109TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 91

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas Satchel Paige, who was born on July 7, 1906, in

Mobile, Alabama, lived a life that was marked by his outstanding contributions to the game of baseball;

Whereas Satchel Paige was a dominating pitcher whose baseball career spanned several decades, from 1927 to 1965;

Whereas Satchel Paige played in the Negro Leagues and became famous for his unusual pitching style and his ability

to strike out almost any player he faced;

Whereas Satchel Paige pitched 62 consecutive scoreless innings in 1933;

Whereas due to the practice of segregation in baseball, Satchel Paige was prohibited for many years from playing

baseball at the major league level;

Whereas Satchel Paige played for many Negro League teams,

including—

(1) the Chattanooga Black Lookouts;

(2) the Birmingham Black Barons;

(3) the Nashville Elite Giants;

(4) the Mobile Tigers;

(5) the Pittsburgh Crawfords; and

(6) the Kansas City Monarchs;

Whereas while pitching for the Kansas City Monarchs, Satchel Paige won 4 consecutive league pennants from 1939 to
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1942, and later won a 5th pennant in 1946 with that

team;

Whereas after the desegregation of baseball, Satchel Paige

signed a contract to pitch for the Cleveland Indians at

age 42, and soon thereafter became the oldest rookie ever

to play baseball at the major league level;

Whereas the extraordinary pitching of Satchel Paige helped

the Cleveland Indians complete a championship season in

1948, as the team won the American League Championship and the World Series;

Whereas Satchel Paige threw an estimated 300 career shutouts;

Whereas in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first Negro

League player to be inducted into the Major League

Baseball Hall of Fame;

Whereas the legendary pitching of Satchel Paige earned him

numerous awards and accolades, including—

(1) a nomination to the All Century Team by Major

League Baseball as 1 of the greatest players of the 20th

century; and

(2) a selection to the 50 Legends of Baseball by the

Postal Service;

Whereas despite years of discrimination that limited the play

of Satchel Paige to the Negro Leagues, his prowess on

the pitching mound earned him the respect and admiration of fans and players throughout the world of baseball;

Whereas Satchel Paige passed away on June 8, 1982; and

Whereas the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, was established in 1945

to recognize citizens of the United States who have made

exceptional contributions to—
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SCON 91 ES

(1) the security or national interests of the United

States;

(2) world peace;

(3) the culture of the United States or the world; or

(4) the citizens of the United States or the world:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the

3 President should award the Presidential Medal of Free4 dom posthumously to Leroy ‘‘Satchel’’ Paige in honor of

5 his distinguished baseball career and the contributions

6 that he has made to the improvement of the society of

7 the United States and the world.

Passed the Senate May 2, 2006.

Attest:

Secretary.
109TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 91

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the PresiPaige. Medal of Freedom to Leroy Robert ‘‘Satchel’’ dent should posthumously award the Presidential