The Negro League election to the Hall of Fame was announced this afternoon and neither Minnie Minoso or Buck O’Neil made the cut. I am personally bummed for both of them, but don’t expect either to feel sorry for themselves.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have several encounters with O’Neil. The first was of the more memorable days of my life. Twelve years ago, I worked as a runner for Ken Burns as he and his team of editors mixed the sound for “Baseball.” It was my first job out of college and not only did it reunite me with the game (and the game’s history), it also introduced me to people and players I didn’t know anything about. Ken hipped me to Lester Young and Willie Morris. I learned about Curt Flood’s story–and found it so moving that now, after three years of work, am set to publish my first book this spring–and it’s all about Curt. I also got to meet Buck O’Neil. I had seen him on the mixing room screen for months, and heard much about him from the rest of the crew, so when he came to New York in May of ’94 for a screening I felt as if I already knew him.
