Former Negro Leagues great Buck O'Neil is honored

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Buck O'Neil can still bring out a crowd in Cooperstown.

Two years after his memorable speech on behalf of African-American baseball pioneers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, hundreds of fans and media as well as 14 Hall of Famers gathered Friday at the museum for the dedication of a statue in honor of O'Neil, who died in 2006.

The life-size statue represents the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors an individual whose extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball's positive impact on society have broadened the game's appeal, and whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to O'Neil's.

O'Neil is the first recipient of the award and will be recognized at Sunday's induction ceremony.