Book Review #14: Maybe I'll Pitch Forever

Maybe I'll Pitch Forever (1962 First Print/1992 Reprint)

For awhile I had been looking to find a book on Satchel Paige that I could read. But there were a lot of books out there to choose from, but I could never pick one . It wasn't until I read Buck O'Neil's book that I settled on Maybe I'll Pitch Forever. If this book was good enough for Buck, then it was good enough for me.

As for Maybe I'll Pitch Forever, this pretty much tells it like it is from the man himself: Leroy "Satchel" Paige. It's your typical biography detailing his life from his days as a rambunctious kid to his time in the Negro Leagues to his eventual call up to the Major Leagues. Throughout the book as you listen in on Satch telling his stories about his barnstorming days, players like Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson, you come away with a better understanding of the man and what he did for the game of Baseball.

There are a handful of players that I wish that I could have gotten the chance see to play: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Walter Johnson, Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and of course Satchel Paige. 

This book was pretty fascinating to read and was hard to put down once I started the book. It's quite engaging and funny at times. But you have to know something about the man himself. He was a showman of epic proportions and had a tendency to exaggerate his accomplishments during his playing days for the benefit of the writers that were following him at the time. Don't get me wrong, he was every bit as good as the legend tells it. But you will find yourself wondering from time to time about some of the stories he tells. But this doesn't take away from the thrill of reading about him though.

One last thing I have to point out before I wrap this up, it's still mind boggling to think that Satch at the age of 59, pitched 3 innings in the Big Show. Sheesh! And THAT story is true! :)

Rating: 4 Stars out 5

Review by Chiprocks1