I met Jack Buck twice. He is the Hall of Fame radio announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. The first time I met him was in a hotel lobby in Chicago; the Cardinals were in town to play the Cubs and I was attending a business meeting.

I had to say hello and ask him about the Cardinals’ prospect for winning the pennant. He was very patient – I’m sure he is approached a hundred times a day by over-exuberant fans like me.

He answered my questions about the team and said good luck as I left. I was happy. I was amazed that he talked to me so easily. Of course, he has many years of experience talking to strangers, but so many celebrities seem annoyed or even rude when strangers approach. But not Jack. He seemed to enjoy talking with people.

I’ve listened to Jack and other baseball broadcasters, like Mike Shannon and Harry Caray, for many years. Their voices are so familiar that they’re like family, perhaps lost Uncles.

I remember, after the Cardinals had won an exciting game in come-from-behind fashion in 1964, the broadcaster, either Jack or Harry, was so excited he exclaimed, “... and the Cardinals win the pennant!” even though it was only early April and the teams had played just a few games. His excited announcement was made in jest but became prophetic later that summer as the Cardinals won the pennant over three other teams – in exciting come-from-behind fashion, of course.

The second time I met Jack was in a restaurant in St. Louis. I was returning from a meeting in Springfield and listening to the radio when it was announced that the Busch family was selling the Cardinals. I just had to drive to St. Louis and find out what the locals felt about the sudden announcement.

I saw Jack when I entered the restaurant. He was eating his dinner in a corner booth. I didn’t want to disturb him while he was eating, but I watched so I could speak with him before he left. As he was leaving, I blurted out, “Jack, what do you think of the Cardinals’ announced sale of the team?”

I half expected him to ignore me. He was on his way out the door and I was a stranger to him as I’m sure he didn’t remember meeting me in Chicago. For all I knew he may have been instructed not to comment on the announced sale. But it was not Jack’s way to ignore a loyal fan. He stopped, slowly turned to me and said, “Shocking, simply shocking.” Certainly I agreed with him, and we spoke briefly about it.

His conversations were friendly and precise. Of course he was a professional broadcaster and describing events as they unfolded was his forte. It’s another lesson learned, this time from a dynamic professional sports announcer.

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