Posted on Apr 1, 2023
Why Satchel Paige might be the most significant figure in Wichita's baseball history
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Wichita’s National Baseball Congress has showcased the best collegiate and semipro players in the country for nearly 100 years. But of all the players who have played here, perhaps none is as significant to the city’s baseball history as Leroy “Satchel” Paige.
WICHITA, Kansas — Little did city leaders know what they were setting in motion when they decided in the early 1930s to widen the Arkansas River downtown to prevent flooding.
The decision meant the end of Ackerman Island, which sat on a sandbar in the middle of the river. And the end of Island Park, the baseball stadium there.
In 1934, Raymond "Hap" Dumont helped convince city officials to build Lawrence Stadium, promising to hold a national baseball tournament there if they did.
WICHITA, Kansas — Little did city leaders know what they were setting in motion when they decided in the early 1930s to widen the Arkansas River downtown to prevent flooding.
The decision meant the end of Ackerman Island, which sat on a sandbar in the middle of the river. And the end of Island Park, the baseball stadium there.
In 1934, Raymond "Hap" Dumont helped convince city officials to build Lawrence Stadium, promising to hold a national baseball tournament there if they did.
Why Satchel Paige might be the most significant figure in Wichita's baseball history
Posted from kcur.org
Wichita
Baseball
American History
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""By that point in his life, Paige understood his role as a celebrity," Kentling said. "Part of the deal was he was going to stand for a lot of pictures. He was going to sign autographs. Because he wasn't Satchel Paige, the great right-handed picture anymore. He was Satchel Paige, the celebrity. But he adapted to that very, very well and embraced it.
"I cannot tell you how many kids who had never seen Satchel Paige play wanted his autograph."
Paige died in 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri, where he had spent many years playing with the Monarchs of the Negro League.
Kentling said Paige's contributions to baseball in Wichita transcend any other player.
"It's incalculable what this one man meant to the city of Wichita, " Kentling said. "And when you tie his legacy to Dumont, I would argue that they are the two most influential people in the history of baseball, not just in Wichita, but I would say Kansas.
"And the fact that the universe put them together for one summer, and that here we are 50 years later talking about it, answers your question about the influence that he had."
...""By that point in his life, Paige understood his role as a celebrity," Kentling said. "Part of the deal was he was going to stand for a lot of pictures. He was going to sign autographs. Because he wasn't Satchel Paige, the great right-handed picture anymore. He was Satchel Paige, the celebrity. But he adapted to that very, very well and embraced it.
"I cannot tell you how many kids who had never seen Satchel Paige play wanted his autograph."
Paige died in 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri, where he had spent many years playing with the Monarchs of the Negro League.
Kentling said Paige's contributions to baseball in Wichita transcend any other player.
"It's incalculable what this one man meant to the city of Wichita, " Kentling said. "And when you tie his legacy to Dumont, I would argue that they are the two most influential people in the history of baseball, not just in Wichita, but I would say Kansas.
"And the fact that the universe put them together for one summer, and that here we are 50 years later talking about it, answers your question about the influence that he had."
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