The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America
"What was your best day in baseball?"
When ninety-three-year-old Negro Leagues legend Buck O'Neil asked his friend this question, Kansas City sports columnist Joe Posnanski found that he did not have a clear answer. Posnanski could not help but think about steroids and large egos and so many of the negative things that had begun to identify big-money baseball. But O'Neil insisted that he look deeper, and Posnanski then remembered the warm summer evenings of his childhood and playing catch with his father until they had to throw the ball high to see it against the dying light.
"Hang on to your day," Buck O'Neil said. "If you hang on to your day, you will stay young."
With that, O'Neil led Posnanski on a cross-country journey to discover the soul of baseball—and a few secrets of life along the way. O'Neil had lived and played baseball during a time when African Americans were not welcome in the Major Leagues. But he held no bitterness. Instead, he remembered nights filled with hot jazz and sunny afternoons of playing baseball with brilliant players such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Turkey Stearnes. "I lived, man," O'Neil said.
In The Soul of Baseball, Posnanski revives the game through the eyes of Buck O'Neil, baseball's greatest ambassador. They traveled from New York to San Diego, Atlanta to Chicago. They crossed paths with Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Roger Clemens, and Monte Irvin. They watched kids play on a small diamond on the Kansas prairies and millionaires play at Major League parks. O'Neil's stories form the heart of this book—the day he hit for the cycle and also met his beloved wife, Ora; the time he saved Billy Williams's career; and how he kept a promise to Hilton Smith to get him into the Hall of Fame. O'Neil also shared the wisdom and joy of his years—with Buck anything could lead to a life lesson, even something as simple as a baseball tossed into the stands or a woman wearing a bright red dress.
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- ISBN: 9780060854034
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35 Reviews
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 24, 2007 Type: User Review |
I Knew Buck O'Neil
A great read of a great human being, and baseball man. I would see Buck several times a year in the '80s at the Detroit Tigers, Joker Marchant Stadium, when he was a scout with the Kansas City Royals. He was a pleasant a man you could ever meet. I...
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 5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 23, 2007 Type: User Review |
A year in the life of Buck O'Neil
I found the book very readable and never really got bored with it. I would have liked more in depth stories from when Buck played and managed. Most of the reminisces were short and sweet versions. All and all, I did enjoy the book and consider it...
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 3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 08, 2007 Type: User Review |
Hmmm...
I can't help but wonder if the 22 reviews -- all giving this book 5 stars -- are some of the author's closest friends. I am not saying I didn't like the book, but the writing was drab. Through the first few chapters, I got it, Buck O'neal was a...
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3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 07, 2007 Type: User Review |
The Triple is the Sweetest Hit
For the baseball time traveler, this sojourn through the memories of Buck O'Neil, ball player, scout, coach, manager, and erstwhile spokesman for the old Negro Leagues, is a lift-your-spirits stroll through the good and bad of America's game. The...
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 4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 31, 2007 Type: User Review |
A study in human potential- How to life the good life
This is not a book about baseball.
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 30, 2007 Type: User Review |
Truly a pleasure
Posnanski has done a wonderful job documenting a year he spent traveling with a remarkable man. After reading it, you'll wish (like me) that you had had the chance to spend some time yourself with Buck O'Neil, who was not only a baseball pioneer,...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 27, 2007 Type: User Review |
You don't have to be a baseball fan...
Whether you follow baseball or not, this account of the late Buck O'Neil as he travels throughout the United States with the author in the last months of his life deserves to be read. O'Neil, who died in October 2006 at the age of 94, was a star...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 14, 2007 Type: User Review |
wonderful book
I couldn't put this book down! I had to force myself to not finish it all in one sitting. It is beautiful and sad to follow one of the final years of Buck O'Neil's life knowing how it recently ended and how he was spurned from the HoF. But, as...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 10, 2007 Type: User Review |
This book is better than my 1986 rookie season!
I love this book! I also love Jo Po's awesome blog and his keen sense of off-beat humor. Great stuff! I also really love the turkey and swiss market fresh combo at Arby's. Man, that's good. My idea of heaven would be to spend an hour eating the...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 08, 2007 Type: User Review |
A great book about life
This is a wonderful book about remarkable man with a wonderful outlook on how to live life that happens to be focused on baseball. People of all ages can benefit from the manner in which Buck O'Neil approached life and the people that passed...
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5.00/5 |
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