July 15, 1961 - At the age of 52 - "and that's the truth, man, no matter what those books say" - Leroy (Satchel) Paige (pictured with Roy Campanella) is ready to return to the major leagues. "There's not a team in either league that I couldn't help right now," he said. "But the scouts, they keep beating me about my age. The way I look at it, it shouldn't matter how old you are so long as you can produce - even if you're 100." A right-handed pitcher, Paige began his professional career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League and became one of the most famous and successful players from the Negro leagues. On town tours across the United States, Paige would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side. He pitched for five years in the American League for the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns.
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