Tag: Jack Buck

The Manual Scoreboard and I: 10 Years Later

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J.B. Forbes
J.B. Forbes

October 19th. 2005. The day that the Houston Astros and Roy Oswalt shut the lights on the old Busch Stadium. Every St. Louis Cardinals remembers the Albert Pujols majestic blast off Brad Lidge to extend the series to Game 6, but few remember that the next game ended the season and gave a nod to the construction crews to start swinging the hammers. For me, it was the end of my run on the Manual Scoreboard, the wonderful spot located up in the Upper Terrace Reserved from 1997-2005. I worked for eight years on the Scoreboard, watching the true birth of Tony La Russa baseball in St. Louis, the Mark McGwire spectacle and the beginning of Pujols. Ten years later, I think back on my time there.

If I had a chance encounter with Doc from Back to the Future, I’d ask him to me back to a weekend series at old Busch so I could work the scoreboard again. It was located at the highest point of the stadium, and contained layers of scaffolding and enough metal to attract the sun on the hottest of days. You’d sweat a pint off before first pitch, setting up the board with team names and starting pitcher as well as updating the Dow Industrial Board and leaderboards on the ends of the board. (more…)

Jack Buck meant something to all Cardinals fans

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BuckI never saw the press box at old Busch Stadium that quiet. Something was wrong. I was working on the Manual Scoreboard on June 18th, 2002, the day the music died for St. Louis Cardinals radio. Jack Buck passed away and the usually raucous press box was chillingly silent. I took a seat and thought about the last time I remembered interacting with Buck.

Living in Brentwood, I saw Buck often at Carl’s Drive In and said hello and spoke to him in the press box many times. He would extend his arm, flash that million dollar smile and ask you how you were. If you were in front of him, Jack Buck gave you respect. It was granted the minute he laid eyes on you.

Sitting at the first table in the red suit and black undershirt, Buck was Elvis sitting easy in a room full of manic obsessive writers, broadcasters and employees. If Stuart Scott had an easy human interpretation for his famous saying, “as cool as the other side of the pillow”, it was Jack Buck every night at Busch right before game time. (more…)