BUCK O'NEILL: HIS LEAGUE WAS MAJOR.Byline: JOE HAAKENSON KANSAS CITY Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , Mo. - The talk about baseball these days involves strike dates and steroids steroids, class of lipids having a particular molecular ring structure called the cyclopentanoperhydro-phenanthrene ring system. Steroids differ from one another in the structure of various side chains and additional rings. as much as pennant Pennant A continuation pattern in technical analysis formed when there is a large movement in a stock, the flagpole, followed by a consolidation period with converging trendlines, the pennant, followed by a breakout movement in the same direction as the initial large movement, the races. But talk to Buck O'Neill, and for a few moments baseball is about baseball again. O'Neill is 90 years old and remains active in the Kansas City community and with the Royals. He is the chairman of the Negro Leagues Negro leagues Associations of teams of black baseball players active largely between 1920 and the late 1940s. The principal leagues were the Negro National League, originally organized by Rube Foster in 1920, and the Negro American League, organized in 1937. Museum, which he helped found and develop in 1990. O'Neill was a Negro League star with the Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. from 1938 to 1954, never got to play in the major leagues but isn't bitter. He is eager to talk about his days on the field, especially considering the alternative. If he is asked to talk about today's game, inevitably it leads to a discussion about the issues that continue to hover over it. ``It's supposed to be some of the best minds in baseball,'' said O'Neill, who won a Negro League batting title in 1946. ``Why can't they get in a room and get it settled? ``I blame the players as much as the owners. They need to settle this thing. The commissioner should be paid by Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. and the players association. The commissioner should work for baseball. Now, the commissioner works for the owners.'' O'Neill, though, doesn't begrudge be·grudge tr.v. be·grudged, be·grudg·ing, be·grudg·es 1. To envy the possession or enjoyment of: She begrudged him his youth. See Synonyms at envy. 2. the players for the money they make. ``I'm glad they're making money,'' he said. ``When I played, after the season I worked on a used-car lot so I could feed my family. But today, if the money wasn't there, they wouldn't be making it.'' Buck stops there. No more talk about labor issues. He enjoys the game today and admires the players. But, he says, the game isn't like it was back in his day, even when the players were segregated. ``Any player I see today reminds me of somebody I've seen,'' O'Neill said. Then, when asked which player today reminds him of himself, O'Neill blurts with a laugh: ``Ain't nobody that good!'' ``In my era, the greatest athletes played baseball,'' O'Neill said. ``The best white athletes played Major League Baseball and the best black athletes played Negro League Baseball
The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. . Football and basketball mostly were college sports. But now, the best athletes try golf, dunk a basketball, throw a football, catch a football, there are so many ways to make a great living.'' O'Neill himself has tried golf and is good. ``I can shoot my age,'' he said, ``but that's not a very good score, is it?'' O'Neill said he doesn't feel he missed anything by not playing in the majors. He saw plenty of Josh Gibson
Joshua Gibson (December 21, 1911 in Buena Vista, Georgia - January 20, 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American catcher in baseball's Negro Leagues. and Satchel Paige Noun 1. Satchel Paige - United States baseball player; a black pitcher noted for his longevity (1906-1982) Leroy Robert Paige, Paige , and considers them among the best ever, if not the best. ``I believe Josh Gibson would have held (the home run) record,'' O'Neill said. ``And Satchel Paige would hold all the pitchers records. ``When Jackie (Robinson) went to the major leagues, he took Negro League baseball with him. It was quick, quick. When Babe Ruth hit his home runs, it slowed the game down. Everyone was waiting for him to hit it out of the ballpark. With Jackie, we saw the hit-and-run, stealing bases, dragging a bunt for a hit. That's what Jackie brought to the major leagues. That was the Negro Leagues.'' When Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, O'Neill was in the Navy, stationed in the Philippines. By the time O'Neill returned, he was 35 and past his prime. But he was the first black coach in the majors, joining the Chicago Cubs' staff in 1962. Though it wasn't quite the same as playing in the majors would have been, O'Neill said he feels he played with the best. When he gave Paige's eulogy, O'Neill said: ``People say it's a shame he never pitched against the best. But who's to say he didn't?'' |
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