Tribute local teenager wrote about Jack Buck gets published

He didn't know he was facing an important person in his life when 7-year-old Dustin McKinnis of Cape Girardeau met sports broadcaster Jack Buck 11 years ago.

But he was. And now a piece authored by the local teenager is included in a memorial book written about "the voice" of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

"I'm very honored to be a part of the book," said McKinnis, son of Linda and Mike McKinnis of Cape Girardeau. "There are a lot of famous people in the book. I was glad to be able to share my memories of Jack."

In the decade following that first encounter, McKinnis and Buck developed a close relationship. When Buck died in June after months of ill health, a sports writer from the Southeast Missourian newspaper asked McKinnis to write a personal article about the broadcaster.

Signed copies of book

After sending a copy of his published tribute to the Buck family, the McKinnis' were contacted by a publishing company in August and learned that Dustin's article was to be included in a book called "Remembering Jack Buck" by Rich Wolfe.

The book is just now coming out in stores. Wolfe signed copies Friday afternoon at Famous Barr in Cape Girardeau, where Dustin and his mother met with him.

Now a freshman at Southeast Missouri State University, McKinnis is a manager for the college's baseball team, the same team he has been involved with as a bat boy and in various other capacities over the past several years. Though his major is undecided as yet, McKinnis is considering some type of sports career, whether it be coaching, broadcasting or something else.

"Jack included Dustin in his biography," said Linda McKinnis. "He was a pretty awesome friend of Dustin's, and we really miss him.

"Jack always seemed to know just when to call. Dustin has gone through a lot. He's had lots of surgeries, and Jack would always call to see if he was all right."

McKinnis' article about Jack Buck is titled, "So Long for Just a While, Mr. Buck," which borrows on a famous line of the broadcaster. His tribute appears on page 102.

It was a friend of McKinnis' who introduced them in the early 1990s. After a brief conversation, Buck invited McKinnis up to the broadcaster's booth. At first, McKinnis just watched the game, but then Buck put him on the microphone to talk and do some play-by-play announcing.

"I was pretty nervous because he told me the inning before, but after I got on the microphone, it was just like having a conversation with him," McKinnis said. "He made me feel at ease, asked me questions. I forgot about who was listening."

A couple years later when announcing some more play-by-play action, McKinnis got the opportunity to say Buck's signature "that's a winner" line.

Attending an average of 12 to 15 games annually, McKinnis would visit with Buck whenever he went to see the Cardinals play. The pair also kept in contact over the phone throughout the year.

109 surgeries

Born with defects in his trachea and esophagus, McKinnis has undergone 109 surgeries in his 18 years. Always an avid sports fan, he could never play in a game due to health reasons until this past summer, when he played baseball for the Cape Girardeau American Legion Post 63.

"It was awesome," McKinnis said. "I waited my whole life to play. Just making the team was good enough for me, but getting my first hit, my first RBI, it was an experience I will never forget."

jgosche@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133