One of baseball's icon passed away six years ago this week, Jack Buck. For St. Louis people, he was an icon, a legend as Thor would say. For people my parents age, he was a fixture in your home on a nightly basis across the Midwest. For me, he was one of the guys I looked up to. He is the reason I love listening to baseball on the radio. I don't know why (especially since none of my family loved listening to games on the radio growing up) but catching a game on the radio is the way I like it.

When the Cardinals made their run to the 2006 World Series title, I would mute the TV and listen to the Cardinals Broadcast team on the radio via my XM satettlie radio. (It drove my wife nuts, as well as all of my friends that came over and watched me ignore them completley for three plus hours while games were on) I wish my brother could have heard (he is deaf) Buck. He could tell stories and make you feel like you were at the park everyday. Maybe it's because I don't live in St. Louis anymore that I love catching a game on the radio more than ever. I don't know.

But how I digress. I remember vividly the day Jack died. I was working down in Northern Missouri, my first job out of college, right in the heart of Cardinal country. We knew the day was close as Jack had not been doing well for some time. We broke into programming and reported the passing of Mr. Buck. I recall having goose-bumps, being extremely upset, and really struggling to stay composed.

For all my life, when I listened to the Cardinals, all I had heard was Jack. And now he was gone. It really was tough to listen to games after that. (I told a friend told Jack Buck was the Herb Corneil of the Cardinals which is the best comparison for everyone around here)

Mr. Buck had a knack to keep you listening. He would spell last names out for you (why I don't know) and tell story up story about certain players. He always just made the game easy to listen to and it always felt like you were there, not a million miles away.

I know some think, "You didn't even know the guy." Your right I didn't, but I felt I did. I listened to the guy for 15 years. I got to know him and his family and everyone in STL felt the same way I did. Mr. Buck just had a connection with everyone. Heck, people packed Busch Stadium for his memorial service. It was crazy. It was one of the toughest tickets in town to get.

It's hard to believe it's been six years since he's passed. He was the first person I thought of when the Cards won the trophy in '06 because of his catch phrase---"That's a Winner" (that's how he ended every Redbird win by saying, That's a winner, Cards win it 7-5.....totals and hi-lights when we come back).

I've met a lot of famous people and star athletes because of what I do, and I never get really excited or star struck. But I think Jack would be the one person I'd be a mess talking to. I don't know what I would say, but I wish I would have had the chance to meet him, just once.

We all have our idols and people we look up to (besides our parents and loved ones) and Jack was one of those guys for me. He was a winner!