SATCHEL PAIGE

``I always had to listen to that same old sentence: `If you were only white, so you could play in the majors.''' Another look at pro baseball's most durable pitcher, a walking and (especially) talking refutation of the idea that skin color (or, for that matter, age) is a measure of ability. Paige finally did break into the majors at age 42, by far its oldest rookie; the six years he spent there are little more than a footnote to his illustrious career. He's been the subject of many biographies; this one isn't a significant improvement over Macht's, issued by the same publisher in 1991. The two share many photos and quotes, aim at roughly the same audience, and append (differently) abbreviated stats, but Macht offers a more animated style and a clearer sense of Paige's personality. Bibliography; index. (Biography. 10-13)