[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 158 (Thursday, November 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11938-S11939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       GIVE IT UP FOR BUCK O'NEIL

 Mrs. CARNAHAN. Mr. President, today I rise to honor a true 
hero on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
  John Jordan O'Neil, Jr. was born on November 13, 1911 in Carrabelle, 
FL. Over the years he has been given many nicknames including Jay, 
Foots, Country, Cap, even Nancy and Old Relic, but the one that endures 
is Buck.
  As a teenager, he worked in the Sarasota celery fields. The job was 
miserable, toiling in the oven-hot dirt and muck. He knew there had to 
be something better, and fortunately for us, he was right. Buck O'Neil 
loves baseball. It's that simple. In his own words he describes what a 
wonderful thing baseball is. ``There is nothing greater for a human 
being than to get his body to react to all the things one does on a 
ballfield . . . It's as good as music. It fills you up.''
  You see, by studying the history of baseball one discovers a great 
deal about the sport's hidden history. Biographer Ken Burns said, ``By 
lifting the rug of our past, we find not only the sins we hoped we had 
concealed beneath it, but also new and powerful heroes who thrived in 
the darkness and can teach us much about how to live in the light.''
  Living through the bitter experiences that our country reserved to 
men of his color, Buck reflects only gold and light out of despair and 
suffering. He knows he can go farther with generosity and kindness than 
with anger and hate. He knows what human progress is all about.
  When asked to tell of his journey from the Negro Leagues to the 
Majors, Buck's eyes light up. Though he has been telling the story for 
the past fifty years, he never tires of recounting the playing days and 
the men who lived it--men like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa 
Bell. Like many a good story and storyteller, it's interesting to see 
how much they've improved over the years.

[[Page S11939]]

  When others would have preferred to live in a more enlightened time, 
Buck has no regrets. ``Waste no tears on me,'' he says. ``I didn't come 
along too early. I was right on time.'' What a lesson we can learn from 
this great hero. ``Give it up''--that's Buck's way. Don't be so formal. 
Don't hide behind polite conversations. Don't be afraid to show someone 
some love. Show what's in your heart, always; don't keep it inside. On 
this special occasion I urge us all to ``Give it up.''

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