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Jack Buck's distinctive way of calling games will be missed
When you think about the great voices of Major League Baseball, you think Harry Caray, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Vin Scully and Jack Buck.
Buck beat out some guy named Chick Hearn for the job with the Cardinals. Hearn got a heck of a consolation prize -- he has been the voice of the Lakers both in Minneapolis and Los Angeles for more than 50 years.
The current "equivalent" to Jack Buck is NBC's Bob Costas, who should be loaned out to FOX and ESPN.
Jack Buck's son Joe is gaining his own reputation at FOX.
Jack Buck, who began calling Cardinals games in 1954, died on Tuesday after a long hospital stay. He was 77 years young.
He underwent surgery Jan. 3 for an intestinal blockage and never left the hospital. He underwent another operation in May and was placed on dialysis.
When I was a kid back in Hutchinson, Kan., you could pick up St. Louis Cardinals games on the transistor radio when the air was clear.
You knew you found KMOX when you heard Jack Buck's distinctive growling voice.
Most of the older baseball fans will remember that St. Louis was the only team West of the Mississippi and there were only 16 teams in the Major Leagues.
When I was a kid, the Kansas City Royals were still just a few years old. I listened to Royals games, but when their games concluded I flipped through the dial and could pick up the Cardinals and sometimes the Minnesota Twins.
The difference between Harry Caray and Jack Buck -- who were at one time broadcast booth partners with the St. Louis Cardinals -- was that Harry got on your nerves but Jack still had that voice.
One of Jack Buck's best calls came during the 1988 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics for ABC.
That's when a gimpy-legged Kirk Gibson, who had no business even attempting to play, belted a two-run homer off A's future Hall of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley to win the first game of the series for the Dodgers. LA went on to win the series.
"I don't believe what I just saw!," Buck exclaimed.
In addition to the Cardinals and World Series games, Buck covered Super Bowls and professional bowling.
He was behind the microphone for the famous NFL Championship "Ice Bowl Game" game in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
He called Monday night football games and 17 Super Bowls for CBS Radio.
Buck told Cardinals fans to "go crazy" after the usually light-hitting St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith belted a game-winning homer off Dodgers' reliever Tom Niedenfuer in Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series.
When Mark McGwire belted his 62nd homer in 1998 to break Roger Maris' record, Buck said "pardon me for a moment while I stand and applaud."
Buck was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame's broadcaster wing in 1987 and is a member of 11 Halls of Fame altogether.
He was awarded the Pete Rozelle Award and received a lifetime achievement emmy in 2000.
Jack Buck's most famous call came after a Cardinals' victory:
"That's a winner."
No Jack Buck -- you're the real winner.
John J. Mesh is the sports editor of the McCook (Neb.) Daily Gazette. Despite the invention of cable of satellite television service, he still listens to baseball games on the radio -- even if it's the Kansas City Royals. John can be reached at sports@mccookgazette.com.