Professional baseball has been around for a century and a half, with a rich tradition of players. One of the things I love about the game is that although there are different eras – some with more offense, some with less, some with more home runs, some with more steals – the game is essentially the same. But the different eras provide an opportunity for different skillsets to excel. You have precise hitters like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams in the “golden era”. You have dominant, intimidating pitchers in the 60s like Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson. You have blinding speedsters in the 70s and 80s like Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson. You have big boppers in the home run era like Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr.
But some of these players came before our time, before YouTube, when we can only listen to or read the stories of those that saw them in their prime. An off day seems like the perfect time to ask a simple baseball fan question: if you could travel back in time and watch one player at the absolute peak of his powers, who would it be?
Advertisement
By many accounts, Leroy “Satchel” Paige was among the greatest to ever pitch. His feats are legendary. There was the story of time the he intentionally walked the bases loaded to face Josh Gibson, then struck him out on three fastballs. There are accounts of him telling his fielders to sit down, for they weren’t needed, or Paige telling the hitter what was coming, knowing his pitches couldn’t be touched. He made his MLB debut at age 42 (or thereabouts, no one knew his true age), and was a very solid pitcher well into his 40s, even throwing three scoreless innings at age 58.
So I would love to see Paige in his prime. Did he live up to the legends? What was fact and what was fiction? How much fun was it to see him engage in his showmanship?
Who played before your time that you wish you could get a chance to see?
