Don’t shed any tears. You think about this. Here I am, the grandson of a slave. And here the whole world was excited about whether I was going into the Hall of Fame or not. We’ve come a long ways.
~Buck O’Neil
In case you missed it, a couple nights ago, the Bob Kendrick and the Negro Leagues Museum hosted a virtual panel featuring Ken Burns, Bob Costas, Joe Posnanski, and CC Sabathia. These gentlemen talked primarily about Buck O’Neil, telling stories about when they first met O’Neil and what he was like as a person. They also talked about Jackie Robinson, the Negro Leagues, the breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball, and blacks in baseball today.
A recording of the stream can be found on YouTube and is definitely worth a listen if you enjoy hearing stories about baseball.
I vaguely recall hearing a reference to Buck O’Neil’s thoughts on Ty Cobb at some point, but this might be the first time I’ve ever seen this interview. My hat’s off to Buck — I don’t think I could be nearly so forgiving and compassionate if it were me in his shoes. I’m so glad this man is finally going to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Results from the Hall of Fame Selection Ceremonies are in, and a total of six new members will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Golden Days Era Committee voted in the following new members:
The Early Baseball Era Committee has elected the following new members:
Congrats to these players and to their families!
From the Early Baseball Era Ballot, Buck O’Neil and Bud Fowler have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/sNl8HNw510
— MLB (@MLB) December 5, 2021
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Mets, Brooklyn Dodgers legend Gil Hodges has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame:
— SNY (@SNYtv) December 5, 2021
“It’s a great day for anyone who loves baseball” (via @AnthonyMcCarron) https://t.co/0eRSIN3RPG pic.twitter.com/QObet58njO
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Right where he belongs.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 5, 2021
The late Chicago White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Era Committee! pic.twitter.com/v9X51TFp1r
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BREAKING: #MNTwins greats Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame via Golden Days Era Committee decision. @MillerStrib has the story https://t.co/BUZ1ahSwpa pic.twitter.com/sc0hP80jBP
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) December 5, 2021
For anyone who is interested, this afternoon, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will be live streaming the Hall of Fame Selection Ceremonies, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Central Time. The ceremonies will reveal results of the Early Baseball Era and Golden Days Era Committees vote, and of notable consideration for the Hall of Fame is the great Buck O’Neil.
The event will be streamed via NLBM’s Facebook here.
You can find additional information from the Kansas City Star here.
Buck O’Neil is on Hall of Fame Early Baseball Era ballot. Shown here with the KC Monarchs, he was grandson of a slave & became one of the great storytellers of the Negro Leagues. Later coached & scouted for @Cubs. Read more in @sabr BioProject https://t.co/30Dhq1qVB3 pic.twitter.com/gfeUPqBJpq
— SABR BioProject (@SABRbioproject) December 4, 2021
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Thanks as ever to @nlbmprez for his time and candor, and also appreciated further perspective from Negro Leagues historian Phil Dixon:
— Vahe Gregorian (@vgregorian) December 3, 2021
Why the ‘one place to be on Sunday’ is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum https://t.co/6nbNKLQvKt
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Tell a friend, especially if your friend is on the Early Baseball Era @BaseballHall committee –
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 4, 2021
An all-new 𝑩𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑲 𝑫𝑰𝑨𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑫𝑺 is out now wherever you get your podcasts, w/ @NLBMPrez & @JPosnanski on the HOF case for the GREAT Buck O’Neil:
🖱️ https://t.co/NT7vlUY2Ce pic.twitter.com/T7OC4NvDHy
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Will the 2nd time be the charm for Buck O’Neil’s @baseballhall induction? @kcur reporter, @GregEchlin, recounts Buck’s bid 15 yrs after barely missing! @Royals @NLBMuseumKC @KCMO @QuintonLucasKC @VisitKC https://t.co/9ndMCUAyNb
— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) December 5, 2021
In case you missed the original livestream, the recording of the Negro Leagues Museum’s conversation about Buck O’Neil can still be watched on YouTube. The stories these gentlemen told about Buck were a joy to listen to, and they also had a great conversation about race and baseball in general. If you get the opportunity, it’s definitely worth your time.
If you need something to do on Friday, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will be hosting a conversation between Bob Costas, Joe Posnanski, Bob Kendrick, and Ken Burns in celebration of the great Buck O’Neil. This Friday, November 13th would have been Buck’s 109th birthday, and it sounds like the plan is for this group of speakers to share their memories and stories about the man, the ballplayer, the legend.
The even will begin at 12:30 pm Central Time on Friday. It can be streamed via NLBM’s YouTube page or their Facebook page.
TELLING TALES ABOUT BUCK! Join me, @KenBurns, Bob Costas & @JPosnanski this Friday as we share stories about the legendary Buck O’Neil on his 109th B-Day! Catch the conversation live on the NLBM’s @Facebook & @YouTube channel! @MLB @Royals @Sut_ESPN @MLBNetwork @vgregorian RT pic.twitter.com/08ZtbP9bwX
— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) November 10, 2020
Buck O’Neil is hailed as a legend, especially here in the Kansas City area. Not only was O’Neil a great ballplayer, but his achievements off the field were arguably even greater. He not only worked to spread interest in the Negro leagues, he also played a huge part in the establishment of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
Depending on how he gripped the ball and how hard he threw it, Satchel Paige had pitches that included the bat-dodger, the two-hump blooper, the four-day creeper, the dipsy-do, the Little Tom, the Long Tom, the bee ball, the wobbly ball, the hurry-up ball and the nothin’ ball.
~Buck O’Neil
This weekend I watched a short documentary produced by Major League Baseball, Pride and Perseverance: The Story of the Negro Leagues. While the time period covered in the documentary spans from Moses Fleetwood Walker playing major league ball in the 1880s on up to the induction of Negro League players into the Baseball Hall of Fame starting in 1971, the documentary focuses primarily on the story of the Negro Leagues.
Dave Winfield narrates the documentary, and it includes footage from Negro League games, as well as some Major League games. It also features interviews with Negro Leagues players, including Buck O’Neil, Bob Mitchell, Willie Mays, John “Mule” Miles, Cool Papa Bell, and Ted Radcliffe. The interviews highlight just how good many Negro Leagues players really were, especially compared to white Major Leaguers, and it’s a lot of fun to see how much these guys light up when they talk about the level of talent.
The documentary touches on the racial struggles faced by black players. For example, many players accepted the fact that they would have to go around to the backs of restaurants to get food, and it was not uncommon to sleep on the bus because the hotels in a given town would not give them rooms. Nevertheless, the players talk about how much fun they had traveling and playing ball. The eventual recruitment of Jackie Robinson by Branch Rickey to break the color barrier, of course, receives due attention.
Overall, Pride and Perseverance is a fantastic overview of the history of the Negro Leagues. For a documentary that runs less than an hour long, it manages to cram a lot of interesting information into the film. It’s definitely worth checking out.