Remembering Buck O'Neil
I think it's worth mentioning the death of Buck O'Neil here. We got word of his death right after the paper went to press this evening, which is a shame because the world deserves to read about an important and underappreciated member of the baseball community.

A slick-fielder Negro League ballplayer, O'Neil's impact on the game is greater for what he did off the field than what he ever did on it. And he was a two-time Negro League batting champ, so it's not like we're talking about some slouch. He broke down racial barriers by being the first black coach in the Majors, but perhaps even more importantly, he became the Negro League's greatest ambassador, helping educate the world on the history of baseball's segregated past.

This past year, 17 figures from the Negro Leagues or Pre-Negro Leagues were special inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Somehow, O'Neil was not one of them. But he was still there at the induction ceremony, speaking proudly about his forgotten contemporaries just as he always has. Hopefully, many in baseball take the time to return the favor over the next several days. O'Neil deserves it.