Political Quotes

“Mr. President, at long last, it is official. Buck O'Neil and Minnie Minoso are finally where they deserve to be: in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. These two remarkable men, who were friends for decades, both started their careers in baseball's storied Negro Leagues. They went on to make history again in the Major Leagues--in the city of Chicago--and they stayed involved with baseball all their lives. And they were both known, as one writer said, ``as much for their grace and spirit of generosity as for their immense achievements in the game.'' I never had the good fortune to meet Buck O'Neil, but I have a baseball that he signed, and I keep it as a treasure. I did meet Minnie Minoso. He and Satchel Paige came to a Springfield Redbirds game many years ago, and I summoned the courage to shake their hands between innings. What a thrill that was. But meeting Minnie Minoso was an honor shared by so many Chicagoans. As his widow, Sharon Rice-Minoso, recalled at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, ``Baseball was his life. He was proud to wear his uniform and come to the ballpark every day to greet fans with a smile and sign autograph and after autograph. Some people believe that Minnie signed an autograph for every man, woman, and child in the Windy City.'' ``The Cuban Comet'' and ``Mr. White Sox.'' That is what the fans called him. His full name was Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso Arrieta. He was born on a sugarcane ranch in Cuba in 1923--or maybe it was 1924 or `25.…”