There is endless debate about how the greatest players in baseball's Negro Leagues would have fared if they had been given a chance to compete side by side with the mainstream major leaguers in the days before baseball was integrated. But there's no question that one such athlete would have been a star no matter where he played: pitcher Satchel Paige.

Larry Tye has written a new biography of the man he calls an "American legend." And he shares the colorful stories, the proud and sad moments, and the eventual triumph of this unique character with host Mike Cuthbert. To listen, press play on the audio player to the left.

Watch an excerpt from this interview here.

Read an excerpt from Larry Tye's book here, in AARP Bulletin Today.