Legend plays a role—it has to play a role. Cool Papa Bell was so fast that he hit a line drive to center and was hit by the ball as he slid into second. Josh Gibson hit a ball so high and far in Pittsburgh that it did not come down until the next day, when his team was in Philadelphia. Satchel Paige had a catcher who kept a raw steak under his glove to cushion the blow, and by the fifth inning, it had turned into hamburger. Sam “the Jet” Jethroe was faster than the word of God. And trying to throw a fastball by Buck Leonard was like trying to sneak the sunrise past a rooster.
