Every Hall of Famer has a story about how they got there. Buck O'Neil and Minnie Minoso, two baseball pioneers whose long roads finally reached the most prestigious place in the game on Sunday, are not the only ones.
Over the last few days, a word was thrown around about the fact that both legends were dead. O'Neil and Minoso were known as much for their generosity as they were for their accomplishments in the game.
The niece of O'Neil delivered the acceptance speech for Buck on Sunday. She was quoted by her uncle.
The following words are so old that you can't combine them with a conjunction. Both have to be said in their own way.
O'Neil is a Hall of Fame member.
There is a Hall of Fame.
It was finally at last.
Which teams have excelled and which have failed to meet expectations so far?
Everything from an A to an F was handed out.
It's impossible to not wish that it would have been true while both men were with us, but it was clear this weekend that anyone sitting in "the valley" was aware of it.
Adrian Burgos, one of the country's foremost experts on Latin baseball and one of the most prominent boosters of Minoso's Hall of Fame case, believes that Minnie would have loved sharing this with his family. It is our duty to celebrate it for him.
Most of the stories about the life of John Jordan O'Neil Jr. start with the fact that he was born in the Jim Crow Era. Julius was taken from western Africa on a slave ship. He was owned by the man who had the name O'Neil.
O'Neil stated in his book that his grandfather was not a bitter man. He was a positive person. That was indicative of the way Buck O'Neil lived.
"He was destined to be who he became, and to touch people in the way that he did, so it's hard to describe that quality," said Bob Kendrick, O'Neil's successor as the president of the Neg. It was special for me. I told you what I knew because I was there. I watched this all the time we were there.
He was good enough to play in the American League or National League. He was known for his glove work. O'Neil insists that he was a.300 hitter, despite the fact that his career average was.260.
O'Neil always knew that he had played in the major leagues when MLB designated the Negro Leagues as a major league in 2020. O'Neil was the leader of the Negro Leagues baseball ambassadors. The players who played in it felt like they were in the middle of something.
We fell in love with the Negro Leagues after he told us about them. We fell in love with Buck O'Neil because of the way he lived his life.
It was the story that O'Neil told all of his life, from his days as a player and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs, through his decades as a legendary scout for the Cubs and, later, the Royals, as well as during his time as the first black coach in
The reasons for the existence of the Negro Leagues are ridiculous. Most of us can comprehend rugged times past. They had a good time. O'Neil told that story for a long time, but not enough people listened.
Everyone began to listen suddenly. The World Series was canceled because of a labor dispute. That's because Ken Burns' "Baseball" was on PBS.
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Lynn Novak said that Burns had more charisma in his little finger than most people will ever have. She was the one who conducted the initial interviews with O'Neil.
At one point, Novak said, "That must have been hard." O'Neil didn't like that.
O'Neil told Novak not to feel sorry for them. The hotels were the best. Black owned and operated them. The best restaurants were located in our area. The fans were very supportive of us. We were traveling with a lot of famous people.
O'Neil became a living oracle of Negro Leagues baseball and baseball itself. He spread the word about the Negro Leagues and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and was the first president of the museum.
Novak said that he has never met anyone who has the gift of Buck O'Neil to tell a story.
After the NLBM was born, a committee was formed to consider the Hall of Fame cases of those who were overlooked, including O'Neil.
Black baseball players, executives and pioneers were selected for the hall of fame. O' Neil was not one of them.
It wouldn't be hard to be bitter for Buck O'Neil.
When O'Neil found out he had fallen short, he wrapped his arms around all of us. He is consoling us instead of consoling him. It has to be one of the best displays of strength of character that I've ever seen.
The Buck O' Neil Lifetime Achievement Award was created by the Hall of Fame. O'Neil won the award posthumously and Rachel Robinson was one of the recipients.
There is a statue of O'Neil at the entrance of the museum. Everyone who enters the Hall of Fame is greeted by O'Neil's smiling likeness.
Bob Costas joked that O'Neil was the only Hall of Famer who had a statue before he got a plaque.
The statue was just down the hall from the Plaque Gallery, but not inside. Another committee took up O'Neil's case in December.
It's too little. It's too late? Is it a bitter thing? Is it a sweet thing?
"With all the things that are encompassed in this man's incredible career, he absolutely deserves to be there at the pinnacle, for anyone who made their living in this game," said Buck, who decided to focus on the sweet.
NNIE MINO SO was born in 1923. That is what it says on BaseballReference. He claimed to be born in 1925, and that's how it's listed on a lot of sources. One of his old driver's licenses has the year 1924 on it.
Minoso would have gotten at least five more productive seasons in the majors if it had been a few years later.
