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Rev. Joey N. Welsh: From The Mouth Of Satchel Paige This essay "From the Mouth of Satchel Paige" was first published 9 October 2005 in the Hart County News-Herald. It remains a favorite of devoted readers of "ANOTHER ANGLE: the Occasional musings of a Kentucky pastor." To see other articles by this author, enter "Rev. Joey N. Welsh," or "Another Angle," in the searchbox. The next earlier essay posted on ColumbiaMagazine.com is Keen eyes, striking images: Part 2 By The Rev. Joey N. Welsh From The Mouth Of Satchel Paige Legendary baseball pitcher Satchel Paige (1906-1982) was skilled not only in the balls he hurled from the mound, but also for the witty and wise sayings he tossed to those around him. Satchel Paige is quoted as saying: Age is a case of mind over matter; if you don't mind, it don't matter.In addition to his words and style of play, some of his actions outside the baseball park were quite distinctive as well. The story is told that Paige really, really liked barbecued ribs. If he was out eating ribs with a group of players, he would guard his plate carefully, lest anyone try to reach over and sample some of the succulent ribs from his plate. If he feared an intrusion from a dining companion, Paige would make a preemptive strike: he would lift up the plate of ribs and lick them all over. In an emergency requiring quicker action, he would spit on the ribs. After all, he figured, no one else would want to eat something that had been in contact with his mouth. Paige was probably right -- just who would want to ingest something that had been in contact with another's mouth? I have thought about Satchel Paige on a number of occasions when I have told my son that I prefer for him not to smoke when we are out eating together. His take on the issue is that I should do what I like to do, he should do what he likes to do, and neither of us should interfere with the rights of the other. It's an issue of smokers' rights, he says. He likes to smoke, and I don't. I like to drink buttermilk, to eat frog legs, and I even enjoy some kinds of sushi. He wouldn't be caught dead consuming any of those, but, he reasons, he won't hinder me when I do, therefore I shouldn't prevent his smoking. I disagree, and this is where the Satchel Paige principle of personal turf (or air space) enters in. You see, I could swig buttermilk, eat frog legs, and stuff myself with sushi all day, and my son would never need to have even the first taste of any of it. But the very instant that I breathe in the cigarette smoke he has just breathed out, I am ingesting something that has been in his mouth, his lungs and may even have been expelled through his nostrils. He would never want to experience my buttermilk, frog legs, or sushi, but I would get to experience his smoke whether I want to or not. We know that second-hand cigarette smoke is dangerous in the long run to people in general, and it may even be immediately dangerous to people with asthma or emphysema. But even absent health concerns, sharing cigarette smoke with other people is just plain rude. It is akin to expecting them to enjoy barbecued ribs you have just licked or spat upon, a la Satchel Paige. More and more people realize that smoking in a public place is not just a private matter involving the smoker and his or her cigarette; it is, instead, an intrusion on anyone else around who prefers not to experience another person's particulate exhaust. Even in Kentucky, places with a history entwined with tobacco -- Georgetown, Lexington, and Louisville -- have enacted non-smoking ordinances with high levels of public support. Times and attitudes are changing in tobacco country, but not yet with my son. Perhaps the next time he says he wants to smoke while I eat, I'll suggest that instead he should chew some of the gum an anonymous someone has left stuck under the restaurant table. If he says that such an idea is gross, I'll remind him that I find breathing in someone's smoke is just as repulsive an idea. And neither one of us, in the end, should be expected to do something that we find so personally repulsive. Satchel Paige died almost a quarter of a century ago, but out of his mouth -- both figuratively and quite literally -- came some things that still teach us. E-mail: joey_n_welsh@hotmail.com This story was posted on 2011-08-21 08:51:28
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Commentary:
Made in the U.S.A. - One Adair County family's patriotic plan Rev. Joey N. Welsh - Keen eyes, striking images: Part 2 Freecycling ad helps put restricted gift in right hands Rev. Joey N. Welsh - Keen eyes, striking images: Part 1 Lisa Lee comments on Cooper Ridge Road project All ATV riders are not the same. Most respect other's property Helen Williams: The Valley in need of a voice Guest editorial: Thoughts on the possible post office closings A Kindred Spirit: 87,000 Kentucky Kids raised by grandparents Drivers need to slow down; use extra precaution on Tutt Street View even more articles in topic Commentary |
 
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