Customer Reviews

I Was Right on Time

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lou Dials at a Baseball card convention. He was there with a small table, some cards, and some baseballs. I didn't know who he was and he kind of looked out of place. My curiosity made me ask. "ok so what are you doing here and I am sorry to ask who are you?" He smiled and asked "Have you ever heard of the Negro leagues?" To which I replied of course and named the common known names such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and of course Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. He smiled and said he played with them and spoke of others such as Buck O'Neil.

What started as a simple query with what I figured would be a quick thanks and move on turned into an hour or two. I ended up buying a ball and his cards to which he signed the ball and his card.

I later found this book on amazon and remember what Lou had mentioned; I picked it up. This book is a fun read. It reads like you are listening to the man.

This book tells you stories about the characters and great athletes he knew. He writes with passion about their playing abilities. You will get to hear about Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Bullet Joe Rogan, Martin Dihigo, Newt Allen, Jesse Williams, Willard Brown, Frank Duncan and many others of the Negro leagues.

He also mentions the club life of the days and eating with Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Big Joe Turner, Dinah Washington and Duke Ellington.

There are little tidbits of information that you normally don't know such as the fact that Louis Armstrong and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson owned teams.

He also talks about the legends of Cool Papa Bell's speed; how he was once called out when his own batted ball hit him rounding first and that he could turn off a light and get into bed before it went dark. The latter is actually true and he tells you why!

You also read about the end of the Negro leagues with the rise of Jackie Robinson.

Mr. O'Neil went on to manage the Monarchs and eventually scout and became the first African American to coach for the Major leagues.

As a scout he signed many players, Oscar Gamble, Lou Brock, Joe Carter, Bo Jackson. He mentions his one failure was missing Bob Gibson.

One of the things you will read is his admiration for his friend Satchel Paige, he is mentioned many times and he even tells you a story how Satchel nicknamed him Nancy.

In the book, he mentions that if you can get a copy of Satchel Paige's autobiography "Maybe I'll pitch forever" do it. After reading this I would think it's a safe bet.

After living the life he had and the people he played with and against, meeting music legonds, meeting Presidents Truman and Clinton, one of his proudest moments was getting his highschool diploma from the very school that wouldn't admit him. Mr. O'Neil is a special person. Even with what he went through living in the Jim Crow era, he seems to have managed to remain a kind and generous individual.

This is not simply an autobiography, but an oral-history on where we have been and where we are going. It was written from the heart, and - if you read closely - it will open yours to live life in a different, better way.

I read the book when it was initially published and recently purchased the soft-cover edition. Rarely do I re-read a book, but I felt the need after hearing Buck O'Neil's moving and uplifting speech this summer at the Baseball Hall of Fame and listening to a rebroadcast of an interview conducted several years ago by radio sports-talker Jim Rome.

The road to racial equality remains long and steep, but by gazing upward you may view what appears to be a finish-line tape rippling in the breeze at the top of the mountain. But look ahead and you see the harsh reality that the road remains unfortunately rugged, with many twists & turns.

Buck O'Neil is an American hero and if your eyes are dry after reading the last page of I Was Right On Time (no matter how many times you read the book), then your heart may not have opened up wide enough to tackle the journey ahead.

I became aware of Buck O'Neil through the video series "Baseball" by Ken Burns. I found the book to be full of many of the same qualities I enjoyed about Buck's contributions to the video: His love of the game and the people he knew who played it. There are plenty of stories about well-known negro league players we all know of, but I think you'll enjoy hearing about other great players almost no one else has remembered. I also praise this book and the author for staying positive and for seeing the good in life rather than dwelling on its many injustices. This is a precious man and I think you'll enjoy this book as a chance to "meet" him.

Buck O'Neil writes as if he is speaking directly to you. You feel his warmth, passion, and humor in every page. I first saw Buck O'Neil on Ken Burns baseball documentary and after reading his book I see why he was considered such an important figure in baseball. If you are a baseball fan you should read this book.

