| Believed to have been born this day in 1906 in Mobile, Alabama, Leroy Robert Paige, better known as Satchel Paige, was an African American professional baseball pitcher who earned legendary fame during his many years in the Negro leagues; he finally was allowed to enter the major leagues in 1948, after the unwritten rule against black players was relaxed. In his later years Paige, a humorous man, derived much amusement from the controversy about his age; his birth date is sometimes placed as early as December 18, 1899. |