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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 91 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 91

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should posthumously 
  award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Leroy Robert ``Satchel'' 
                                 Paige.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 1, 2006

   Mr. Nelson of Florida (for himself, Mr. DeWine, and Mr. Sessions) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should posthumously 
  award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Leroy Robert ``Satchel'' 
                                 Paige.

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 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--

    (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

    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that the President should award the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Leroy ``Satchel'' Paige 
in honor of his distinguished baseball career and the contributions 
that he has made to the improvement of the society of the United States 
and the world.
                                 <all>
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