I posted this over on the baseball thread but thought it was very special:
I always thought that Jack Buck was one of the classiest professionals to have graced the city of St. Louis. Recently, I learned of a story from a friend who is a relative of the young man in question. I post a link and a few snippets:
In On Fire, John O'Leary Details How Jack Buck — and Other St. Louisans — Saved His Life
In On Fire, John O'Leary Details How Jack Buck — and Other St. Louisans — Saved His Life | Arts Blog (riverfronttimes.com)
In January 1987, nine-year-old John O’Leary caught fire. He was in his garage, playing with matches and gasoline, when he sparked an explosion. Flames leapt onto his body, melting off his clothes and his skin, as he ran through the house screaming for help. His older brother Jim, then 17, ran up from the basement, extinguishing the flames with a rug, ultimately saving the little boy's life.
O’Leary suffered third-degree burns on 100 percent of his body and was given the grim prognosis of a one-percent chance at survival.
...
And then there's the late Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, who O'Leary credits for making him who he is today. On the second day in the hospital, O’Leary lay strapped down to the bed, his eyes swollen shut, a tracheotomy in his throat, rendering him unable to speak—all he could do was listen.
Then something extraordinary happened.
“Now the broadcaster for the Cardinals, the voice I grew up listening to and loving, walks in to my room,” he recalls, “and encourages me with the words, ‘Kid, wake up! You are going to live. You are going to survive, keep fighting. When you get out of here we’re going to celebrate with John O’Leary Day at the ballpark.'”
“The following day in my mailbox is a baseball from Jack Buck, signed by Ozzie Smith, and a note from Jack that reads: ‘Kid, if you want a second baseball, all you have to do is sign a thank you letter to the man who sent the first one,’” O’Leary remembers. “The guy knew I could not write, but I think he also knew the power of inspiration and the power of connectivity.” |
