Satchel Paige. The Pacific Coast League. Willie Davis. Homestead Grays.
Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige liked to make money, so him endorsing Coca-Cola in the early 1950’s as a member of the St. Louis Browns is no surprise to me.
Speaking of Ole’ Satch, I recently came across THIS article on USA Today Sports calling for a biopic on Paige’s life. I’ve been saying this for years. If 42 was a successful movie, I’d have to think that this would be as well. Make this happen, Hollywood!
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Dom Dallessandro
I came across this old Pacific Coast League photo recently and was quite delighted. I don’t know all the details of this photo, but do know that it’s from 1939 and that’s Dom Dallessandro from the San Diego Padres making his way down the first base line. I believe it was taken at Lane Field and the Padres were playing the Oakland Oaks?
Dallessandro had one hell of a season in 1939 by knocking in 199 hits with a .368 batting average. This undoubtedly helped him return to the big leagues, where he played for parts of the next 7 seasons with the Cubs before returning to the PCL in 1948 to play for the Angels.
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Willie Davis
April 25th, 1965. Los Angeles Dodger’s center fielder Willie Davis prepares to slide into second base. According to the description, photographer Neil Leifer grabbed this gem by remotely taking a photo with a camera that was placed underneath the base. This easily has to be one of my favorite action shots of all time.
If you are interested in purchasing a print of this, or checking out any other amazing photos taken by Leifer, visit the official site HERE.
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Homestead Grays
The 1913 Homestead Grays in their second year in existence. Third from the left, on the second row is Cumberland Posey. If you’re not aware of Posey’s significance to the Homestead Grays and the Negro Leagues, I suggest reading up on him as he was one of the most important people in black baseball due to the fact that he played with, managed, and owned the Grays during his career.
In 2006, Posey was recognized for these contributions and voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Too bad it was 60 years after his untimely death in 1946 of cancer.
Click on the photo for a high-def scan version. It’s definitely worth checking out.
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Artie Wilson
Another great Pacific Coast League photo, this time we have Artie Wilson of the Seattle Rainiers running through first base in a game against the Hollywood Stars. Wilson is one of my favorite players of yesteryear due to his Baseball resume, which consists of time played in the Major Leagues, Pacific Coast League, and Negro Leagues. I recently discovered that he also spent time playing in the Puerto Rican Baseball League. I think it’s safe to say that he had one hell of a career in Baseball that spanned from the early 1940s to the 1960s.
Besides Wilson’s longevity and various leagues he played in, he’s also known for batting .402 in 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons, playing in 4 Negro League All-Star games and winning 4 PCL batting titles. I wish more people knew about the guy, he definitely deserves the recognition.
ninety feet of perfection. 
Any ideas about who should play Satch? I think Mos Def would be a good starting point.
Great ad. Love the pony bottle of Coke.
Good question! Mos Def would be very cool, but I don’t think he captures Satch’s physical attributes of being very tall and thin!