Black History Month Profile: Buck O'Neil

February is Black History Month, and as an African-American myself and a student of history and a fan of the game itself, I have decided to take a player and profile him for each day this month.

As yesterday was Jackie Robinson’s birthday, it’s time to remember what men such as he, Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neil, and countless others did to diversify and enrich the game today.

The first man to be profiled will be Buck O’Neil.

Buck O’Neill as we all know passed away last year at the age of 94. Due to the injustice in America at the time, he was unable to play in the majors and was relegated to the Negro League. Sadly, he was one vote of being enshrined into the Hall of Fame in ’06, but his legacy has been long-lasting, although he’s not in Cooperstown. He was a great ambassador to the game, and his virtues and spirit inspired many.

Although he probably faced more injustice living in the era of Jim Crow and barnstorming the country, he maintained a sunny disposition and an optimism that was so hard to dampen. An excellent hitter and first baseman in the Negro Leagues, he also coached & managed, and was the first black coach ever hired in the Major Leagues by the Chicago Cubs in 1962.

Buck O’Neil’s story and his influence in the game were brought forth by Ken Burns and his documentary baseball. In his later years, Buck was a link to ugly part of history and the sport, but was also a bridge to the present of the game.

I wrote a blog entry about him a little while back about how I met him at the All-Star Game. It was my only time meeting him, but looking back it something I can always cherish and now has a far deeper meaning to me than I cover envision and I am happy for once in my life, I was in the right place at the right time and didn’t blow the opportunity to meet a great man and American.