Buck O'Neil has Died
SDSportsFan
Posts: 5,142 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
ESPN just reported on their website that Buck passed away tonight 
Rest in Peace Buck.
Steve
Rest in Peace Buck.
Steve
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Comments
Shame on you, MLB and HoF, shame on you.
For once I agree with the Ax man.
This bought tears to my eyes:
"Several hundred of his friends and admirers had gathered at the Negro Leagues Museum for what they thought would be a celebration. Instead, they stood in awkward, restless silence as the old man once again - (for how many times in his long, eventful life?) brushed bitterness aside.
"Shed no tears for Buck," he told them. "I couldn't attend Sarasota High School. That hurt. I couldn't attend the University of Florida. That hurt.
"But not going into the Hall of Fame, that ain't going to hurt me that much, no. Before, I wouldn't even have a chance. But this time I had that chance.
"Just keep loving old Buck."
But among his close friends, few believed that his heart wasn't really broken."
Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies Text
<< <i>If this travesty doesn't create some sort of shake up in the HoF voting, nothing ever will. >>
Hopefully. And get Blyleven and Santo into there while you're at it.
More importantly though, Buck heard and saw the public's reaction to the HOF snub, and he undoubtedly knew he was in the fans' Hall of Fame, which to me is much more important than whether or not some writer thought he belonged.
Steve
<< <i>An absolute travesty that he didn't get to be a part of his own hall of fame entry celebration...now it must be done post mortem. An absolute sham.
Shame on you, MLB and HoF, shame on you. >>
I'm in total agreement.
Mark Mulder rookies
Chipper Jones rookies
Orlando Cabrera rookies
Lawrence Taylor
Sam Huff
Lavar Arrington
NY Giants
NY Yankees
NJ Nets
NJ Devils
1950s-1960s Topps NY Giants Team cards
Looking for Topps rookies as well.
References:
GregM13
VintageJeff
He saw Babe Ruth hit home runs and Roger Clemens throw strikes. He talked hitting with Lou Gehrig and Ichiro Suzuki."
Amazing ....
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
Go to baseball reference and they have a chaining activity where you can link any pair of baseball players in history(through common teammates). Fun stuff.
He says, do you know who that is? I said no. He says thats Buck O'neil, he played in the negro leagues with Satchel Paige. He told me to go say hello. So, I did. We spent the next 30 minutes chatting and watching the game together. (he was a KC scout at the time) He told me stories about the Negro leagues and how he used to have to sleep in the hallway when Satchel had ladies over after games, how he had to lie to Satchels wife about said ladies LOL. It was quite an experience.
It is a total travesty that he wasnt already elected to the HOF. Hopefully they get their act together!
sad day indeed.
Regards
Leo J. Monteiro
<< <i>An absolute travesty that he didn't get to be a part of his own hall of fame entry celebration...now it must be done post mortem. An absolute sham.
Shame on you, MLB and HoF, shame on you. >>
I couldn't agree with you more!
<< <i>One of the classiest former players I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Several years ago I travelled to Kansas City and spent a week there to watch my Indians play the Royals. (it was impossible and expensive to get tickets at the Jake) Naturally no one goes to Royals games... so we got tickets behind home plate for EVERY game for less than $25. One game we are chatting with the folks around us (the KC people were super friendly and nice) and he points out this frosty headed old black man sitting a few rows away.
He says, do you know who that is? I said no. He says thats Buck O'neil, he played in the negro leagues with Satchel Paige. He told me to go say hello. So, I did. We spent the next 30 minutes chatting and watching the game together. (he was a KC scout at the time) He told me stories about the Negro leagues and how he used to have to sleep in the hallway when Satchel had ladies over after games, how he had to lie to Satchels wife about said ladies LOL. It was quite an experience.
It is a total travesty that he wasnt already elected to the HOF. Hopefully they get their act together!
sad day indeed.
Regards
Leo J. Monteiro >>
What a great story - thanks for sharing that! I can't see one of today's players being accessible enough to approach like that, and even if you could, to spend that kind of time just shooting the breeze would never happen.
I read the same article this morning, which mentioned that he talked hitting with both Gehrig and Ichiro, and that he saw both Babe Ruth and Roger Clemens play. That absolutely blows my mind. I also read what an ambassador for the Negro Leagues he was, and how nice a person everyone agreed he was to anyone he would meet. Hopefully, baseball will do the right thing for him now, but too bad they couldn't do it when he was alive to be part of it.
for a heck of a nice guy.