Last night I finished reading The Soul of Baseball – A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America. My only disappointment is that I didn’t read the book sooner. Joe Posnanski, arguably the best sportswriter in America, spent a year traveling the country with Negro League legend Buck O’Neil. The result is an enriching look at an astounding individual, with some baseball thrown in.
I’m always a sucker for baseball books, and have a number in my queue as we speak. As a baseball book it doesn’t disappoint. Posnanski accomplished his mission of writing a book about the Negro Leagues, as Buck had wished. But what makes the book so wonderful is how Posnanski artfully told Buck’s story through Buck’s stories. By the time I finished I felt inspired and optimistic and a little heart broken. That I “felt” anything at the conclusion of a baseball book even surprised me.
Now this has little to do with the Tigers, but I bring this up for two reasons. First, the paperback verison
Second, I borrowed the title of this post from the book. It was a question that O’Neil asked regularly. I thought it would make for some nice reader participation as countdown the last days towards the start of the season.
My best day? Hard to pinpoint. I of course remember my first game I attended. I remember some special times playing. But I think my best day is relatively recent. It was the night that Magglio Ordonez hit the homer clinching the AL Pennant in 2006. It’s not my best day because the Tigers won, but because I experienced it with my kids.
What was your best day in baseball?
and it’s been great. I was 10 during that season, so while I remember all the winning and the players, I don’t remember the details.