Buck O’Neil
Buck O’Neil would have turned 100 years old today. He lived to be a month shy of his 95th birthday. I don’t claim to write as eloquently about a person like Buck deserves to be written about, so I won’t even try.
Buck O’Neil really was the soul of baseball, not just for the Negro Leagues or Kansas City, but for all of baseball. He spent his entire life promoting, telling stories, and just encouraging people to love the game of baseball. He would speak at any event, anytime, anywhere, even in the final years of his life. He would sign every autograph and hug anyone who needed one. Joe Posnanski followed Buck around for a year and wrote a book about him called Soul of Baseball. You should read it. Honestly, it is a great book by a great author.
In 2006, the Baseball Hall of Fame had a special ballot to vote deserving Negro League players into the Hall of Fame because so many had been shut out for so many years due to racial injustice. Buck was one of only a few who were still alive at that time, and many people thought his contributions to the game of baseball were more than deserving of a place in the Hall. Sadly, he wasn’t one of the 17 Negro League figures to be selected, which really set off a national firestorm. His reaction is classic Buck:
“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.”
If that quote doesn’t give you an idea about the greatness of Buck O’Neil, this column he wrote for the Kansas City Star in 2003 will. Here are some excerpts:
“My secrets to long life, eh? Well, you’ll want to come in close.
Do the things you like doing. I’ve been so fortunate. I made my living doingsomething I would have done for nothing. I know not everyone can do that. Butfind time in your day to do what you love.
Listen to music. It doesn’t matter what kind. I listen to everything from thesymphony to the blues. I even listen to some rap. Sometimes, I even understandwhat they’re saying. But it doesn’t matter what kind of music. Just listen towhatever gets your toes tapping.
Tell people you love ‘em every so often.
Get excited about what’s happening in your town. I’m so excited about the Chiefsright now, I can hardly stand it. People ask me whether the Chiefs are going to goundefeated. I say “Of course! It can happen. Why not?” I really believe they will winevery game. And then we’ll have a celebration like this town hasn’t seen in a longtime.
…
Don’t be silent when you see injustice. There’s one thing I do know – that there aremore good people than bad. Stand up! Be heard! The only thing I ever held againstgood people was that too many sat silent and let a few white men be the Klan.Don’t let the bad people speak for you. Speak for yourself.
Throw a ball with a child.
…
Hustle. That’s how you’re supposed to play baseball, but that’s how you should livelife, too. Be on time. Dress sharp. Be ready for anything.
Love people. It’s so much easier to love than to hate. When you love, you walkaway with a good feeling. But when you hate, that anger will tear you up inside. And it will kill you dead. Yes, it will.
If you can’t remember if you gave someone a hug, well, hug ‘em again.
Look for the good in people. Everybody, no matter how bad they are, has somegood in him. Find the good, and who knows? You might be able to change some ofthe bad, too.
Walk with just a little strut.
Remember your dreams, when you can.
Give a blanket to someone who is cold. Give a call to someone who is sick. Give alittle of your time to someone who is dying. Just give what you can. You’ll find youget a whole lot more in return.”
I was fortunate enough to see Buck O’Neil around Kansas City a few times. My favorite memory of him happened when I was at a jazz club in the 18th & Vine district in Kansas City, adjacent to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum. Buck came into the club to listen to some great jazz music. At the end of one of the band’s songs, Buck comes onto the stage and takes the mic. He had an amazing stage presence for a man in his 90’s. He proceeded to lead the audience in a sing-a-long, and literally stole the show from the band. It was amazing. When he was done he had everyone in the room (band members too) wildly cheering with respect and amazement, and he just walked back to his spot and chatted with anybody and everybody. It was a great memory that I like to share anytime there’s any mention of Negro Leagues or Buck O’Neil.