Buck brought Cardinals to life over the radio

So many people have already written so many things about Jack Buck, the great broadcaster who died Tuesday, but I thought I'd add a little something to the mix.

Some of my fondest memories as a kid growing up in St. Louis in the 1960s were of listening to Cardinals games on the radio and being thrilled by the descriptions of Harry Caray, then the primary play-by-play man, and Buck, his sidekick.

Even during the times when my dad would take my brother and me to Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals in person, we would still bring our little transistor radio and listen to the broadcast. The games just seemed a lot more fun that way.

Like many others have described, I remember lying in bed at night, with that trusty transistor under my pillow, listening to the Cardinals. I'd keep my eyes open as long as I could, but sometimes -- especially when they were on the West Coast -- I'd fall asleep before the games were over. I'd wake up in the morning with the radio still playing.

I remember my dad taking me and my brother to various public appearances the broadcasters would make. I can't lie -- I liked Caray the best, probably because of his wild style -- but Buck, ever the calm one, was also a big favorite, and they made quite a team.

In the 1970s, as I graduated from high school and college, I continued to follow the Cardinals through the descriptions of Buck, who had taken over as the primary play-by-play man.

Then, as I moved out of the state for a few years in the 1980s before returning to Missouri and settling in Cape Girardeau, I followed Buck's career and came to admire greatly not only the superb broadcaster but also the classy gentleman who became synonymous with the Cardinals for nearly 50 years.

Cardinals games will still be fun to listen to, but they won't quite be the same without Jack Buck behind the microphone.

While Buck's passing was not unexpected -- he had been having serious health problems for several months -- Saturday's death of Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was absolutely shocking.

When a world-class athlete seemingly in the prime of his life leaves us at age 33, it definitely makes you think about how precious life is and how we should all count our blessings and enjoy each day to the fullest.

I'm not going to try and assess her coaching abilities -- I'm not close enough to the situation for that -- but Donna Ryan definitely isn't entirely to blame for the depths Southeast Missouri State University's women's tennis program has fallen to.

Ryan, who did not have her contract renewed after going 16-64 in five years with the Otahkians -- including 2-17 this past season -- was put into a situation that was tough, to say the least.

Southeast had two full-time coaches, Allen Hope and Marla Reid, after the program -- which fielded teams from 1976-86 before being dropped -- was reinstated in 1992. The Otahkians had decent success under Hope and Reid, although nothing exceptional.

But after Reid left following the 1997 season, the school decided to make the position part-time, meaning the only real option was to hire somebody locally who was probably going to have no prior college experience and this no recruiting experience -- and we all know recruiting is the key to any successful college program.

There might be some exceptions, but you basically don't employ a part-time coach with no previous experience if you want to have a solid program, so Southeast is as much to blame as Ryan for the team's lack of success.

Probably realizing the error of their ways, Southeast officials are returning the position to full-time, meaning they'll be able to hire somebody -- through a nationwide search -- who has already made a living coaching college tennis.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian