"Maybe I'll Pitch Forever"

This was the title to the autobiography of Satchell Paige.  He was the great pitcher of the Negro Leagues era of baseball, a time when our nation and sports was sadly segrated. 

His friend and teammate, Buck O'Neill, likes to tell the story of when they played together.  He recounts the story of when they were playing in the Negro League's equivalent of MLB's World Series.  It was the bottom of the 9th inning.  Paige and O'Neill's team was hanging on to a 1-0 lead.  Satchell was mowing the down the opposing hitters all day.  With Satchel Paige, all he needed was one run. 

Paige was on the mound and O'Neill was guarding the 3rd base line to watch an extra base liner.  There were two outs when an opposing hitter sent a line drive into the gap and stretched a double into a triple.  Satchell called O'Neill over and here is the paraphrased conversation:

Paige:  "Buck, do you know what I'm gonna do?"

O'Neill:  "Satch, I guess you're gonna strike this last guy out and we gonna get to the clubhouse, take a shwoer, and celebrate by drinking a few cold ones".

Paige:  "Nope.  I'm gonna walk the next guy and then the next guy to load 'em up"

O'Neill: "Why you wanna do that for, Satch?  We don't need a double play.  Just a strikeout like you been doing all day"

Paige:  "If I walk these first two, then I'll have to face Josh Gibson.  Everyone talks about him as the best hitter in baseball.  We all know I'm the best pitcher.  So, let's load 'em up and let's see who's better".

O'Neill:  "Okay, Satch, if that's what you want" (as O'Neill shook his head and walked incredulously back to Third Base)

Paige walked the next two batters and faced the great Josh Gibson.  In three pitches, Paige struck out Gibson and proved for that day he was the better of the two.

The last line of Paige's autobiography reads:  "Maybe I'll pitch forever.  Some say that I already have".  Quite profound.