The Mysteries of History (February 9)
McCarthy the Duffer Bluffer, and Satchel Paige the Real Deal
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, 1905
1950 — Deranged Senator Ignites a Red Scare
public domain image from wikimedia commons
The reactions in the photo above are both revealing and hilarious. Senator Joseph McCarthy had sought attention (or was delusional, or some combination of the two was at play) when he asserted that he had a list of 205 Communists who were working in the U.S. State Department. He was bluffing. The paper he was holding when he made his claim was blank.
Similar to some modern-day politicians, McCarthy’s relationship with the truth was wobbly and borderline non-existent. He gave different figures on various occasion of the number of Communists he had identified (10, 57, 81, 205), but never proved that there was even a single “Red” in the State Department.
McCarthy later pointed fingers at the U.S. Army, but was found to be unconvincing at best and quite possibly a raving lunatic. He was disgraced, discovered to be a buffoon, and died at 48, possibly at least partly due to the fact that he was no stranger to drinking irresponsibly and often.
Questions: Besides alcoholism, are there any indications as to why McCarthy either had delusional thoughts and/or wanted to seek attention by means of his wild accusations? Why were some people at the time inclined to give credence to McCarthy's claims — what was happening in the world that made it seem plausible that Communists had infiltrated the U.S. Government and Military?1971 — The Best Pitcher Ever Finally Inducted Into Baseball’s Hall of Fame
public domain images from wikimedia commons
Leroy “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982) was probably the best pitcher of all time, but because he spent most of his career in the Negro Leagues, he never got the attention he deserved. He didn’t make it to the Major Leagues until he was 42 (the year after Jackie Robinson “broke the color barrier” with the Brooklyn Dodgers), but when he finally did, he helped the Cleveland then-Indians-now-Guardians win a pennant.
When Paige was 65 years of age, he was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (on this date in 1971). In his career, Paige threw approximately 50 no-hitters, but statistics weren’t as meticulously recorded in the Negro Leagues, so the official record for verified no-hitters is Nolan Ryan’s relatively miniscule seven.
Paige played professionally up to the age of 59 (although on a regular basis “only” up to when he was 47 years old). Thus, he played professionally in five different decades: the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
New York Yankee great Joe DiMaggio said that Paige was the best pitcher he ever faced. A fellow stellar pitcher, Bob Feller, agreed with “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio that Paige was the best pitcher he had ever seen. And another standout pitcher, Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean, said that Paige’s fastball made his own look like a changeup (which is basically a “slowball”).
Paige was so good that he would often have the outfielders trot in from the field and take a seat in the dugout, so confident was he that no batter would hit a ball out of the infield; he even called the infield in, at times, too, certain that all he needed was his catcher on the field with him in order to strike out the side. During practice, he would have someone hold a lit match over home plate, and put the flame out with a baseball thrown from the pitching mound. He was both a very hard thrower and a pinpoint (or matchtip) accurate one.
Paige is also known for some memorable quotes, such as, “Don’t look back; something might be gaining on you” and “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Questions: On which Negro League team were Paige and Jackie Robinson teammates? How did Leroy Paige get the nickname "Satchel"? In what other countries (besides the U.S.) did Paige play?
