1a. When did Satchel Paige throw his first pitch in the big leagues? In what league had he played before?
2a. What "idea" does Paige describe in his story about a tight situation?
3a. What do the numbers tell you about Paige? What don't they tell you?
1b. Why didn't Satchel Paige get the recognition he deserved as a young ball player?
2b. What do you learn about Paige from this story?
3b. What do Paige's antics suggest about his character?
4a. What difficulties did African-American players face during the years of segregation?
4b. How did Paige react in the face of these difficulties?
5a. What do you think are the main characteristics of Paige's personality?
5b. Explain what qualities of Paige's personality are reflected in the poem "To Satch."
Background Information. Reread the background information at the beginning of this selection. What is the main point of this information? How does the author reinforce this point throughout the selection?
Chronological Order. Look at the time line you created of the events in Satchel Paige's life. In a separate color, mark where Satchel Paige should have started his major league career and when he could have won Rookie of the Year.
1. Write a headline about one of Paige's exploits. It might be about a game he won, how he got his team out of a tricky situation, how he pitched two games at the same time, or some other story.
2. The stories Paige told often contained elements that seemed overstated or larger than life. This is often true of tall tales. Write a tall tale about an exploit of your own.
3. Write a poem about a person who has influenced you in some way.
Antonyms. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Write three antonyms for each of the following words.
1. taunt:
2. prosper:
3. dismay:
4. rutted:
5. flamboyant:
6. waning:
Avoiding Double Negatives. A negative is a "no" word. The use of two negatives in a sentence is called a double negative. Check your writing to be sure that you have not used two negative words such as no, not, nobody, none, nothing, hardly, barely, can't, doesn't, won't, isn't, or aren't together. In the space provided, re-write the following sentences but change double negatives by deleting one negative or by replacing it with a positive word.
1. No African-American players weren't allowed to play in the major leagues until the mid-1940s.
2. Before Jackie Robinson, there weren't no African-American players in the major leagues.
3. Satchel Paige did not play for no major league team until he was over forty.
4. People thought that he was too old, but nobody couldn't say he wasn't a great player.
5. Paige didn't let nobody talk him out of playing.
6. Littlefield didn't think nobody should be excluded from the game because of race.
7. People couldn't hardly believe Paige's stories.
8. Paige wasn't no amateur player.
9. He didn't expect nothing but only hoped to play.
10. Littlefield couldn't hardly admire Paige more.
Using Almanacs and Yearbooks. Use an almanac or yearbook to answer the following questions:
1. Who won the 1989 World Series?
2. What team has won more World Series than any other?
3. What teams played in the 1991 World Series?
4. What Negro League pitcher entered the hall of fame in 1999?
5. Who won the Cy Young Awards in 1999? What was each pitcher's ERA?