He was the first black Latino in Major League Baseball when he crossed over. The event happened on May 1, 1951. He was given that opportunity. He became a star.
Mickey Mantle was the only American League hitter to have more WAR than Minoso.
Minoso was the second-best player in his league, behind only one of the best players of all-time, for a full decade.
Minoso had a good case to get into the Hall of Fame. The numbers don't tell the whole story of a man who lived one of baseball's most incredible lives. Minoso was so famous throughout Latin America that he had a song written about him in the 50's.
The only context for what Minoso meant to those he paved the way for is an oft-repeated statement that perhaps began with a foreword written for Minoso's book.
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There is a story.
Tony Oliva paid tribute to Minoso's influence on his career by mentioning the song in his acceptance speech on Sunday.
"We're here to honor his excellence," he said. He was an ambassador of the majors to the Latino community. He was the first Latino player in baseball.
The way for those from Cuba to follow Minoso was paved by him. He made contact with teams and scouts and helped them transition to America in a variety of ways. It's called you name it.
Pedro Sierra was a former Negro Leagues and minor league pitcher from Havana. Sierra is at the corner of Main and Pioneer on Hall of Fame weekends.
Sierra talked about Minoso and how Minoso got the Washington Senators to reverse their decision to release him. He was Sierra's mentor.
Charlie Rice-Minoso said that Minoso almost took on a role of surrogate father. There was not an example for him to follow. There wasn't anyone to help him. On his own, he did it. He did it with great honor.
Everyone who knows Minoso has a story about his approachability. Charlie Rice-Minoso is the youngest son of the new Hall of Famer. He loved people so much that he made sure everyone was put together. It's just connecting with people.
It's remarkable because of the fact that a lot of what he went through could have made him pessimistic.
There is a cartoon from Minoso's time with the Cards in the "VIVA BASEBALL!" exhibit at the Hall. It exploits stereotypes and mocks Minoso's English in order to highlight his talent.
Minoso led his league in hits by pitches 10 times over 11 seasons, but it wasn't necessarily because he stood on top of the plate. He fractured his skull when he was hit in the head by a Yankees pitcher. He brushed himself off and went on.
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Rice- Minoso said that he carried the weight of many communities. If I respond negatively to him, it will reflect negatively on him, even if he is black or Cuban. I think he would do what he could to make it simpler for his countrymen.
Minoso has been a cause celebre for Hall of Fame analysts for a long time. He has been a Hall of Famer. He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Exile, the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rice-Minoso said that he is in the amazing halls in other countries that still deserve their own recognitions and still deserve to be held in the esteem in which they are.
Minoso wanted to be in the baseball hall of fame. He wanted it to be terrible. He was disappointed over his near misses. After he died, the White Sox worked on his behalf to keep the public aware of his accomplishments.
It's giving context to the statistics of 2022.
It occurred in December. A little bit sweet. It's a bit bitter. The death of Orestes Arrieta Minoso Jr., Minnie's oldest son, who died of a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, in March has left a family grieving.
Charlie Rice-Minoso said that he was almost grieving in a way again. It is still a celebration at the end of the day. It's been going through a lot of emotions.
Everyone agreed that Minoso would have been happy.
Sharon Rice-Minoso said that she would like to believe that he was here in spirit with them. His arms embraced us all.
O' Neil and Minoso were friends for a long time. Both of them played in the Negro Leagues and stayed involved with the game. They became great ambassadors for their sport.
The quality of togetherness which they both championed may be their greatest legacy. Minoso's wife was the one who delivered his speech on his behalf.
Sharon Rice- Minoso said that baseball was his life. He wore his uniform and came to the ballpark every day to greet fans with a smile and sign autographs. Some people think that a lot of people signed autographs in the city.
Sharon mentioned Minoso's love of food and cooking for others, even going so far as to jump into action to cook for the workers in establishments he frequented. Food was a way to bring people together.
Though O'Neil didn't get to speak at his own ceremony, he did once give a speech that reminded him of Minoso's qualities. After O'Neil was left out of the 2006 class, he was asked to speak on behalf of the 17 people who made it and, true to himself, O'Neil delivered the most important Hall of Fame speech ever made.
O'Neil did a lot of things that he liked. I would rather be representing the people that helped build the bridge.
The Hall of Famers on stage with him as well as the thousands spread across the valley were asked to join hands and sing with him. The greatest thing in all of my life is loving you and most of them did.
Buck appeared on the video screen before the ceremony to bring everyone together again.
It has been a long time since Buck O'Neil and Minnie Minoso were elected to the Hall of Fame. On the same day, longtime friends were honored with their own unique paths.
They both traveled a long way to get to the Clark Sports Center on Sunday.
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