This story starts on a humid late August afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. I step into a coffeehouse where I’m scheduled to meet Fox broadcaster Joe Buck. I thought I only had 45 minutes to pick his brain thanks to a friend. It turned out I would have a lot more time to observe than that.
Joe Buck prepares game notes prior to the start of the game. Photo by Nick KruegerWe exchange pleasantries that eventually turn into drawn out stories. He gives me advice I’d never heard before: don’t start now and enjoy your freshman year. However, time or industry accessibility was never a problem for the son of the late broadcast legend Jack Buck who called St. Louis Cardinal games for decades. Buck claimed that as long as he was referred to as “Joe” and not “Jack’s son” he would talk about his father for hours on end.
Buck’s style is monotone and he often takes criticism for it. The David Tyree catch in Super Bowl XLII is the prime example the Dick Vitale and Gus Johnson sympathizers point to when arguing against Buck. “I just call the game as I see it,” Buck said. We discussed whom he liked and hated in the play-by-play industry and some of his now-signature baseball calls such as the David Freese walk-off home run in game six of the 2011 World Series. “You can’t plan for a call like that,” Buck said. He didn’t even realize he had completely mirrored his dad’s call in the 1991 World Series. Our conversation wound down when he caught me off guard. Buck said he thinks he’s calling a Saints football game in New Orleans (my hometown) for Fox Sports in the fall. Sure enough, and Buck sets the date. “ Why don’t you join me in the booth that day? We’ll spend the day together.”
We firm up the details over a series of emails and sure enough I find myself walking into the Fox Sports booth on November 25th, 2012 for the New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers game. I walk into the booth with my press pass. Buck is looking towards the field and preparing some game notes. I tap him on the shoulder and we greet like old friends. We talk for a minute and out of the corner of my eye I spot “Troy” as Buck introduced him to me. “Troy” is pretty recognizable to begin with. “Troy” is six foot six Dallas Cowboy’s legend, Troy Aikman. Aikman is Buck’s color analyst in the booth.
Naturally we take some pictures together and head down to the field. Aikman does some investigative reporting trying to find out whom the 49ers starting quarterback might be for the game but not until the 49ers PR agent comes into the booth 15 minutes before game time do we find out that Colin Kaepernick will get the start over Alex Smith. This decision would lead the 49ers back to the Superdome some two and a half months later in Super Bowl XLVII.
We soon head back up to the booth. Another 30 minutes of game notes preparation, ten minutes in the makeup chair and another 15 minutes taping the opening preview before the game starts. I feed Buck some updated game scores from around the league and the broadcast begins.
It’s a well-organized machine. Buck calls what he sees on the field and immediately looks to his left. The spotter has the rosters written out on a large piece of cardboard. He points to who makes the tackle and Buck calls it out while another man writes down the down and distance on a dry erase board which Buck calls out after naming the defensive perpetrator. The replay then comes up and Aikman breaks down the play occasionally using the telestrator in front of him. From time to time, a producer hands Buck a “read” which vamps next week’s games, a sponsor, or even a new Fox show. The whole process then starts over again. Halftime comes quicker than normal.
Left to Right: Aikman, myself and Buck stand inside the Fox Sports booth on November 25th, 2012. Photo by Dan BellThe second half gets underway and the same protocol is followed. The 49ers take down the Saints 31-21 and Buck throws it back to “JB, Terry, Howie, Michael, and Jimmie” in the Fox Sports studio. Everything is left for the technical staff and we exit the booth out into a mass of fans in the suite level.
As the convoy of everyone in the booth exits the stadium I begin to know what it’s like to be famous as I walk behind Buck and Aikman. One person asks for a picture and autograph to which Aikman politely declines. I catch the end of sentences as we walk by fans. “Troy Aikman?” “Was that Troy Aikman?” “Son, that was Troy Aikman.”
We arrive at the nearest elevator to get to the ground level of the stadium to exit in privacy but Buck and Aikman grow impatient and head for a stairwell. “There’s no fans down there right?” Buck asks looking down the numerous flights of stairs. “No sir,” a security guard answers.
Our group ducks into the stairwell to the bottom floor of the Superdome where the production truck sits. Both men get the DVDs of their broadcast and head to black SUVs. Buck and I say our goodbyes, he says keep in touch. I send him an email the next day thanking him and he sends one back offering kind words the next day. I tweet at Aikman saying thank you. He retweets adding “Anytime.”
If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see me write about or cover this semester, have a comment about a recent post or simply want to talk sports, contact me at nkruege1@asu.edu or via Twitter @npkrueger
