The Soul of Baseball

by BLee2525 on Mar 8, 2007 7:13 PM EST

For some time now, JD has been pimping Joe Posnanski on this site, linking to articles, blog entries and such. Most people here know I'm a "new schooler" (and am credited as such in the wiki), and it's nice to have a sportswriter somewhere who's not afraid to use words like VORP. For all you people who weep for us "staheads," afraid that we're missing out on that which makes baseball great while perusing spreadsheets in our parents' basement, worry no more. I received my copy of "The Soul of Baseball" today.

I know there are a lot of Posnanski fans on this site, and probably even more Buck O'Neil fans. For those who don't know, Posnanski followed Buck for a year to write "The Soul of Baseball." Buck was one of baseball's greatest amabassadors. He was an incredibly engaging personality; his stories about teammate Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell were legendary. He had the following quote after he was ridiculously snubbed for the Hall of Fame last year:

God's been good to me. They didn't think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That's the way they thought about it and that's the way it is, so we're going to live with that. Now, if I'm a Hall of Famer for you, that's all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don't weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful.

Buck died last October, and never got to read this book.

RR will get a full book report as soon as I'm done.

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By the way...

If you use your blog to beg, that's "blegging."

If you use your blog to pimp, is that "blimping"?

Don't mind me...just thinking positive and pitching to contact, that's all...

by Paul Householder on Mar 8, 2007 7:23 PM EST reply actions

I think everyone acknowledges

the baseball writer need to have something bad happen to them because of what they did to o'neil. even when he was still alive, everyone said that.

i don't know what those people were thinking, but i'm pretty sure when you deny a man his deserving wish on his deathbed, you go to one of the circles of hell. in this case, i think those baseball writers join selig, fehr, boras, and steinbrenner in their own private really deep torture.

there are few men i regret never having the chance to meet, even though that chance was slim when he was leaving. buck o'neil deserves a spot not only in baseball immortality, but in american history immortality.

when the baseball writers induct him into the hall this year or next, i hope they are booed to shame.

Still haven't found what I'm looking for.

by Daedalus on Mar 8, 2007 11:40 PM EST reply actions

said with tongue in cheek, of course

but in all truth, too. it's so upsetting that he was not inducted before he died.

Still haven't found what I'm looking for.

by Daedalus on Mar 8, 2007 11:44 PM EST up reply actions

agreed

What the people don't get with the HOF is that there is more than just numbers. Has there been a better ambassador for the sport, in a time when it so desperately needs it, than Buck?

"Pitchers did me a favor when they knocked me down. It made me more determined." -Frank Robinson

by Caleb on Mar 10, 2007 4:00 PM EST up reply actions