Heroes inevitably fade, but once in a while you get to honor them before they go.
Ted Williams had his All-Star Game sendoff in grand fashion in Fenway in 1999 before he passed away. I hope Buck O'Neil receives such fanfare.
Buck O'Neil is probably an unknown to many of you. If you've seen the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball" you undoubtedly remember the sly and humorous O'Neil who stole the film. O'Neil rose to prominence in the Negro Leagues during baseball's days of segregation and remains one of the games most important voices.
He played first base for the barnstorming Kansas City Monarchs—the New York Yankees of the Negro Leagues. The team included the likes of Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, and Ernie Banks. Later O'Neil would become a player/manager for the team in 1948, leading the Monarchs to two league titles in 1953 and 1955. He also served in the U.S. Navy during WWII from 1943-1945 and later had the distinction of being the first black coach in MLB for the Chicago Cubs in1962.
Unhindered by age, the 94-year-old O'Neil signed a one-day contract with the Kansas City T-Bones on July 18, 2006, as their starting shortstop in the Northern League All-Star Game. He drew an intentional walk, and became the oldest played to make a plate appearance in a professional baseball game. Today, however, he lies in a hospital bed in the city where he once slugged fastballs.
O'Neil was recently admitted to a Kansas City hospital for fatigue. Last week his condition worsened, and his days seem numbered. God-willing, he may pick up a bat one last time, but rather than wait until he is gone, now is the time to remember.
While McGwire and Bonds shot up, O'Neil worked to have the Negro Leagues represented in the Baseball Hall of Fame. From 1981 to 2000 he served as a member of the Veterans Committee and played a crucial role in the induction of eight Negro League players during his tenure. In one of baseball's greatest travesties, O'Neil failed to gain the necessary 75 percent of votes to gain admission into the Hall of Fame on a special Negro Leagues ballot in 2006.
He won batting titles, pennants and championships, and after a career struggling against the injustices baseball presented him with, after a snub by the voters of Cooperstown, he could easily have lashed out, and most fans would have agreed. But in a speech to the crowd gathered at the induction ceremony the old man would find nothing to complain about following a lifetime of success.
"God's been good to me," O'Neil said. "They didnt 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."
There should be debate if Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds deserve entrance into the supposed hallowed grounds of Cooperstown. There should be no question whether Buck O'Neil deserves a place among the greats, because he already is one, whether a committee acknowledges that fact or not. With a career .288 batting average, his stats may not be All-Star caliber. He won the batting title twice in 1940 and 1946 with .345 and .350 averages, respectively, but, to be honest, he could have hit .000 and still deserve entrance for all he represents.
Statistics don't make a man, and if steroids and cheating can bar entrance, surely dedication and integrity should be a free ticket. It's too late now for the Hall of Fame to make anything but an empty concession if they admit O'Neil in his final hours. They had their chance and blew it, a fitting reminder of the ignorance of segregation. But for a man who lived a life like Buck, I doubt he really cares one way or another. His accomplishments can't be voted on, and they stand on their own merit.
Heroes come and go. Too often they are remembered only after death. But some lucky few can be celebrated in life. Tennyson once wrote that "Death closes all: / but something ere the end / Some work of noble note, may yet be done."
Here's to you, Buck, and a lifetime of noble note.
