Some things bear repeating

Months back, I wrote a pretty lengthy post about Buck O'Neil and Minnie Minoso when both were shut out from the Hall of Fame that can be found here. I still get sporadic hits on both men, looking for more information on their careers and reasons for or against induction to the Hall.

This weekend, O'Neil passed away at age 94, having fallen one vote shy for Hall of Fame induction this spring, but philosophical to the end.

"Shed no tears for Buck," he said. "I couldn't attend Sarasota High School. That hurt. I couldn't attend the University of Florida. That hurt.

"But not going into the Hall of Fame, that ain't going to hurt me that much, no. Before, I wouldn't even have a chance. But this time I had that chance.

"Just keep loving old Buck."

And people did, right to the end. While there is only one story left on ESPN.com on O'Neil - fittingly enough by Steve Wulf who wrote a touching piece on him that I quoted heavily from in the first post - people are still coming forward with their memories today.

For my small addition to the conversation, I was only around the man once, this summer at a Twins game.

O'Neil's presence pulled cheers from the fans who cheer regardless of the person holding the ball for the first pitch and as those who realized exactly the man was, a standing ovation slowly spread across the crowd.

As O'Neil went through his quick act - undoubtly replayed at ballparks across the country - where he'd wind up, shuffle a few yards closer to the dish, wind again, shuffle again and repeat until he could hand the ball to the catcher, the crowd fell in love with him.

What I'll always remember was watching him make the rounds, shaking hands, saying hello, shuffling from the infield to the right field bullpen, making his way to the elevators in the tunnel in right.

He was old, and there was no way around that fact, but he moved with grace. It was striking to see someone who was the same time that frail and that powerful. I'll just remember him beaming the whole time.

Seeing grown men, from security guards to professional ballplayers, falling all over themselves just to shake his hand, it was pretty amazing just to be in the same building as him.

I won't make too big a deal of any of this, except to say that all of the reports of him lighting up a room were true. It didn't seem to matter if he shared it with a president or if the room seated over 40,000 people. For a fan, it was hard to take your eyes off of him and I missed the first pitch that night watching him cross the field.

I toyed with the idea of running over to try and catch him in the concourse, but figured that I didn't have a shot at timing it right, but now I regret that decision.

For a man who spent so much of his golden years defending how his life lined up when it came to baseball, I'm betting he would have appreciated something like that.

If I had to take anything from the stories I've read and appearances I've seen him make, it's always amazed me how well he's taken everything in stride. Personally, I think there's a lot to be said for playing the cards you're dealt and asking for nothing more than a chance.

It's been oddly comforting to see that he'd shown some flashes of frustration or anger from time to time, but overall he kept an even keel and I find that unendingly admirable.

I can't think of better things to teach a child than to show up, do your best, not to sweat the things you can't change and not to look back on your life with anger or disappointment.

Even while those close to him refused to believe that his heart wasn't broken when the Hall left him out this year, he kept his chin up, kept visiting ballparks and was a fixture in Kansas City. Personally I think another decade of Buck O'Neil wouldn't have been enough and not for his stature as a ballplayer, but for his contributions as a human being.

I'm pretty sure Buck would insist he was right on time.

"There's nothing greater for a human being than to get his body to react to all the things one does on a ball field," O'Neil said. "It's as good as sex; it's as good as music. It fills you up. Waste no tears for me. I didn't come along too early. I was right on time."

- Buck O'Neil
1911-2006

(Photos from ESPN.com / Post-Gazette.com - Philadelphia, Pa.)