- Gordon Loveless, a baseball enthusiast from Layton, recounts meeting legendary pitcher Satchel Paige in 1965 in Alaska.
- Loveless took a pitch from at the time Paige and got the older man to autograph a baseball for him.
- Loveless is in the process of getting the autograph authenticated, and enjoys sharing its story with others.
LAYTON — In 1965, at the age of 22, Gordon Loveless — now of Layton — stood at the plate at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage, Alaska, looking the 60½ feet to the pitcher's mound, waiting for the great Satchel Paige to throw a pitch his way.
As a baseball fan, Loveless was well aware of Paige. He loved baseball and its players — both major leagues and players in what were then called the Negro leagues — and he had heard the stories of Paige's prominence over anyone who stepped up to the plate, regardless of skin color.
In those days, baseball players went wherever they had to or wanted to just to play the game. But the presence of a legend like Paige was quite a surprise.
At the time, Paige was 59 years old, well past the ability to throw the rumored 100 mph fastballs that passed a 17-year-old rookie named Willie Mays. Loveless would not be relaxed by Paige's age, though. This was still the man Joe DiMaggio from Loveless' beloved New York Yankees claimed to be the best pitcher he ever faced, according to Yankees history. Paige was in his 40s then.
All of this to say, Loveless was ready when the ball came his way.
"I hit it! Not a base hit, but I hit it out to centerfield. I actually got my bat on it," said Loveless, now 82. "A little bit later, I got a ball and asked him to sign it. I knew I definitely wanted a ball signed by Satchel Paige."
To say this autographed baseball is a prized possession is an understatement. Sure, Loveless comes from a baseball family, and he knew any piece of baseball memorabilia was to be treasured — but this ball is also a reminder of what could have been between him and Paige.
Loveless was in Anchorage to play baseball with college players from across the country. Paige was in town to play four exhibition games, according to the Alaska Historical Society, all just for fun. He was also asked to manage a future team to be called the Anchorage Earthquakers, a team made up of some of the best college baseball players not already a part of Major League Baseball.
One day, when he returned home to Payson from Alaska, Loveless said he received a letter from Paige himself.
"What we are trying to do is to have a winning ball club, and if you feel like you can help the organization, we would be glad to give you a chance," Paige wrote in the letter. "Answer right back to let me know when you will be able to join the club."
At the bottom of the letter, which was on Earthquakers letterhead, is Paige's signature along with his home address in Kansas City.
As anyone — especially a baseball fan — could imagine, Loveless was as excited as he could be. Satchel Paige wrote to this young man, ready to give him a chance to make his baseball dreams come true.
Unfortunately, Loveless could not go to Alaska to play with Paige.
"I got another letter in the mail. This time, this letter was from Uncle Sam," Loveless said.
The Vietnam War was raging, and the United States increased the number of troops in the country in 1965 and 1966. Although there was no official draft at this time, some men received "strongly worded letters" that informed them they needed to show up at a particular location by a certain date. Loveless received one such letter.
He joined the Army reserves before his date, which offset any mandated trip to Vietnam. He also attended Brigham Young University — after some time playing baseball at the College of Southern Utah, then a junior college — potentially saving him from a future draft as college attendance allowed for a deferment in the mid-1960s.
His military responsibilities made him unable to play for Paige.
But even if he had not received a letter from Uncle Sam, Loveless would not have been able to play for the legend. Plans changed when it came to the Earthquakers team management, and Paige was no longer a part of the program.
Paige had pitched his last innings when he was 59, throwing three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox, according to Major League Baseball. He moved around from team to team, serving as a pitching coach for young players. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring his time with the Birmingham Barons and Kansas Monarchs in the Negro leagues, as well as his play for teams in Cleveland, Kansas City and St. Louis in the major leagues.
Loveless continued to play baseball and softball on community amateur teams for years during and after completing his college education and military service. He never saw or heard from Satchel Paige again, he says, but he holds his letter and autographed baseball dear.
Loveless has no interest in selling any of his memorabilia, including an autograph from Mickey Mantle received when the great Yankee player was in Vernal one weekend. He just enjoys sharing what did happen and what could have been.
Loveless has spoken to appraisers from PBS's "Antiques Roadshow" regarding the potential value of this autographed baseball, and they urged him to get the autograph authenticated. He is in the process of doing so, as the ball stays locked up tight — but he does like to show it to other people from time to time.
For now, Loveless is happy to share the stories of Satchel Paige — who is rumored to have won 2,000 games between the major and negro leagues, pitched every inning of every game for a month in the Negro leagues due to lack of available pitchers, and still threw one-hit games at 59 years old, according to Major League Baseball.
Paige was one of the greatest, as far as Loveless is concerned. He wants to make sure everyone else knows it, too.
"I wish that people really knew what Satchel Paige's contribution was to the game of baseball," he said. "He almost was treated like a God to baseball fans. But I spoke with him, and he was very personable. He's up there with Willie Mays, Josh Gibson, Hank Aaron. He was great."
