Dizzy meets Satch: Two baseball legends clashed in 1944
In June 1944, Newark baseball fans had a special treat: Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige opposed one another in an exhibition game at White Field.
Both are considered among the greatest pitchers of all time and have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.
Paige arrived with the Chicago American Giants, and Dean came with the Columbus Model Dairy All-Stars. Jim Paul and I were directly behind home plate in the old rickety stands, and although it was quite cold that evening, all 1,200 of us in attendance enjoyed ourselves.
Paige only allowed one walk in his three innings; Dean didn't do quite as well, allowing one run in his three innings.
It has been said that Paige has pitched for more teams than any other player in the history of baseball. He didn't start in the major leagues until the age of forty-two, for the 1948 World Series-winning Cleveland Indians. He last pitched in the majors at the age of fifty-nine, a league record. He is well known for saying "Don't look back, they may be gaining on you."
Dean was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games, pitching for the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals (The Gashouse Gang). He would have no doubt won many more games in his career if he hadn't hurt his toe in the 1937 All-Star game. He also tried to change his delivery, which hurt his pitching arm.
He became an announcer in the CBS game of the week. His language drew attention from school teachers because he said "slud" instead of "slid." He is quoted saying that "Slud is something more than slid. It means sliding with great effort."
He was also fond of using the word "ain't." His defense: "Let the teachers teach English, and I will teach baseball. There's a lot of people in the United States who say isn't, and they ain't eating."
Jerry Satterfield is a lifelong Newark resident, retired from Rockwell and volunteers for the Licking County Historical Society.
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What was Mother's Day like 40 years ago in Newark?