Chalupa Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 (edited) Sad.... Friday, October 6, 2006 Former Negro Leaguer O'Neil dies Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Buck O'Neil, baseball's charismatic Negro Leagues ambassador who barnstormed with Satchel Paige and inexplicably fell one vote shy of the Hall of Fame, died Friday night. He was 94. Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said O'Neil died at a Kansas City hospital. O'Neil had appeared strong until early August, when he was hospitalized for what was described as "fatigue." He was released a few days later but readmitted on Sept. 17. Friends said that he had lost his voice along with his strength. No cause of death was immediately given. Always projecting warmth, wit and a sunny optimism that sometimes seemed surprising for a man who lived in a climate of racial injustice for so long, O'Neil remained remarkably vigorous well into his 90s. He became as big a star as the Negro League greats whose stories he traveled the country to tell. He would be in New York taping the "Late Show With David Letterman" one day and then back home on the golf course the next day shooting his age, a feat he first accomplished at 75. "But it's not a good score any more," he quipped on his 90th birthday. O'Neil had long been popular in Kansas City, but he rocketed into national stardom in 1994 when filmmaker Ken Burns featured him in his groundbreaking Public Broadcasting Service documentary "Baseball." The rest of the country then came to appreciate the charming Negro Leagues historian as only baseball insiders had before. He may have been, as he joked, "an overnight sensation at 82," but his popularity continued to grow for the rest of his life. Few men in any sport have witnessed the grand panoramic sweep of history that O'Neil saw and felt and experienced in baseball. A good-hitting, slick-fielding first baseman, he barnstormed with Paige in his youth, twice won a Negro Leagues batting title and then became a pennant-winning manager of the Kansas City Monarchs. Edited October 7, 2006 by Chalupa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted October 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 O'Neil was the real 'voice' of America By Wright Thompson ESPN.com Buck O'Neil lived to see the white high school that wouldn't admit him open its doors to all people. He lived to see the kids he scouted turn into Hall of Famers. He lived, as he liked to say, to meet presidents from Truman to Clinton (and he lived to huuuuug Hillary). Now, he's gone. John J. "Buck" O'Neil died Friday night. He was 94. At the end, he'd lost his voice. That's the unkindest cut of all. For his entire adult life, Buck gave his voice to those who could not speak for themselves. He shouted from the rooftops about a generation of ballplayers and the blighted part of American history they represented. He traveled around the world, telling their story; and, at the end, his voice was gone. Used up. He lay in a hospital bed and could barely speak. We've all lost that magnificent baritone voice now, and the world is poorer for it. Not in the way we normally are when a famous person dies. No, O'Neil's voice was truly a gift to all of us. It taught us that love is more important than hate. It taught us that forgiveness is more important than bitterness. It taught us to live life now, to eat dessert always, to never let a red dress pass by. When he didn't get into the Hall of Fame this year, people rightfully howled. As the news reached him, a final denied dream in a life full of dreams denied, he just smiled. "God's been good to me," he said that day. "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." On a day that should have been the pinnacle of a life dedicated to helping others, he showed up at the podium in Cooperstown anyway to help honor the Negro Leaguers who did make the cut, and he led the crowd in a song that will never be heard again: "The greatest thrill … in all my life … is loving you." He sang those words to the folks there and to those at home. Sitting here now, trying to imagine a world without Buck, I can't stop thinking about that song. As a former reporter for The Kansas City Star, I had my share of interaction with Buck. I heard him make cynical school children stand and sing in loud voices. It's clear to me now that knowing and loving Buck has been the greatest thrill in my professional life. It's been a thrill for all of us who knew and loved Buck, either in person or in spirit. We all marveled at this amazing 94-year-old man, at his incredible strength. He refused to follow life's rules about aging. He traveled like a man half his age. He played golf right up until the end. He refused to stop telling the story of a league that America almost forgot. "Buck's fought in so many arenas, and we don't see the scratches and bruises," Negro Leagues museum executive Tonya Tota told me just before the infamous Hall of Fame vote earlier this year. "Buck reminds me of a stealth plane. They're sleek and they're beautiful, and you don't know how much power they have inside of them. They just soar and they fly, and that's Buck." Even though he wasn't elected to the Hall of Fame, his speech served as a reminder to the world about his accomplishments. He led the Negro Leagues in hitting. He won two titles as a Negro Leagues manager. As a scout for the Cubs, he signed Lou Brock to a contract; and in 1962, the Cubs made him the first black coach in the