Posted on 10/06/2006 8:25:23 PM PDT by jmq
oh
Just saw this on the news. Prayers for friends and family!
Compare how Buck acted to todays "stars" like Barry "The Needle" Bonds or Sammy "The Cork" Sosa and you'll see how far the game of baseball has fallen.
He managed Satchel Page. In 1942, O'Neil led the Monarchs to a Negro American League title and faced the Homestead Grays in the Negro World Series. Buck hit a robust .353, as the Monarchs swept the Grays in four games. His Grays' counterpart Buck Leonard recalled, "He would find the gap in the outfield and hit it there. He was one of the best ball players I have ever seen." O'Neil won batting titles in 1940 and 1946, blasting out averages of .345 and .350, respectively. He was one vote shy the last go round at the Hall of Fame voting.
Rest in peace, Buck.
Many dont know an interesting facet of the Negro leagues.
The real story is that they were kept out of MLB not bt the owners, but the players.
It was a simple way to minimize competition for the white players. Eventually the power of the market (dollar) in the eyes of the owners forced MLB to accept the inevitable.
Buck was always an honorable proponent of baseball, independent of his treatment, and deserves the respect he is accorded.
Man, I bet you wish you had a baseball for him to sign.
Although the memory of talking to a genuine baseball legend probably beats that anyways.
More from AP (Tucker) on Buck
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-obit-buckoneil&prov=ap&type=lgns
The loss of this great American hero is a sad day for all of us. Buck O'Neil was a true gentleman of the game but his humanity, compassion and love for America makes him a true legend and role model for all.
Please take a few moments and read this letter written by Buck O'Neil after 9/11. Here is a man who has suffered and seen terrible injustice in his life but his faith in God and Country never caused him a bitter heart.
"Our Eyes Opened" can be read at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/special_packages/oneil/15655517.htm
Please read, and after your tears, forward it on to your family, your friends, your fellow patriots. If anyone has access to liberal blogs, post "Our Eyes Opened" perhaps it might open their eyes also.
God bless you Buck O'Neil, thanks for being a true American.
Buck O'Neil was the best interviewee in the Ken Burns Baseball series on PBS.
What a great essay, plain but so profound. A truly great man and American. He will be missed, but his legacy will live...
Should have been in the Hall of Fame here on earth, but he is in the real Hall of Fame tonight.
RIP.
At least he was able to live life to the very last. He spoke and threw out the first pitch at a Milwaukee Brewers game earlier this summer. He looked great for a man of his age.
Rest in peace.
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