My DasBlog! - "Just keep loving old Buck"

Saturday, October 07, 2006

The playoffs are a time when fans become very divided. However, today is an extremely sad day for all fans of the game, regardless of your rooting interest. In case you didn't hear, Buck O'Neil passed away today. I was fortunate enough to meet O'Neil in April of 2005 and he is one of the warmest individuals to grace this earth. I interviewed him for The Grand Salami and, as you can tell from the photo, he was an absolute joy to chat with. I also rode the elevator with him from the field level up to the press cafeteria and it was amazing watching him interact with the staff at Kauffman Stadium. It was apparent that just being in the presence of Buck certainly brightened the day of others. He always had a smile on his face and something nice to say to anyone he passed. He even told me he was going to play golf later that day.

It's an absolute shame that he didn't get elected into the Hall of Fame. Buck was an ambassador for the game of baseball. Not a day goes by when I don't think about Buck. He was such a good person and an inspiration to me. This world would be a lot better if everyone tried to be a little bit more like Buck O'Neil.

Here are some other articles to read...
Kansas City Star
New York Times
LA Times
Seattle PI

Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:03:22 AM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)