i've never been one to be in awe of celebrities or famous people or whatever. i'm able to keep things in perspective, to understand that these people are just people, y'know? i generally am able to apply the 'one leg at a time' theorem.

tonight i had a chance, for eight minutes, to interview one of those people i admire. negro league legend buck o'neil was in town. i was shaking for the entirety of the interview.

he's just an amazing man. i got to ask him about cool papa bell, and he brought out one of my favorite lines ever: 'he was so fast, he could flip the switch and be in bed before it was dark.' i asked him about satchel paige, and he told me about the days when satchel pitched, and the scarcity of radar guns. once, with a speed contraption on hand, satchel was clocked at 100 mph. when he found out, he said 'if i knew they was timin' me, i would've thrown my hardest.' i asked him about the early 1950's cubs middle infield of ernie banks (an o'neil discovery) and gene baker (a davenport native, also signed by o'neil) and he told me that the true shortstop was baker, but that the cubs kept ernie there because he was the veteran.

he was just an amazing man...91 years old, taking the stadium steps two at a time.

i interviewed him for part of the top of the first. he was gone by the first out in the bottom of the first. i think i stopped tingling in about the bottom of the third. just unbelievable.