[Archive]

Posted By: tbob

He announced today that he will be resigning from the SABR after 21 years unless the organization takes immediate steps to rectify the tragedy and inane voting of the 12 members of SABR who picked the new HOFers. It took 9 "yes" votes (it was a yes/no ballot) for Buck O'Neill to be admitted and 4 voters (at least) voted "no." Buck broke the color line by being the first African-American in major league baseball to wear a uniform other than as a player. Buck signed Lou Brock, Billy Williams and was instrumental in the signing and development of Ernie Banks. If you just take his record prior to 1962 and omit all he has done since then, he still should get in. He was a very good player in the Negro leagues, he won championships as a manager and has been a tremendous ambassador for baseball. Keith called on Commissioner Bud Selig to do something good for a change and either announce Buck and Minnie Minoso are hereby selected to the Hall of Fame or tell Major League Baseball that he is severing their ties with the Hall of Fame.
I agree with Keith, this is a tremendous travesty to someone who means as much to baseball and its fans as anyone alive. The idiots at SABR elect a gangster and a White woman who passed as Black and owned a team that won exactly one championship while she was there. The man who wrote her autiobiography was, surprise, surprise, one of the 12 voters. Selig has been an absolute disaster as Commissioner but he has a chance to do one right thing, I'm sure he won't.
As a final note, when advised that almost everyone of the 17 elected are dead and there wouldn't be anyone to speak for them at their induction, Buck volunteered to speak for them. He asked all his fans not to worry that he was not in the Hall of Fame and that he was happy and proud that they considered him to be a Hall of Famer. He is just such a class man. At 94, who knows how much longer he will live. If I were an African American with any sense of history, I would be absolutely infuriated with this vote. As a White American, I am just as incensed at the lack of justice and utter callousness of the SABR voters. Let's see how many of these voters hide behind the mask of anonymity and how many have the guts to tell how they voted.
This makes me sick...