Buck O'Neil denied admission to Hall of Fame
Buck O'Neil [is] a living link to the great stars who were prevented from reaching the Major Leagues because of the color barrier that would not fall until 1947. Himself Jackie Robinson's teammate with the legendary Kansas City Monarchs, later their manager. Even now, at the age of 94, one of the great ambassadors of any sport. And yesterday, baseball might as well have told Buck O'Neil to get lost.No question about it: O'Neil is one of the greatest players that professional baseball has ever seen, white or black:Yesterday was the day the game elected to its Hall of Fame, 17 heroes of the era of the "Negro Leagues." The last such election scheduled. Ever. And Buck O'Neil was not elected.
[He was a] first baseman on four pennant winners and manager of five more in the old Negro Leagues, the first man of color to be a coach in the major leagues...If you saw Ken Burns documentary Baseball , you know what I'm talking about.
At 94, Buck O'Neil is our last living link to an age that will pass away forever when he is gone. It was the least they could do to honor him during his lifetime.
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