Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim CrowWriter: James Strum
Artist: Rich Tommaso
Publisher: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion books for children
A Baseball Legend’s enduring story!
By JOHN L. DANIELS JR
EDITED BY JACQUELINE MILLS-DANIELS
As a kid growing up during the late sixties in Washington, D.C (DC), I was a huge fan of The Washington Senators. I remember my grandfather would give my brother and me $10.00 to go see the baseball games at R.F.K Stadium. That $10.00 would cover bus fare, admission, hot dogs, soda, popcorn, and a ride home back on the bus; usually asleep in my big brother’s arms.
Frequently, my grandfather told us stories about the Negro League and DC’s team the Homestead Grays, particularly players Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. My grandfather also talked about the inequality bestowed on African-American baseball players; they could not play with White players in sports. As a kid I did not understand. All I wanted to see was the Senators catcher Paul Casanova and first baseman Frank Howard play in a baseball game. As it would happen, the sixties meant turbulent change for baseball. At the end of the 1970 baseball season, The Washington Senators were sold and moved to the state of Minnesota and renamed the Minnesota Twins. I was a distraught child, though I kept an attachment to Minnesota. Thus I still followed the team during the following decades.
My grandfather’ baseball stories stay with me up to the present day. Now in 2008, D.C. has a new baseball team, the Nationals, and a new stadium. The Washington Nationals played their last R.F.K game at in 2007. While at that final baseball game, memories of R.F.K stadium memories swelled in my head; what wonderful times I experienced there. My thoughts also filled me with despair, because I remembered my grandfather’s stories about the Negro League baseball players. Major League Baseball has genuinely memorialized and gave recognition to the Negro League players over the years, and I commend them for this.
As a reviewer of Comic publications, I was very intrigued to read and review this groundbreaking and informative novel; published by Jump at Sun/Hyperion books for children. The Center for Cartoon studies presents an enduring graphic novel about one of the Negro League's most famous baseball pitcher’s ever, the great
Satchel Paige.This enduring story concerns a father, Emmitt who at one time batted against the great Satchel Paige for a great home run. Though Emmitt experienced a life changing disability during the game, he forever had respect and admiration for Satchel Paige. As a young man, he gave his all to get a home run against a Satchel pitch, only to get a base hit. The story winds from the past of a young man to his time as a father who experiences the plight of Jim Crow’s segregation. The story follows Emmitt’s experiences through heartache and despair and the savage lynchings of the south. Only a parent could protect a child during the segregation times of hate and death. This gentleman also had the opportunity to witness the biggest event in his town during the 1920-30's glorious baseball days. Many of the white landowners inherited their wealth from the backs of their father’s sharecroppers and were also baseball players. After their father’s deaths, they were forced to rule the land. The brothers took advantage of the sharecroppers, as most landowners did. This story’s greatest example is the foul treatment of Emmitt, who tried to get home with chickens for his family’s dinner.
The brothers wanted to set people in their place; to show the superiority of their prowess. So the brothers knew the tale of the Negro’s hero Satchel Paige. The brothers set up a game against the Negro League team. The events at the game were demeaning to the brothers because the great Satchel Paige arrived at the very late innings of the game. The brothers taunted, scoured, cussed, and demeaned Satchel as well. So Satchel cleared the infield, cleared his outfield, struck out the brothers and their slugger, and won the game. Satchel Paige showed his own prowess and gave comeuppance to the brothers and the laws of Jim Crow.
The son was taught a valuable lesson, you can do and be whatever you want; even become a baseball player like Satchel Paige or a great player in life like his father. The story is a great tale of ambition and dreams, perseverance and wit through the United States’ most in segregated times.
This is a good book for youths, and anyone wanting to know about The Negro Baseball League. This is an exceptional educational tool for schools as an introduction to African-American history.
I give this graphic novel a resounding A+ or as they say five stars .
