A Legend Passes

I woke up and went downstairs to speak to my dad about my plans for the day.  He was tranquilly lying on the couch looking at the ceiling thinking...nothing out of the usual for a Saturday morning.  He didn't have much response to anything I was saying.  He said that 'Buddy D' had died.  Initially, I said, "Damn. What happened?"  My dad informed me that he passed due to a heart attack late Friday night.  If you don't know who Buddy D is, it's a long story.  Basically, he has been a journalist for the past fifty years in one form or another.  For thirty-seven of those years, he covered the New Orleans Saints with a deep passion.  He felt the frustration of the fans and knew how to convey it.  He was the voice to management.  The man was the ambassador to the Saints.  A close second was Jim Henderson of WWL-TV (870 AM for game days).  I'm not old enough to know when his career became established, but he's been on the radio covering the Saints for as long as I've been alive.  The coolest thing I hear about him is that all he expected was honesty.

Honestly, on Saturday I did not realize the magnitude of his disappearance from us.  Truly, I stopped listening to his show within the past year or so.  Other than football, I found myself siding with the callers to his show all the time.  I'd get so frustrated.  Buddy would not comprehend what a caller would say and then accuse the caller of being one of his infamous 'squirrels.'  It aggravated me because anyone with an intelligent question would get turned away from the show because Buddy didn't understand him.  Finally, I came to the conclusion that he just was not able to keep up with the modern sports world.  He was 73 at the time of his death, so I don't think this is far-fetched; however, when it came to the Saints...he knew his business.  If you're not aware of the man, it's too much to get into on this.

I spent a good amount of time on the road Saturday through Monday.  All day on 870 AM, the station had a commercial free radio attributed to the Man.  This was well-deserved, and I'm glad I was able to hear some of the stories about the people he'd touch.  I especially enjoyed that commentary from the men and women who worked with him.  Even though I started to dislike his show, I knew that he was a class act and a good guy to know.  I wish it hadn't ended for him like that, and that he could have done a 'last show' before he died.

I want to also give props to the two new sports shows in town.  Gerry Valencourt spoke about the passing during halftime of the Kings game Saturday night.  He also recognized him during his show on Monday afternoon.  The same goes to Eric Asher and Justin Gutierrez during the day Monday.  Shows much class...nice to see and something this city never seems to lack.

The Saints 2005-6 season is going to be weird.  You'll be missed.  Hope you're having a good time with the guys.

Comments

[Karen]

I was sad when I heard the news too. I remember watching him do the sports on Channel 6 when I was little.