[SelzShoes]

The chilly Buffalo night turned absolutely frigid. Rickey could not bring himself to say anything to Veeck. It was because of Veeck this night was going horribly wrong.

Late in spring training Satchel Paige, the best known if not the best Negro pitcher, had come down with a tender elbow. Paige, notorious for his durability insisted he had pitched through worse. Rickey, on advice from the training staff, shut Satch down. Clyde Sukeforth, despite the daily pleas from the most veteran of rookies, agreed and refused to put Paige in.

Bill Veeck, the primary moneyman in the organization, had been feeling pressure from the League to start Paige in Buffalo. The opening day had been lackluster, although it was an all-time record for a ball game in Buffalo, and attendance had dipped each day. The cold was keeping the people away. While Rickey wanted to hold Paige back for the opening day at Yankee Stadium Veeck was swayed to the league's point of view. "Normally, I can be a pain in the ass," Veeck told Earle Mack, still working for his father, but now as the President's liaison, "But your dad could have stood in the way of what we wanted to do with the blacks. I owe you this much."

In the middle was poor Clyde Sukeforth. His loyalty lay with Rickey, but the chain of command started with Veeck. "Awful cold tonight Satch, sure you're ready?"

"Get me in today, and I can go again Sunday against the Yankees!"

Now it was the third inning, and Paige was coming out. It was hard to tell what happened. The pitch was fluid, the follow through textbook-yet there was Paige. Bent over, holding his right elbow.

Rickey left the box, with Veeck slowly in tow.

"I thought we agreed I was to make the baseball decisions around here," Rickey's voice quivered with rage. Of all the men who deserved this moment, none had waited as long a Satchel. It was a waste of God's gift.

Veeck lit a cigarette looking for words. "This is as much my team as it is yours Branch." Too much power had been surrendered without thought. Now that Veeck understood what type of relationship Rickey wanted from an owner, he didn't like it. "I'm team President. I have the last word on everything."