SARASOTA (SNN-TV) – The pride of Newtown, Buck O’Neil will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this coming Sunday, but before then, he was honored in downtown Sarasota today.
The 40 foot mural of Buck O’Neil is now preserved in his home town of Sarasota forever, representing the long lasting legacy he left both on and off the field.
13-year MLB veteran, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer and Ambassador, Brian Roberts was in attendance at the unveiling today, and spoke to how O’Neil changed the game of baseball for players like him.
“I was able to then play in a more diverse game of baseball because of them. Many African-American guys that I played with, that are now my closest friends, I would’ve never had that opportunity had it not been for guys like Buck O’Neil and Jackie Robinson. So, the impact they’ve had on the game of baseball, obviously the impact Buck has on our community of Sarasota, it goes beyond anything any of us could really imagine, to tell you the truth.” – Brian Roberts, Orioles Hall of Famer/Ambassador
The Baseball Hall of Fame this can be seen this Sunday on MLB Network at 1pm.
