Jack Buck: Now "That’s a Winner"
June 26, 1997

The thing that always impressed me about Jack Buck was not just his broadcasting talent but his talent for making people feel like they know him personally. I know I felt that way when I met him back in my ol’ college days when I was the stage manager of ABC’s "Monday Night Football," and he called those same games for CBS Radio.

Prior to beginning the interview, I exclaimed, "You have always been so nice to me. " In a sarcastic tone he replied, "I have! You were always with the big shots, the television guys. Those people are all my friends, I helped Dierdorf get started; and Gifford and I worked together for a couple of years and Al Michaels spotted for me when I was doing football on television years ago. The going fee was twenty-five bucks, I think I gave him fifty." said the Hall of Fame broadcaster. I think Al is making just a little more than that now as the play-by-announcer for ABC’s "MNF".

Oddly enough, Jack was offered the job to be the first play-by-play announcer for ABC’s "Monday Night Football," but he turned it down. In his just released autobiography "Jack Buck: That’s A Winner" he discusses how in a fit of pique, Jack decided he didn’t want to talk with ABC about the job. So he decided to stay at CBS, and has had plenty of other opportunities to broadcast football in his career. He has done play-by-play for 17 Super Bowls, one on television and 16 on radio, more than any other announcer.

I asked him, "Do you like working in one medium more than the other?"

Jack said, "I have been fired from television more often than radio. I have never been fired from radio except for last year. No, I am a radio guy. I have had a lot more success on radio than television and I think it just suits me better" said Jack. Why? "I don’t know but it does. But my kid Joe Buck, he is at home at both. I don’t think that anyone in this country even comes close to him" said the proud father. Joe Buck is the lead play-by-play announcer for the FOX Saturday Baseball Game of the Week. Last year, at the ripe ol’ age of 27, he was the youngest play-by-play announcer to call a World Series since the legendary Vin Scully (25) sat behind the Fall Classic mike in 1955. Joe is one of Jack’s eight children, four of whom have followed their father into broadcasting.

"It’s a funny thing, in this business, when I got into it, a lot of us were pioneers and the business was just shaping up as a profession. But now that it is shaped up there are very few people who come along and knock your ears off when you hear them" said the legendary broadcaster.

"There are not many people who come along who have character and who are characters, every one seems to fit the mold. And probably you have to be that way to get hired today" said Jack.

"Things have changed in our business you can’t use your humor like you use to and say things tongue and cheek and use innuendo and so forth because people seize those words and phrases and nail you to the wall.

I was doing the World Series over in Pittsburgh on television on CBS when Bobby Vinton screwed up the National Anthem," said Jack.

And I said ‘ I suppose when you’re Polish like Vinton is and you live in Pittsburgh you can sing the Anthem anyway you want.’ Meaning he is a big hero there and he is from Pittsburgh so he can do anything he wants. Well, I damn near got fired over it. And Bobby is the one who screwed up the anthem and nothing happened to him, I was just kidding around" said Jack.

"When I meet a lot of my other fellow broadcasters, I think I have enjoyed my career a lot more than some of the others" said Jack. "Some of them don’t like meeting people and they’re broadcasting, that’s a bad combination. If you can’t shake hands and smile, be happy and make friends everyday, then you are in the wrong business" said Jack.

Jack definitely picked the right business for himself. He was inducted into the broadcaster wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was inducted into the Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in 1990. Also, Buck was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. Overall, he is a member of 11 Halls of Fame.

"Somebody sent me a Polaroid picture and wrote ‘Here is a picture of me wearing my Cardinal hat listening to you on the radio and if that doesn’t bring focus for you than nothing does" said the people person. "In the book I wrote about how some people that are in this business think they are too busy to do the things you are supposed to do, like yesterday I was at The Boys Club, and Monday I was in a charity golf tournament and I just keep doing things like that and other people do very little of them. When you are in our business you belong to the listener whether you like it or not" said the dedicated broadcaster.

And readers will feel that same dedication that he has for the audience in his book "Jack Buck: That’s A Winner" available by calling Sagamore Publishing, 1-800-327-5557.

A Little of This and a Little of That…

Star searching during the Holyfield-Tyson fight this Saturday, June 28 on Pay Per View ought to be easy Oscar winners Nicholas Cage and Michael Douglas will be seated ringside as well as Richard Gere, Whitney Houston, naughty boy Eddie Murphy, Spike Lee and Roseanne…

CBS Sportsline’s very own Gabriella Reece just presented her freshman book "Big Girl In The Middle" to the "Official All Star Café in New York City. The book is the story of a gangly girl, Gabrielle (I still don’t believe she was gangly) who turned into one of the world’s great beauties, and took the athletic path to self-discovery and success. It details how she maintains focus and balance without losing sight of her aspirations and goals, both professional and personal--sounds inspiring…

Television shows about sportscasters just never seem to cut it Former talk show host turned actor Arsenio Hall, who portrayed a sportscaster on the ABC show named after him has not been renewed. But sources tell me that the program may be re-tooled for a mid-season replacement. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one…

1996 American League Rookie of the Year, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, will celebrate his 23rd birthday by hosting a celebrity sports auction at the infamous Official All Star Café to benefit the Turn 2 Foundation. Jeter established the non-profit group that creates activities and programs designed to prevent and treat teenage substance abuse. You gotta like a guy who helps others on his birthday. What a guy! Some familiar faces making an appearance at the debut of the WNBA team LA Sparks were Magic Johnson, Arsenio Hall, actress/director Penny Marshall, model Tyra Banks, and Christopher Darden to name a few…

Speaking of the WNBA, New York Liberty team members Trena Trice and Sophia Witherspoon prove they are not only superwomen on the basketball court but they are superwomen in the kitchen. They will share their recipe for seafood pasta salad on "Our Home" on Friday, June 27 at 11:00 a.m., which airs on Lifetime Television (one of WNBA’s television homes).