Anyone catch Keith Olberman's rant on Buck O'Neil not getting into the Hall of Fame? Great stuff, here is part of the text.
Olberman on O'Neil
The Hall of Fame just keeps on getting worse. They have a last chance to let in 2 legends and instead they chose to elect a criminal into the Hall. Too bad baesball doesn't have a Commish who can correct these mistakes.
Olberman on O'Neil
Quote:
| Yesterday was the day the game elected to its Hall of Fame, 17 heroes of the era of the "Negro Leagues." The last such election scheduled. Ever. And Buck O'Neill was not elected. A special committee first selected 94 candidates... Then pared it down to 39 finalists... Then yesterday announced the 17 inductees. O'Neill didn't make the cut. Nor did Minnie Minoso -- himself prevented from playing in the majors until he was 27 years old because of the color of his skin. Minoso went on to record the sixth highest batting average in all of baseball during the prime of his career, 1951 through 1963. Snubbing Minoso and O'Neill -- apparently for all time -- is extraordinary enough. But only baseball could make it worse. In honoring the Negro Leagues -- it managed to exclude O'Neill and Minoso -- but did elect two white people.... Just to twist the knife a little further into Buck O'Neil, the special committee elected Alex Pompez, owner of the New York Cubans team... Also an organized crime figure... Part of the mob of the infamous '30s gangster Dutch Schultz... Indicted in this country and Mexico for racketeering. He's in the Hall of Fame. For all time. Buck O'Neill is not. It is not merely indefensible. For all the many stupid things the Baseball Hall of Fame has ever done... This is the worst. |
