On television, we sometimes tend to throw words around with little or no thought. For example, "tragedy" gets used so often and in so many different situations, that the word loses a lot of its power and meaning. Even a positive word, say, "legend," gets applied too liberally. Well, in the case of Buck O'Neil, that word and every other positive accolade you can think of, fits like a baseball glove.

Watching and listening to the broadcast coverage since Buck's passing, as well as reading the messages being left at thekansascitychannel.com, make it seem like Buck met everybody in town. He certainly would've had the energy to do so! It was the power of his personality, personal story and message that reached through the TV screen or radio speaker and made all of us feel that one-to-one connection. Over the years, I was honored to have Buck on my little talk show, after*words, a couple of times. The first was nearly ten years ago when the paperback edition of his autobiography was hitting the shelves. I asked him what it was like to become a world-wide star at age 82. He said he's always felt he was a star...now, just more people were listening! (I hope to re-air the show on October 14...the show airs at 2:00 in the morning now so you may want to tape it or use the DVR.) You could tell when Buck entered the building. He automatically raised everyone's spirits. No one could be in a bad mood when Buck was within a mile!

It wasn't officially Greater Kansas City Day, the traditional celebration of the Royal's home opener, until Buck O'Neil made a visit to FirstNews. Whatever the weather, Buck would be there, outside in front of the downtown Marriott, to get us ready for the season. It was always going to be a great season according to Buck. One year he chatted with my oldest son and signed a baseball cap for him. It is a treasured memento. This past opening day it was cold and blustery. Buck climbed out of the limo and whispered to me "Let's be quick...I'm freezing." As soon as the camera light came on, however, you'd never know he was the least bit uncomfortable. Buck's smile alone added about 50 degrees to the morning temperature.

Several years ago, at a charitable event, my wife had the honor of meeting Buck. I should mention we were both a little nervous being out on the town, seeing as how this was about the first (and last, as it turned out) time we left the kids with a babysitter. She extended her hand but Buck said "Oh, we can do better than that" and, then, engulfed her in his arms. It is a hug she'll never forget and it made both of us feel completely at ease, erasing our "what's happening at home" worries for awhile. As usual, Buck's timing was impeccable. That's what made the title of his life-story just perfect: I Was Right On Time.

The only moment Buck's timing seemed a little off was last Friday. Although he was about a bunt away from 95, hearing that Buck was gone was a surprise. He was supposed to always be around. But, thinking about it, he will be...through the museum, the interviews, the pictures and, especially, the thousands of lives he made better, just by being Buck. This past Friday was warm and sunny with a light little breeze. Perfect baseball weather. Looks like God is a fan, too.