Buck O'Neil's Lesson on Dealing with Defeat Like a Man

Our guests walk into the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. And you literally walk through the turnstiles into an old ballpark. And the first thing that you see. is the feel. The field of legends. And the Field of Legends is a mock baseball diamond that houses 10 of 12 life-size bronze sculptures of Negro League greats and they are cast in position as if they were playing a game. Now, on the outside, looking in. Is my dear friend, the late great Buck O'Neill, who was the only one of our collection of statues that wasn't in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Well, thankfully on December 5th of 2021. Buck O'Neill received enough votes. to now be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Fifteen years after he missed by one vote. I'll never forget that day as long as my mother would say, I'm in my natural mind. It was the morning of february twenty seventh, two thousand six. and Buckle Neil and I left home with suitcases packed. With airline tickets that the Hall of Fame had purchased for us. That's how sure we were that Buck was going to get in.

This was just a mere formality. And so there was a group of 12 Negro League historians, researchers, educators. They were to gather down in Tampa, Florida, where they were going to make the decision on the final group of Negro Leaguers who had gone through the process and made the final ballot. The late great Buck O'Neill and now the late great Minnie Minoso were the only two living names on that list. And so We were going to fly after the announcement, Buck and I would fly down to Tampa where he would participate in a press conference the very next day.

And so at that time I was the marketing director for the museum. And so I had brokered a deal with our partner, then Sprint, now T-Mobile. And they had provided a sprint phone for me, a sprint phone for Buck. And so we're going to take the Hall of Fame call on the Sprint phone. And then Sprint was going to pay us a bunch of money to help build the Buckle Neil Education and Research Center. And so the call was supposed to come to me that morning at around 11 o'clock.

Well, 11 o'clock rolls around. I don't get a phone call. About noon, my colleague Dr. Ray Doswell, who is one of the 12 people who had gathered there in Tampa to make this decision. He calls and says, Bob, this thing is looking really tight. We've done a straw vote, and Buck is coming up one vote shy. Shy, Former Commissioner Faye Vinson, who was overseeing the committee, didn't have a vote. He was overseeing the committee.

He says he's reconvened us so that we can talk specifically about Buck O'Neill and Minnie Minoso, the only two guys that were still alive on this list, of 30 plus. Well, my good friend Joe Posnanski was sitting right where you're sitting. And As Joe came out, I said, Hey man, I just got a call from Ray. He says, This thing is looking tight. Buck is coming up one vote shy. He's in disbelief.

Finally, around 2 o'clock. I get a call from Jeff Idelson. Jeff Idelson was then the vice president of marketing. For the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and Jeff calls me and he says, Bob, Bug didn't get enough votes. And I felt like someone had kicked me in my gut. because now I've got to come back in this conference room. and tell my friend that he didn't get enough votes when I know in his heart he thought he was in.

Why wouldn't he? And so I come back in, I excuse a few folks. Bunk was seated right there at the head of the table. and I sit down. and I am literally trying to collect my thoughts. I don't know how I'm going to tell him. And so I finally look up at Buck. And I said, well, Buck, what? we didn't get enough votes.

And he looks up at me and he smiles. He said, well, that's how the cookie crumbles. and in the next voice he asked me how many had gotten in. I said seventeen. Now I'll be honest. I was furious. Because in my mind, you couldn't put 17 in and leave Buck out.

He hits the table in utter jubilation. He is excited that 17 of his colleagues had gotten their rightful place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, as a steward of this story, I should have had that same kind of feeling. But I was upset because my guy didn't get in.

And he asked me who they were. And at that point in time, I didn't have that information. And the next words that came out of his mouth, I wonder if the Hall of Fame will invite me to speak. Now, my friend Joe Posnowski, my brother, he's turned beet red. And he looks at Buck and he says Boom. You wouldn't do that, would you?

And Buck says, Joe, Of course I would. What has my life been about? And I said, well, Buck, I need to go downstairs because downstairs we had well over 300 plus people who had gathered for what we all thought was going to be a Hall of Fame celebration announcement.

Well, as I oftentimes tell this story, From this conference room. to the field of legends. Where we had the podium set up at second base was the longest walk of my life. I was literally coaching myself. Bye. You can't cry. Whatever you do, you can't cry. You got to suck it up.

Now the more I'm telling myself not to cry, Tears are steady building in my eyes. I get to the podium. And this is the honest to God's truth. I have no idea what I said. I've never gone back to watch the video. I don't know if I ever will.

Whatever it was that I said, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. People were openly emotional and this wasn't disappointment. This was outrage. This was anger. How dare they? And Buck walks in through our gift shop. And the room erupts into a thunderous ovation. and buckle nil. walks up to the podium. and delivers one of the most amazing concession speeches that I'd ever heard.

What he did that day was he literally implored all of us. not to be angry. not to be bitter. not to express any ill will toward anyone who had anything to do with this decision. He said I had an opportunity. And in this great country of ours, that's all you could ever ask.

They didn't think old Buck was good enough. We got to live with that. But if I'm a Hall of Famer in your eyes, that's all that matters to me. Just keep on loving old Buck. Now, I'm over in the corner at this point in time. I'm a wreck. You know, tears are just streaming down my face and uncontrollably.

But what Buck O'Neill did that day was he literally. reached out his arms. and wrapped them around all of us. and said It's okay. Instead of us consoling him, he's consoling us, and what I still say to this day. To be one of the most amazing displays of strength of character that I had ever witnessed.

He would push aside his disappointment. Go to Cooperstown. Deliver this incredible speech on behalf of 17 dead folks when the world was saying this should be your induction speech. And what I still say today was the most selfless act. In American sports history, what Buck O'Neill did that day was he literally gave us a lesson on how. to handle disappointment. because he handled it so graciously.

that people thought he wasn't disappointed. But of course he was. the Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle for any athlete. And Buck knew he was sick at that time. Just over two months later, My friend Buck O'Neill passed away himself. at age ninety four, a month shy of his ninety fifth birthday.

This was going to be his swan song, even though he never complained, even though he understood what his health situation was like and what the doctors had already prepared him for. And so. Yeah, he He handled the disappointment. Well He handled it like a man.

And so he was never going to be so sullen about his rejection that he couldn't be genuinely joyous for those who had gotten their place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And so. I'm trying. to be more bug-like.

And a terrific job on the storytelling by Monty Montgomery. And a special thanks to Bob Kendrick. What a terrific voice. And he was telling this story of Buck O'Neill, who, if you watched Ken Burns' documentary on baseball, Buck O'Neill stole the show. He chewed up all the scenery.

And by the way, if you want to hear the remarkable speech he gave in Cooperstown, New York, You'll see a man that you'd want to emulate and be. by the end of his speech. He had athletes. Famous ball players, announcers, and family members of Jackie Robinson and Ordinary fans holding hands. and singing and praising the idea of love. and of God.