Buck O'Neil

Baseball lost a Negro League Legend last night.

Buck O’Neil, a star first baseman and manager in the Negro leagues and a pioneering scout and coach in the major leagues who devoted the final decade of his life to chronicling the lost world of black baseball, died last night in Kansas City, Mo. He was 94.
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He professed no regret for his lost chance to play in the majors. “Waste no tears for me,” he said in his autobiography. “I didn’t come along too early. I was right on time. You see, I don’t have a bitter story. I truly believe I have been blessed.”
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For O’Neil, baseball represented a lifelong joy. “Nowadays, whenever us Negro leaguers put on the old uniforms for autograph-signings and such, you can just see the years peel away,” he wrote in his memoirs. “I’ve seen men lose 50 years in just a few hours. Baseball is better than sex. It is better than music, although I do believe jazz comes in a close second. It does fill you up.”

New York Times

Buck wasn't bitter about the fact he never made it into the majors nor was he was bitter about the fact that he didn't get elected into the Hall of Fame.

He wasn't even mad when he came up one vote short to get into the baseball hall of fame this year.

God's been good to me. They didn't think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That's the way they thought about it and that's the way it is, so we're going to live with that. Now, if I'm a Hall of Famer for you, that's all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don't weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful.

Deadspin

Now I know it's ashame when we begin to recognize the achievements and greatness of person when they die, but still from what I have read about Buck O'Neil is story is an amazing story. I haven't seen the documentary "Baseball" though I would really like to. Buck has some amazing stories in this short PBS interview.

...I did see something I admired just about as much, with Satchel Paige and Babe Ruth. This was in Chicago, after Ruth came out of the major leagues. He was barnstorming, playing with different teams, and he played us. Satchel was pitching and Ruth was hitting. Satchel threw Ruth the ball and Ruth hit the ball, must have been 500 feet, off of Satchel. Satchel looked at Ruth all the way around the bases and when Ruth got to home plate, you know who shook his hand? Satchel Paige shook Ruth's hand at home plate.

They stopped the game and waited, he and Satchel talking, until the kid went out, got the ball, brought it back and Satchel had Babe Ruth autograph that ball for him. That was some kind of moment.

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But let me tell you about a part of Satchel that no one ever hears about. On the road once, we were going to Charleston, South Carolina, and when we got to Charleston the rooms weren't ready. So Satchel said to me, "Nancy, come with me." I said, "Okay." I had an idea where we were going. We went over to Drum Island. Drum Island is where they auctioned off the slaves. And they had a plaque saying what had happened there. And we stood there, he and I, maybe ten minutes, not saying a word, just thinking. And after about ten minutes he said, "You know what, Nancy?" I said, "What, Satchel?" He said, "Seems like I've been here before." I said, "Me, too." I know that my great grandfather could have been there. My great grandmother could have been auctioned off on that block. So this was Satchel — a little deeper than a lot of people thought.

Now one last page for you to read. These interviews with Buck are amazing, the stories he has about baseball should never be forgotten. Here's an old ESPN Page 2 interview.

See, steroids. That's different. When we came along, some guys had to have some gin. That's true. A guy would be at his best when he had a shot of gin in him. That's what would build him up. Another guy, scotch was his choice. For all athletes, it's always been something. For another guy, it was iced tea.

Now, you've gotten sophisticated. You've come up with a drug.

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The best player I've ever seen. He had it all. Willie Mays was the best major league player I've ever seen. But Oscar Charleston would hit you 50 home runs, steal you 100 bases. And the old-timers would say that the closest thing to Oscar Charleston was Willie Mays.

And not only that, Oscar was tough. You'd say "Oscar Charleston" and you'd say "Ty Cobb" as far as meaness. I remember once, we're playing in Havana. A ball was hit in the infield and he was on third base. So he's scoring and he hit the catcher and knocked the shin guards off, knocked the chest protector off (the catcher). Then they jumped up. This (catcher) wanted to fight. And Oscar knocked him down.

The security in the ballpark in Cuba were soldiers. The soldiers rushed out on the field and they were going to get Oscar and take him down. Every time one of the soldiers comes up -- Boom! (slaps fist into his palm) Oscar would knock him down. After he knocked down about five of them, they wanted to gang-rush him and take him to jail.

The general was in the stands and he said, "Uh-uh. Any man that can do that, don't you touch him." That was Oscar Charleston.

Rest in Peace Buck O'Neil