he saw three large, shiny rings. He was caught stealing them, and was sent to reformatory school. He got a chance to practice baseball, constantly, while he was at the school. The coach at the school showed him a new pitching motion. This was the pitching motion that he used throughout his career. He stayed at the school until he was 17 years old and practiced all the time. This would be “the tool that would bring him his fame and fortune” said Tom O’Neil. His childhood would set him up for success down the road.