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| O'Neil, 94, to play in game | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 18 2006, 04:24 PM (154 Views) | |
| kyyankgrrl | Jul 18 2006, 04:24 PM Post #1 |
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Feminist & Proud
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O'Neil to play in minor league all-star game KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil never got a free pass in life. The grandson of a man brought to this continent as a slave, O'Neil moved to Kansas City to avoid racial persecution in the Deep South and played baseball during an era of segregation. It figures that on Tuesday night, when the 94-year-old steps into the batter's box during a minor league all-star game, nobody will quibble over an intentional walk. Except maybe O'Neil. "I just might take a swing at one," he said before Tuesday night's Northern League event. The Kansas City T-Bones signed O'Neil to a one-day contract, likely making him the oldest professional baseball player. He would surpass 83-year-old Jim Eriotes, who struck out in a minor league game in South Dakota earlier this month, by more than a decade. "I imagine the bat's a little heavier than that club I've been swinging," said O'Neil, who maintains he can still shoot his age in golf. "It's been a long time since I've picked up a bat." Nobody disputes that O'Neil's involvement in the game borders on a gimmick. But his supporters hope it also provides a boost in their quest to get him into Cooperstown. In May, a special 12-member panel did not choose O'Neil for the Hall of Fame, though it did vote in 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues eras. On a day that was to be his crowning achievement, O'Neil quietly sat at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., and accepted that his name wasn't called. "It was a roller coaster for everybody except him," said Bob Kendrick, the museum's director of marketing. "Certainly he was disappointed. But he taught us how to handle disappointment. In the scope of things that have happened in his life, not getting into the Hall pales in comparison." Since the ballot was cast, the T-Bones have become the unofficial champions of Buck O'Neil. General Manager Rick Montean said the club has been passing petitions through the stands at all home games, asking commissioner Bud Selig or former commissioner Fay Vincent to intervene. Team owner John Ehlert then suggested O'Neil actually play in the league's all-star game. The plan is to allow him one at-bat for each team, intentionally walking each time. "The Negro Leagues were the original independent baseball," Ehlert said. "And Buck O'Neil is the patriarch of independent baseball." A lifetime .288 hitter and two-time Negro League batting champion, O'Neil became major league baseball's first black coach with the Chicago Cubs. He went on to discover Hall of Famer Lou Brock and countless others as a scout, and now works tirelessly with Kendrick to keep alive the story of the Negro Leagues. His exclusion from the Hall of Fame caught nearly everybody by surprise. Players including Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Brock took aim at the selection process, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, said the vote had left "a community in tears." "He should be celebrated in baseball," said Kansas City T-Bones manager Al Gallagher, a former San Francisco Giants pitcher who met O'Neil in the late 1960s. "Why the commissioner hasn't put him in the Hall of Fame, I have no idea." http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5794522 ********** Go yard, old dude!!! Go yard!!! Seriously, I think this is cool!!!
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![]() Sig by Detroittigerfan28 In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman. - Margaret Thatcher I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night - Marie Corelli (19th century author) Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
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| Carlfan | Jul 18 2006, 04:26 PM Post #2 |
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what is up with all these old people |
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| MrYankee | Jul 18 2006, 05:25 PM Post #3 |
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24 ftw
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crazy, hyper old people |
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| Rockshu | Jul 18 2006, 06:04 PM Post #4 |
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Professional Indian
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Minor league teams attempting to get some publicity. |
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| MrYankee | Jul 18 2006, 06:10 PM Post #5 |
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24 ftw
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meanwhile, we get the enjoyment of being able to watch old people bat |
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| RedRuffing15 | Jul 18 2006, 06:22 PM Post #6 |
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Charles Herbet Ruffing
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Im going to meet him HOF Weekend |
[align=center]![]() ![]() Charles Herbert 'Red' Ruffing Red Ruffing: The Unofficial Site RedRuffing15 GFX Page[/align]
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| kyyankgrrl | Jul 18 2006, 06:29 PM Post #7 |
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Feminist & Proud
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Viagra!!! Now old men think they can do everything!!! :lol: |
![]() Sig by Detroittigerfan28 In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman. - Margaret Thatcher I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night - Marie Corelli (19th century author) Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
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| Rockshu | Jul 18 2006, 06:34 PM Post #8 |
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Professional Indian
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Lol, I'll get enjoyment when one of them gets a base hit. How embarassed would the pitcher be? |
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| NateFizzle | Jul 18 2006, 07:22 PM Post #9 |
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Another minor league asg joke. |
Jim Thome: 564 Homeuns (12th All-Time)![]() | |
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| Rockshu | Jul 18 2006, 07:53 PM Post #10 |
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Professional Indian
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Lol, you thinking about Canseco? |
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| NateFizzle | Jul 18 2006, 07:54 PM Post #11 |
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Yup |
Jim Thome: 564 Homeuns (12th All-Time)![]() | |
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| kyyankgrrl | Jul 18 2006, 10:41 PM Post #12 |
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Feminist & Proud
