Busy as a bee, I haven’t had much chance to peruse the sports section of the web much, but I managed a couple minutes this morning and found this report on Negro League star and former Cubs manager/scout Buck O’Neil getting one more professional at bat. The Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League have adopted Buck and championed him as a Hall of Fame inductee after he was denied entrance in a special election earlier this year.
Gimmicks like this — a staged intentional walk that include arguing with the umpire and an old man wearing blue jeans — are infrequent but not uncommon. The king of these fan-grabbing attention schemes is Bill Veeck, whose family inherited his soft spot for sensationalism. Minnie Minoso became the first player to ever suit up for pro ball in five decades in large part because of Veeck. Had the old baseball owner been around in 1990, Minoso might have had a chance to make it six. Like O’Neil, Minosa was not invited to the Hall in the last of the Negro League votes.
The Northern League is a clever organization that capitalizes on its strong community ties and the occasional big name that passes through. Several well-known major leaguers, such as Darryl Strawberry and Jack Morris, have spent time in the Northern League. There are also many interesting promotions, some of which have been the brainchild of Mike Veeck, son of Bill and the man held responsible for the infamous Disco Demolition Night. Recently, another team — the Schaumburg Flyers — announced plans for a fan-based managing tool (), which is now available online. It’s a little on the lame side, and glitchy, but the concept is first rate.
I’ve been thinking for a while now that working someplace like the Northern League would be incredibly fulfilling. No idea too wacky, and no community outreach trivialized. Minnie turned 80 last year and may still be ticking when I get my final degree. Maybe a good use of all that knowledge will be to figure out how to get him Decade Six.
