The deeper meaning of bringing Buck O’Neil’s Hall of Fame plaque to Kansas City

The Kansas City Royals will mark Buck O'Neil's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Saturday. His long-awaited induction is special in Kansas City, where he played in the Negro Leagues before becoming a coach and then scout for the Royals.

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August 12, 2022 - 1:11 PM

Dr. Angela Terry speaks on behalf of her uncle, Buck O'Neil, during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 24, 2022, in Cooperstown, New York. Photo by (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images/TNS)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown last month, the journeys of each of the seven honorees reverberated in their own unique ways.

Subtly and organically enough, though, through the afternoon a compelling broader dynamic and narrative emerged that will forever bind together the Class of ‘22.

And that through line is embodied and animated by one in particular. The “linchpin,” Hall of Fame executive Jon Shestakofsky said, was Buck O’Neil, whose Hall of Fame plaque he was preparing on Wednesday to handle with care en route to Kansas City for public display on Friday at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

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