Even Stuntier!

buck o'neil
Originally uploaded by dangunderman.

We'll see your 83-year-old Jim Eriotes, and raise you a 92-year-old Buck O'Neil.

So says the Northern League, who have O'Neil leading off for the East Division in tonight's East-West All-Star game, officially making him the oldest player in professional baseball history.

OK, so it's an exhibition game, and Eriotes played in a game that counts on a real team, but let's give Buck our props. He single-handedly stole the Ken Burns' Baseball documentary with his yarn spinning, and Buck broke a color barrier of his own in Major League Baseball by becoming the first African-American coach when he joined the Chicago Cubs staff in 1962.

What's great about this tit-for-tat is finding out just how far the stunt-makers are willing to go. Who'll become the oldest player after Buck?

I think my Uncle Rog was onto something back in '86 when he suggested we use Great Aunt Rose for our game. She was ancient, couldn't move, couldn't hear, couldn't see. So he suggested we use her for home plate. Surely that's some sort of record, even for slow-pitch softball at family reunions.

[Thanks, Ma, for the link.]


UPDATE: 7/19/06: According to the NY Times, Buck is 94, not 92. So the big question: Who do I trust -- The New York Times or The Topeka Capital-Journal?