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Here's an update on how O'Neil played: At age 94, O'Neil becomes oldest-ever pro baseball player By DAVE SKRETTA, Associated Press Writer AP - Jul 18, 10:16 pm EDT KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil never got a free pass in life. The grandson of a man brought to this continent a slave, O'Neil moved to Kansas City to avoid racial persecution in the Deep South. He played baseball during an era of segregation, and earlier this year was denied entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special 12-member panel. It figures that on Tuesday night, when the 94-year-old O'Neil stepped into the batter's box during a minor league All-Star game, nobody could quibble over an intentional walk. Except maybe O'Neil and a few thousand fans. "I just might take a swing at one," he said before Tuesday night's Northern League All-Star game. Leading off for the West in the top of the first inning, O'Neil argued with the umpire after the first pitch from Kansas City T-Bones pitcher Jonathan Krysa sailed high and was called a ball. After another high pitch that narrowly missed his head, O'Neil took a called strike before being walked, as planned. O'Neil ambled to first base, then took a lead off the bag as if he were going to stay in the game before being pulled for a pinch runner. After the top of the inning, T-Bones owner John Ehlert announced that a trade had been brokered to bring O'Neil to the T-Bones, allowing him to also lead off the bottom of the inning. In his second at-bat, O'Neil took three balls -- all of them high and greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd -- before swinging at a pitch and almost spinning off his feet. Possibly lost in the novelty of the inning, the umpire gave him two more balls before sending him down to first base with his second walk of the night. The T-Bones signed O'Neil to a one-day contract, making him the oldest man ever to play professional baseball. He surpassed 83-year-old Jim Eriotes, who struck out in a minor league game in South Dakota earlier this month, by more than a decade. "This is special, very special," O'Neil said after his second at-bat. "I've been in baseball 70 years. This is how I made my living. And here I am at 94 with a bat in my hand." Clad in a red-and-white Kansas City Monarchs jersey, O'Neil said he thought the last time he had swung a bat in a game was in 1955. Asked if he remembered who he was facing in that last at-bat, he replied: "I don't remember yesterday and you ask me who the pitcher was in 1955?" Nobody disputes that O'Neil's involvement in the game bordered on a gimmick. But O'Neil's supporters hope it also provides more ammunition in their quest to get him into Cooperstown. In May, 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues eras were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On a day that was to be his crowning achievement, O'Neil quietly sat at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., and accepted that his name wasn't called. "It was a roller coaster for everybody except him," said Bob Kendrick, the museum's director of marketing. "Certainly he was disappointed. But he taught us how to handle disappointment. In the scope of things that have happened in his life, not getting into the Hall pales in comparison." Since the ballot was cast, the T-Bones have become the unofficial champions of Buck O'Neil. The club has been passing petitions through the stands at all home games, asking commissioner Bud Selig or former commissioner Fay Vincent to intervene. T-Bones officials say they've already collected more than 10,000 signatures. "The Negro Leagues were the original independent baseball," Ehlert said. "And Buck O'Neil is the patriarch of independent baseball." Standing in the shade at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, John Park labored Tuesday to gather signatures, already sweating through a white T-shirt that read "Sign the petition. Get Buck in the Hall." "He's a legend in his own time," said Park, 59, from Kansas City, Kan. "I don't know all of the statistics. I'm just saying how I feel." Across the stadium, opposite O'Neil's name emblazoned on the outfield wall, Abbey Evert marveled that the sinewy, old right-hander was stepping to the plate on a day when temperatures in Kansas topped 100 degrees. "It's pretty crazy," said Evert, 17, from Shawnee, Kan. "That's someone who really loves baseball." But O'Neil dismissed concerns about the heat. "This is Kansas City weather," he said. "We used to play doubleheaders in this weather with wool uniforms." A lifetime .288 hitter and two-time Negro League batting champion, O'Neil became Major League Baseball's first black coach with the Chicago Cubs. He went on to discover Hall of Famer Lou Brock and countless others as a scout, and now works tirelessly with Kendrick to keep alive the story of the Negro leagues. His exclusion from the Hall of Fame caught nearly everybody by surprise. Players including Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Brock took aim at the selection process, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, said the vote had left "a community in tears." "He should be celebrated in baseball," said Kansas City T-Bones manager "Dirty" Al Gallagher, a former San Francisco Giants third baseman who met O'Neil in the late 1960s. "Why the commissioner hasn't put him in the Hall of Fame, I have no idea." http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Auxb...ov=ap&type=lgns |
![]() Sig by Detroittigerfan28 In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman. - Margaret Thatcher I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night - Marie Corelli (19th century author) Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
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| BlueJaysfan | Jul 19 2006, 02:05 AM Post #13 |
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that is special |
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| YANKnykman49 | Jul 19 2006, 08:13 AM Post #14 |
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the fact that this GRAND OLD MAN of baseball is still excluded from the HOF is an absolute TRAVESTY ......and the SHAME of MLB. there should bre an investigation as to WHY some voter(s) are blocking him. the qualifications for HOF induction is NOT just STATS.....it is right there in the name (fame)....and this man is the walking epitome of it...on a LIVING LEGENDARY basis. hey BUD! you want to cap off your career as COMMISH? then reverse this INJUSTICE and appoint BUCK O'NEIL to the HOF IMMEDIATELY. |
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| detroittigerfan28 | Jul 19 2006, 04:31 PM Post #15 |
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:)
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lmao :lol: |
Vote for Josh Hamilton for the 2008 All Star Game.![]() "I'd have to go with Curtis. He's a six-tool player. Off the field, he's pretty good, too. He can run. He can hit (and hit for power). He can throw. He can field. And he's good-looking." -Torii Hunter choosing Granderson over Sizemore | |
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| NateFizzle | Jul 20 2006, 11:02 AM Post #16 |
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Steven Colbert put O'Neil's picture on his shelf, which is thought to be a bigger honor then the HOF. |
Jim Thome: 564 Homeuns (12th All-Time)![]() | |
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7:16 PM Jul 10