I had the opportunity to speak with Ross "Satchel" Davis in 2008 for an hour about baseball. I wish that I had recorded the interview, as it was extremely spirited and informative. Around the same time I spoke with him, another writer went and visited him at his home in Garwood, Texas, and
posted a wonderful article about their meeting.
This tribute below captures the essence of what I remember about Ross "Satchel" Davis from the encounter I had with him on the phone. He was kind enough to send a bunch of photos and custom
baseball cards with a stamped signature, as he couldn't sign his name at that time.
Ross “Satchel” Davis, former pitcher for the Cleveland Buckeyes of the
Negro Leagues,
passed away at the age of 94 from complications due to pneumonia early
in the morning on January 1st, 2013 at the DeBakey VA hospital in Houston,
Texas according to his close friend Sarah Perry. Perry is the daughter
of Melinda Ramsey, the family whom Davis lived with during the past few
years in the Houston suburb of Garwood.
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| Ross 'Satchel' Davis signed photo |
Davis was born on July 28, 1918 in Greenville, Mississippi. He pitched in
the Negro Leagues from 1940-47 with the Baltimore Elite Giants,
Cleveland Buckeyes, New York Black Yankees, and Boston Blues. His career
highlights included pitching a no-hitter with Roy Campanella as his
catcher as a member of the Baltimore Elite Giants against a potent
Newark Eagles lineup that included Hall of Famers Biz Mackey, Monte
Irvin, and Willie Wells in 1940, and pitching in the 1947 Negro World
Series as a member of the Negro American League champion Cleveland
Buckeyes.
His career was interrupted due to his military service in World War
II from November 1943 through the end of the 1945 season. During his
Army service, he was awarded a Bronze Star. Despite receiving a
discharge that forbade him from playing baseball due to a bout with
hepatitis in the service, Davis signed with Boston Blues of Branch
Rickey’s United States League in 1946. Eventually he made his way back
to the Buckeyes the following year, posting a 5-1 record during their
run to the Negro World Series. At the end of the season due to
persistent health problems, he called it quits at the age of 29. Despite his early exit from the game, in a 2006 interview with the
Long Beach Telegram, he looked back with fond admiration at his playing
days.
"No doubt those seasons were some of the best times of my life,"
he said. "Of course, like I said, those also were hard years, and when
it became a job rather than a game I quit. I can thank the good Lord
that all that segregation we faced is past now. Still, I think I'd
rather have played then because even with all we had to deal with, the
game was only about the game. We didn't do all the posturing you see
now. If we hit a home run, we'd run around the bases like we were trying
to turn a single into a double, not stand there and look at the ball
like some guys do now. We'd call that showboating, and that just wasn't
done in our day.”
Davis’ signature pitch was his fastball, which earned him the respect of the mighty Josh Gibson, and praise from the man whom he shared the same nickname,
Satchel Paige. In an interview with author Brent P. Kelley in the 2003 book, “
I Will Never Forget,” he explained how he earned his moniker.
“Satchel gave me that name when he came through St.
Louis,” he said. “I was warming up getting’ ready to go in the fourth,
and he came down and wanted to know who was this young fella throwin’
these salt tablets. They said, ‘That’s Ross Davis.’ He [Satchel] said,
‘Well, he throws the ball harder’n me.’ Of course, the guys didn’t have
any idea they were gonna hit Satchel, so they knew that we were comin’
behind Satchel. They started grittin’ their teeth, taking their vicious
practice swings, and Satchel with his big mouth said, ‘No need for you
so-and-so’s diggin’ in. That’s my son out there. He throws the ball
harder’n I do.’ The news papers took it up, started to call me ‘Satchel Paige’ Davis, and then they reduced it to ‘Satchel’ Davis.”
Davis was living in Long Beach, Calif., when he met Melinda Ramsey
and her husband through the Internet. They formed a special bond, and
invited him to live in an apartment in their home. Davis accepted, and
Perry said his presence was more than they ever imagined.
“He took us in,” Perry said. “He was the best friend you could ever have. He had
lots of stories, lots of advice ... just a perfect friend.”
