Bisons.com Remembers Tim Russert
TIM RUSSERT...STEPS TO THE PLATE
From the first words I said to him, "Hello Mr. Russert. Matt Herring, Buffalo Bisons," he wanted to talk baseball. Much like his political/news program on NBC, "Meet The Press," he spoke with focused enthusiasm.
We talked about Buffalo for a few minutes, what was going on in the city and how the sports teams were doing. I immediately noticed he is a very driven man. He speaks as if he never left Buffalo for Washington D.C.
Ironically, as he talked to me from his car phone, he was driving his son Luke home from a Little League game. Yes, his son is named after former Buffalo Bison, Luke Easter. However, I didn't need to ask.
"Baseball is life. I really believe that. I named my son after the great Luke Easter. He's been to three Major League All-Star Games and the Baseball Hall of Fame and he's only 12. I've told my son about all the great players back in Buffalo. Baseball was my childhood," Russert said.
Asking Tim to take you back to his childhood in Buffalo is like asking him to debate the latest Tax Referendum, it doesn't take much coaxing. He found Old Offermann Stadium particularly memorable. "Offermann Stadium was unbelievable. You were so close to the field. People used to sit on the roofs of their houses and watch the games. It was baseball at its best," Russert said. "You parked in somebody's lawn for a buck, saw the game for a buck and had a bag of peanuts for a nickel. The teams we played were great, Havana and Rochester and the like. Players like Bobby Wine, Kenny Lehman and Jim Coker made the games so great."
Of course, Luke Easter was his favorite Bisons player. No questions asked. "Luke Easter was the man. He had a style, an attitude and raw ability. The man could hit the ball further than anyone I had ever seen. He would polish the ball," commented Russert. "I saw Mantle and everyone else hit the ball and Luke could hit it the farthest," he added.
Drifting back to his childhood memories Russert remembers, "Heaven to me was sitting at Offermann Stadium with the bases loaded and Luke Easter at the plate. He was huge. He never disappointed. It seemed like he always hit a home run. Bill Mazer, (the Bisons radio announcer at the time), used to call the homers 'a White Owl Wallop' after a well-known cigar company. I'll never forget Luke Easter."
In 1993, Russert and his son threw out the first pitch before a Bisons game. When asked about that experience Tim laughingly stated, "Luke threw a perfect strike, mine was low and outside." He then took a serious tone, as if speaking to a White House dignitary, saying, "I've seen sporting contests all over the world. If anyone wants to see the greatest ballpark with the greatest fans they should go to Buffalo. The ballpark is safe, has great seating and is right downtown. It's a real attraction to the city."