#Spotlight – What better way to preview the Negro Leagues upcoming Centennial Anniversary than a trip down baseball's memory lane through the unique travel's of a true baseball original - Satchel Paige.
Part 3 begins with Satchel and the Dictator.
Ciudad Trujillo - 1937
In 1937, Satchel Paige was recruited to go the Dominican Republic to play for dictator Rafael Trujillo. Paige was also given the assignment (and $30,000) to recruit other Negro League Players to play. Paige recruited Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Leroy Matlock, Sam Bankhead, Harry Williams and Herman Andrews (this led to the players being banned from the Negro League).
Upon returning to the United States, the "Trujillo's All-Stars" were formed because the players still faced a ban from the teams in the Negro League.
Newark Eagles, Agrario of the Mexican League - 1938
In 1938, Gus Greenlee sold Paige's contract to the Newark Eagles for $5,000, but since they couldn't get him to sign the team sold him to the Mexican League for Agrario. This is where Paige would suffer the first major arm injury of his career even resulting in Doctor's telling him that he would never pitch again.
Kansas City Travelers, Satchel Paige All-Stars, Brujos de Guayama of Puerto Rico Winter League - 1939-1940
Injured and unemployable, Satchel began to think his career was over and started thinking about becoming a Manager or Coach. Unable to hook onto a team, he reached out to J.L. Wilkinson again, but this team Paige was offered a job on the barnstorming team the Kansas City Travelers. The Travelers were renamed the Satchel Paige All-Stars.
In 1940 Paige joined the Brujos de Guayama team, where he seemed to regain his old form.
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