re: How good was Satchel Paige?

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I read The Big Bam by Leigh Montville in the spring.

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Do you come into my house and steal my books when I'm at work?

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Dizzy Dean .

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My grandmothers best friends were Dizzy Dean and his wife and her and Dizzy had an affair that lasted many years. My grandmother was not married so she was not cheating on her husband FYI. Dizzy was even in my parents wedding. It's a shame he died before I could have met him, my grandmother told me a ton of stories about what a great guy he was and the adventures they had.

Here is a fun fact for Bama fans. I have the program from Dizzys funeral and Bear Bryant was a pall bearer.

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Your grandma was some baseball player's side piece. It all makes sense now.

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More like mistress since they were so serious for years and years but yes. I had known about her and Dizzy since I was a kid, from what her and my parents told me they were very much in love. She died a year and a half ago, she was almost 94, and while we were cleaning out her house I found letters from her and Lou Boudreau who is also in the MLB HOF and based on one letter he wrote her there is no doubt it was a pretty serious relationship as well that had been going on for awhile. She was a cleat chaser for sure but at least she didn't just frick decent players a few times, she got MLB HOF'ers to fall head over heals in love with her!