Leon Carter, the greatest fastball pitcher in baseball fiction

William Brashler based this supporting character on Satchel Paige. Leon Carter is a 36-year old pitcher whose signature is his fastball. He's known for facing the leadoff hitter in a game with his fielders sit on the bench, or play cards behind the mound. He calls it his "invitation pitch". It was said that Satchel Paige was so confident in his pitching to have his fielders sit down while he faced a batter. And it's confidence that Carter possesses, as well. He is so consistent that he can throw his fastball over the plate multiple times without forcing the catcher to move his glove.

In The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars and Motor Kings, Brashler's version of Paige has been pitching for the Louisville Ebony Aces for 13 years, and is touted as the "greatest fastball pitcher in the world." When asked by Bingo Long to be the featured player in his barnstorming team, we find that Carter is initially reluctant. He's content with his current situation. In fact, he's the highest paid player on the Aces, and has one of the larger houses in Louisville where he's settled in with his wife and kids. But every man has his price, and Long soon convinces Carter to join the team, for a guaranteed amount of money that's more than he's receiving from the Ace's owner.

Brashler doesn't dole out too much detail about Leon Carter's personal life. We learn he's a well-renowned veteran ballplayer, has been throwing a baseball for 25 years and has kids and a wife in Louisville. We can deduce that because he's one of the older players in the Negro Leagues, his motivation is more about getting as much money as possible out of his remaining playing days. But, I think, we can also determine that he's loyal to his friends. Otherwise, he could easily have negotiated a higher rate of pay from the Ace's owner once the rest of the team had left. Perhaps it was one more chance to be on the open road, on the barnstorming circuit; and a chance to mentor a few more young players, that really motivated Carter to join the All-Stars.

Being a long-time veteran of Negro League ball, barnstorming, and segregation-era society, his role is the father-figure on the team, and the voice of reason. Eventually, Bingo Long makes him the assistant promoter (his "Business Man") for the team. This role is, in fact, more like Long's conscience. When decisions are to be made, Long promises to go to Carter first for an opinion, but only if Leon keeps these thoughts between himself and Bingo. The riskier the decisions, the more Bingo leans on Carter. But he also uses Leon as a prop for making the un-popular choices, such as deciding to play as many small venues as possible, instead of relying only on larger payoffs in bigger stadiums (which would mean more rest for the team).

Bingo Long and Leon Carter are the classic "heart versus head". Bingo wants to go with his gut, most of the time, while Leon is more pragmatic. When players start to get hurt and can't play, Carter tells Long to send them home. "A traveling team's got to be light or it's not a travelling team no more." He advocates keeping the team "tired" in order to keep them motivated. Carter's character is necessary stable force in this story to counter the rashness that the other characters possess.