This book is as good as it gets. I bought this book shortly before Buck O'neil passed. I heard over the radio the week before and he was as intriguing on this book as he was in life. He takes you through the many travels of the [...] Leagues. Buck wrote this book from his own words and he would paint the picture so amazing. The knowledge i got from this book is something to talk about, and i do. Like the book says, He was right on time! and we are so privileged.

What a great book. How I would have loved to just sit with Buck and just talk and listen to him and his stories. I also learned some new things about Sarasota, FL and all the great players in the Negro Leagues and people in general. Now more than ever I believe he is a Hall of Famer and he should be in there. He might not have been the greatest player... but he was a GREAT man. If you want to read a great book that will make you laugh.. smile.. maybe tear up... this book is for you.

This easy-going autobiography combines sunny optimism, seriousness, and rich baseball history. John J. "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman in the Negro Leagues during the 1930-1940's, and he then spent another half decade in baseball, both in the Negro Leagues and in the majors. Here he recounts his upbringing in Florida during segregation (where he was denied entry to high school) and his long career in baseball. O'Neil details life in the Negro leagues, including barnstorming and low pay, playing for the famed Kansas City Monarchs and his friendship with stars like Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith. He also describes managing in the Negro Leagues, coaching for the Chicago Cubs (the first black coach in the majors) and spending decades as a baseball scout. O'Neil is an intelligent man gifted with great charm, and he's often described as the "ambassador to baseball." That charm shines in the prose of co-writers Steve Wolf and David Conrads, and lets O'Neil attack injustice without losing effectiveness via stridency.

Buck O'Neil gained fame from the "Baseball" documentary by Ken Burns, and at this writing remains a board member for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City well into his 90's. This is a readable look at the Negro leagues by one of its most charming members.

I knew about Buck O'Neil from Ken Burns, Baseball series. Unfortunately, I did not see much of it. The past month I heard an interview with Buck O'Neil on the radio. He was such a gracious man and kind. I knew I wanted to read his book.

His book is wonderful. It is great to get insights and details of the negro leagues of the past. Like all of us, past memories tend to change and brighten over the passage of time. I see this book as an uplift. His attitude is wonderful and is an inspiration to everyone. No matter where we are or when we are born, we are "right on time". We all are serving a purpose for a greater good.

The book does read like you are sitting right next to Buck and he is talking with you. I highly recommend this book to all baseball fans as it gives a glimpse into the baseball history. The negro leagues are such a big part of this history. I do believe some of the greatest players were in the negro leagues. As a baseball fan, I plan to read other books on the negro leagues to learn more about it. I became a member of the Negro League Baseball Museum because of this book. I hope to get a chance to see it someday. You can't help getting touched by this book and the simple message of graciousness and love it has throughout.

I was lucky enought to attend an All Star game a few years ago. When i was their i wanted to get an autograph i saw a group of guys around one man so i went up got an autograph not knowing who he is. After i saw the signed baseball i made out the name Buck O'neil. I looked him up online and saw he was a negro league player and first black coach in the majors. I then stumbled across his book on here and decided to order it and that turned out to be a great decision as i loved this book.

I came many decades later after the negro leagues so before i had no idea what it was like, Buck O'neil does a great job in making one feel like they were there. You not only feel like you where on the team but that you are friends with Buck. I couldnt stop reading and read it cover to cover right after it came in the mail. I would say for anyone looking for a good read about the negro leagues and a great individual i would recommend this book.

Back in the early 90's, before Ken Burns, I ran into Buck in the lobby of the Otesaga hotel in Cooperstown. It was the year that Willie McCovey was going in and we "snuck" our way into the building. Buck entertained me for over an hour with stories of guys I never had heard about. When I asked about his career, he really downplayed his greatness. I was mostly struck by the fact that this man did not have a single ounce of remorse or spite. Quite the opposite, he felt he was blessed to have played.

The book is written in a conversational style that goes quickly. I felt I could hear Buck's voice in my head has the pages turned. It was a fantastic book and Buck will be sorely missed.