majors. But it was his final role, as ambassador, in Ken Burns' documentary about baseball and in countless rooms and auditoriums across the country, that defined him. He made America face its own painful history. His speech in Cooperstown was the last time he played that role, and he nailed it. The crowd gave him a long ovation, and then he went back home. Not long after, the years finally caught up with him. He checked into the hospital for exhaustion. Without the interaction that was his life, he felt like 94 for the first time. His voice began to falter. Kansas City had planned a birthday party for him, in November. All the women were asked to wear a red dress. That was one of his many credos: Don't ever let a woman in a red dress walk past without talking to her. That's classic Buck. On the surface, it's a funny little adage about talking to women. But, beneath, there's some zen: Take your opportunities. It's Buck-ese for carpe diem. He didn't make it to that birthday party, and all we can do is remember Buck today. Remember the things he talked about. That's what he would want. For his voice, silenced at the end, to live after him. To teach the things he held dear: friendship, understanding, love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 The man was a true inspiration for all of us who aspire to overcome (materially & spiritually) the destiny others would like to consign to us. R.I.P., thanks, and much, much love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Twizzle Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 (edited) This makes it even more infuriating that the pinheads who vote for HOF membership left him out once again this year. And not matter what we might think about Ken Burns from a jazz perspective, we should be grateful to him for featuring Buck O'Neil in "Baseball." Edited October 7, 2006 by Randy Twizzle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Buck was a very visible and active member of the KC community. It sounds cliched, but he will truly be missed. And yes, he got royally dicked on the HOF voting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 A curse on the bastards who left him out of the hall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 I only know of his persona from seeing him interviewed in the Burns film and the "All-Century Baseball Team" (which I happened to find recently on an old VHS tape), but he struck me as a very classy man. May he be long remembered. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 It is truly stupefying that Buck O'Neil, who was alive, wasn't allowed to be a Hall of Famer, so others that were long dead could get in before him. They said on ESPN that not only did he scout and sign Lou Brock, but Ernie Banks as well! Don't know if they got their facts wrong, but I'd like to think he did. He was beyond classy, a saint really...as mad as we all feel, remember what Buck said earlier this year...."God's been good to me," he said that day. "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." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 You've got to be kidding me. I assumed he was in the HOF! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyStitt Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Sad news. I first heard about Buck from the Ken Burns Baseball doc. His personality and spirit came through so well in the series. I soon after found out about the Negro League Museum in K.C. and have donated to them ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieB Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 i'm just glad that he received a lot of recognition and "props" this last year. in fact, his demanding schedule as a result of that proved too much for him to deal with. it should definitely have happened earlier in his life but at least it did happen and he knew he was very much respected and appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Pomea Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 He was a bigger than life person. Gracious. One of a few. Besides Ken Burns' Baseball, wasn't he also in Jazz? I swear I remember him talking about Swing music, which struck me. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyStitt Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 He was a bigger than life person. Gracious. One of a few. Besides Ken Burns' Baseball, wasn't he also in Jazz? I swear I remember him talking about Swing music, which struck me. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Sounds about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Buck was a truly class act. The world could learn a LOT from him. RIP, Buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted October 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 He was a bigger than life person. Gracious. One of a few. Besides Ken Burns' Baseball, wasn't he also in Jazz? I swear I remember him talking about Swing music, which struck me. Does this ring a bell with anyone? I thought that Burns got the idea for the Jazz series after interviewing Buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Twizzle Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 “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.” http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/sports/b...&ei=5087%0A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 I hope one day the HOF will induct Buck O'Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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