If not for Paige’s charisma, showmanship, humor, quick wit, intelligence, and, yes, love for money, Paige’s known Negro Leagues pitching record would likely have been more extensive. Instead, he chased financial opportunities presented by exhibition games, barnstorming, and traveling to foreign lands. Most Negro Leagues players followed a similar course, but Paige’s opportunities were more frequent and more lucrative. Paige was able to convert his baseball reputation into the rarefied atmosphere of a living legend.