Customer Reviews

Pitching Man, Satchel Paige Defying Time

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I watch a lot of baseball movies and this is one of the best. A story of a great American, Satchel Paige, told beautifully in this fascinating movie.

This film about baseball legend Satchel Paige goes well beyond baseball to tell the story of how one man fought back against discrimination and triumphed during the Jim Crow era and beyond using wit, style and incredible talent. Satchel's story is one of the great originals, like Louis Armstrong or Muhammad Ali, and this film brings him to life as never before. The soundtrack is good too. This is the real thing.

In the pantheon of great baseball players there are only a select few where legend almost equals reality. Babe Ruth certainly, maybe Dizzy Dean, and most definitely the immortal Satchel Paige. Growing up poor in the rural south, Paige toiled for years in the relative obscurity of the Negro Leagues, victim of the prejudice of the times. However, despite this notoriety obstacle, this pitching virtuoso through the shear force of his talent - and theatrical personality -managed to make a name for himself that transcended race and bigotry. By the time he was finally allowed entry into the Majors he may have been past his prime, but good enough to be an integral factor in his teams' success.
This amazing journey by this indomitable figure is richly and vividly chronicled in Mr. Davidson's impressive bio-documentary. From Satchel's humble beginnings, through his stints in the Negro and Mexican Leagues, to his ultimate triumphs in "The Bigs," the movie tells the whole story, fact and legend, in a coherent and entertaining manner. With a stirring narration by Bill Dee Williams, rare photographic stills, and a evocative soundtrack, I heartedly recommend "Pitching Man" to both the baseball enthusiast and the general public alike.

As Bob Dylan says ~ 'the times they are a changin'. So much of our history is unexplored within the context our current consumer driven media environment. "Pitching Man" is a gem. We get not only the view, but the feel of a crucial time in our history that is all too quickly fading from memory. Told from the point of view of historians and the players themselves ~ "Pitching Man" delivers a clear eyed record and a compelling story of an amazing athlete living in a time when black ball players were just beginning to emerge from the regresses of Jim Crow to take there place as equals along side of their white counterparts.

In many ways Satchel Paige, like Louis 'Pops' Armstrong, was an ambassador for his race and his country. By embracing their culture, their humanity, and their times, men like these paved the way for the civil rights movement that is just now coming to fruition. A must see for lovers of baseball, history and Americana.