Whenever someone asks me who my favorite interview was, without a doubt I always mention Buck O'Neill. I had the chance to talk with him in 1984 when a whole lot of people really didn't know who he was. In Kansas City, he is considered a favorite son, someone that the city is proud of. We talked about his vision of turning a very suspect area of town into a Hall of Fame for the Negro league players. He was met with a great deal of scepticism, but after I talked to him, I had no doubt he would pull it off. He was gentle, kind and laughed a lot. He was very easy to talk to and it was a pleasure to make his acquiantance. He would answer a question and then say mmmmm hmmmm as if to qualify the answer. I only wish now I would have thought to take a camera or something other than a tape recorder to record the meeting. I lost the recording (and many others)in a flooded basement in the early 90's. He was never bitter about his exclusion from the game saying that the Kansas City Monarchs treated him very well. "Got to stay at great hotels and eat great steaks. They were owned by black people but they still were fine establishments." It's a shame he's not in the real baseball Hall of fame, maybe now this horrible injustice will be rectified. Thanks, Buck, for adding one more cool story to an already great book called my life.
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