Tim Russert

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Conehead the Vendor was on hand to distribute beer and snacks to the crowd of 1,298 who showed up for the Muckdogs' home opener last night that started with rain, ended with a loss, but was nonetheless chock full of good cheer. Nor was he the only one. Officials from the Rochester Red Wings were there to get things in gear for the new season. And John Mozeliak, general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, even came out to speak before the game. Reporter Brian Hillabush has a pair of great articles on today's front page covering the home opener. Check them out.
• Batavia's Town Board will host a public hearing on July 16 to get comment on the town's proposed contribution of $225,000 for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.
• An article on the front page covers Council's planned discussion on the relocation of the city's youth football program that was covered in detail by The Batavian earlier today.
• Today's opinion page features a column by Tom Rivers about Tim Russert, the Buffalo native and host of Meet the Press, who died suddenly last week. Rivers found that as much as Russert was in the national spotlight, he still had time for small-town, small-press America. It's a great column. Worth a read.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

     It's a staple of the 24-hour cable news networks to label any story they have video of as "breaking news".  So, it was with little excitement that my wife and I waited after seeing the "special report" banner across the screen on MSNBC.  When Tom Brokaw appeared on camera, we knew it was more than a flood or a car chase.  His mournful tone immediately warned us that the news he brought was immensely sad.  And, indeed, it was  For long moments, after Tom Brokaw somberly broke the news of Tim Russert's sudden passing, neither of us spoke, at the risk of tears.  We'd lost one of our own. 

     It might seem overly sentimental or emotional to some, but I feel a personal loss.  Sunday morning meant no one bothered Papa from 9 till 10 cause "Tim Russert's talking".  I felt like I could depend on Tim to ask the real questions, without an agenda, and, especially, with the grace that comes from knowing his stuff.  I knew for certain that Tim would frame the question in such a way that the answer would be somethng I could understand and absorb.  If you were a politician or public figure, and you weren't willing to plead your case in front of Tim, then, dammit, you didn't have a case.  Stop wasting my time.

    Often, skeptics like me resist the impulse to project images on public figures, but its without reservation that I can say that Tim Russert was a good father, a good son, and most importantly, a good man.  And that's the greatest loss.  For all of Tim's accomplishments, for all that he achieved, for all the recognition that he gained, the greatest heartbreak for me is that we lost a good man.