As baseball season begins I always try to read a baseball book. My version of spring training.

This year I picked up a gem of a book that's been out for a while, but as far as I know hadn't gotten a lot of notice. The book is "The Soul of Baseball - A Road Trip through Buck O'Neil's America,'' by Kansas City sportswriter Joe Posnanski.

Buck O'Neil, for the non-baseball fans, was the driving force behind the Negro Leagues National Baseball Museum in Kansas City. O'Neil, who died in 2006 at the age of 94, worked tirelessly to fund and build the museum, which is a must see.

The book is a chronicle of Posnanski traveling with O'Neil for a year as he promotes the museum and works to keep the history of the Negro Leagues alive. O'Neil is 93 the year Posnanski followed him around, but O'Neil's energy and good humor are evident throughout the book.

The Negro Leagues existed in the years before blacks were allowed to play major league baseball. They have been times been portrayed as little more than baseball clowns, especially in the Richard Pryor movie, "Bingo Long's Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings.'' But O'Neil makes it clear that it was serious baseball played by serious men.

O'Neil also makes the point that although Negro League players were frustrated by the major league ban on black players, they had fun playing the games. He tells several crowds and interviewers that they were young men playing baseball for money and having a good time doing it.

The book is full of Negro League baseball stories, including the famous story of why Negro League star pitcher Satchel Paige always called O'Neil "Nancy.'' The "Nancy'' story is too long to re-tell here, except to say that it had to do with Paige avoiding a bad situation when his wife unexpectedly showed up at an out-of-town game.

Although the baseball stories are enjoyable, what's remarkable is the way that O'Neil's outlook on life shines through.

O'Neil had more reasons than most to be bitter. The best years of his baseball career were spent serving in World War II. When he returned from serving his country, he still couldn't play baseball at the highest level because of the color of his skin.

By the time baseball got around to integrating, O'Neil's playing career was over. He did coach and scout for major league teams. He was a successful manager of the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues, but never got a chance to lead a team in the major leagues.

But O'Neil never complained and throughout the book he chooses to see the good in people. At an appearance in Nicodemus, Kansas (directions from the book: drive to nowhere and turn right) O'Neil pretends to remember a home run hit by an audience member in an exhibition game against the Monarchs. Later, O'Neil admits that the man was too young to have played in the game, but says he didn't want to embarrass him in his hometown.

The final insult to O'Neil is when a special committee of Negro League experts decides to induct 17 Negro League players and owners into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. O'Neil isn't on the list, possibly for political reasons.

Despite the crushing disappointment, O'Neil never complains. He tells everyone "it's all right,'' and emphasizes that he's proud that many of his co-players made it into the Hall of Fame. He even speaks for the inductees, all deceased, at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

O'Neil's outlook on life, especially for a man who had so many reasons to be bitter, is what shines through in this book. The book is full of instances where O'Neil went out of his way to make others feel better. Each time O'Neil is confronted with the injustice of his playing career or some other injustice he insists it's all right and tells people these words to live by:

"The world is getting better all the time.''

Sometimes baseball can teach us lessons about life.

Editor Gary Sawyer can be reached at 421-6975 or gsawyer@herald-review.com.