[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 49 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3806-S3807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 91--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
   THE PRESIDENT SHOULD POSTHUMOUSLY AWARD THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF 
               FREEDOM TO LEROY ROBERT ``SATCHEL'' PAIGE

  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:

                            S. Con. Res. 91

       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.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of 
myself,

[[Page S3807]]

and Senators DeWine and Sessions, to submit a resolution expressing the 
sense of Congress that the President posthumously award the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom to Leroy Robert ``Satchel'' Paige in 
recognition of his amazing talent and contributions to baseball, our 
national pastime.
  Satchel Paige was born in Mobile, AL, on July 7, 1906, and has been 
described as one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. In 
1933, for example, he pitched 62 consecutive scoreless innings. He won 
four consecutive Negro League pennants from 1939 to 1942, and a fifth 
pennant in 1946. Although Paige spent most of his career in the Negro 
Leagues due to racial segregation, his reputation as an amazing pitcher 
was known to both Black and White audiences.
  In 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson integrated major league 
baseball, Paige was signed to play with the Cleveland Indians, becoming 
the oldest rookie at age 42 to play at the Major League level.
  On August 20, 1948, as Paige pitched the Indians to a 1-0 victory 
over the White Sox, the night game's attendance, 78,382, set a record 
that still stands today. The Cleveland Indians went on to win the 
American League Championship and the World Series in 1948.
  In his career, Paige threw an estimated 300 career shutouts. In 1971, 
he became the first Negro League player inducted into the Major League 
Baseball Hall of Fame. As one of the greatest players of the 20th 
century, he was nominated to the All Century Team by Major League 
Baseball, and was selected by the Postal Service as one of the 50 
Legends of Baseball.
  Satchel Paige passed away on June 8, 1982, but his talent and 
electric style of play are still remembered by baseball fans today.

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