mrjsbu96 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I'm speechless. This is the first time I've been choked up about a news anchor/figure. And not just because he was a huge Bills fan and I'm a hopeless homer for anyone in the public eye who is on 'our side'. He was the single best, smartest, and unbiased, no-BS anchor of our time. And he'll probably be replaced with a vacuous Connie Chung-type. Dammit This is probably the first time I ever read all the way through a thread this long, and this is the one post I kept coming back to; waiting to see if there is someone else that felt as devasted as I do. People come, people go, but unless it is someone in your immediate family, I can not recall ever getting this upset about a celebrity, athlete, whomever that passed away. This time is so different - for all the reasons on this thread. I still keep shaking my head in disbelief every time a story comes on the news or I read another article online about the passing of Tim.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 i have been staying away from here tonightas I knew I would get a tear in my eye, and I have. Lord, it is such a bond we share being from Buffalo. Makes me very enviios some times of you all that are still there. Quick story of my interaction with Tim Russert. All true, but cannot remember the exact dates, but can remember te game. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC. Future wife and I go out to eat to my BBQ joint (island influence) down the street, right off 18th and Kalorama( i lived at COnnecticut Ave and Kalorama at the time). Lonf story short, no one in the joint but my wife and me, and in walks Russert and his wife Maureen Orth. They sit three stools down from us at the bar and order a drink. I go nuts and tell my wife I am going to say hi to the fellow Buffalonian, she frowns and says let the poor man have a drink and meal in peace. We compromise, as i wore in a Niagara University pullover(my buddy coached the swim team), and I say I am going to go to the john as we act like we are leaving but I am putting on that god awful purple thing as I walk past Russert and and toward the john. As soon as I get next to him, first words out of his mouth" hey did you go to Niagara, I grew up in Buffalo, are you from there?" I tell him the quick story I from Niagara Falls, i do not want to bother him or his wife, and he refuses to let me go. Looks at the beer I am drinking, orders one for me, and asks what my fiance is drinking. Asks if I am watching the Bills the next day(playing the Lions, either 95 0r 96)) and I explain the dish to him. At that point, he was still going to the NBC studios for every Bills game not on the local channel. Really long story short, I got pretty lit up with the man in an empty bar on 18th st in DC. We sat and drank beer for a good two hrs and talked Directv and Bills football. Our roots brought us together, and even our wives got along making fun of how geeky we were being from Buffalo. My only real claim to being close to celebrity, but the man was a good man. I pray for his dad, he has got to hurting beyonf belief. My tears are running, and I am not sure why. Russert was a Buffalonian, i was a Buffalonian, he did nothing but act like we all do when we meet somebody from Buffalo. God rest in pease Tim, you will be missed in this household That's a great story. Thanks. If anyone can catch it on a repeat Larry King had a great tribute show last night. Barbara Walters, Bob Scheifer, Wolf Blitzer, Ted Koppel and others talk about this whole shocking thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 CNN has several video clips about Russert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinky finger Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 RIP Very bad week for the Buffalo Bills family. I met him a couple of times and he was a great guy. I'll bet it took the first meeting to understand this. RIP Tim................. It's remarkable the remorse I feel. I'm sure it's the remorse many are feeling and have posted about previously. This remorse from someone I don't know, but do. I'm stunned, saddened and feel great loss. Remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhg Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 i have been staying away from here tonightas I knew I would get a tear in my eye, and I have. Lord, it is such a bond we share being from Buffalo. Makes me very enviios some times of you all that are still there. Quick story of my interaction with Tim Russert. All true, but cannot remember the exact dates, but can remember te game. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC. Future wife and I go out to eat to my BBQ joint (island influence) down the street, right off 18th and Kalorama( i lived at COnnecticut Ave and Kalorama at the time). Lonf story short, no one in the joint but my wife and me, and in walks Russert and his wife Maureen Orth. They sit three stools down from us at the bar and order a drink. I go nuts and tell my wife I am going to say hi to the fellow Buffalonian, she frowns and says let the poor man have a drink and meal in peace. We compromise, as i wore in a Niagara University pullover(my buddy coached the swim team), and I say I am going to go to the john as we act like we are leaving but I am putting on that god awful purple thing as I walk past Russert and and toward the john. As soon as I get next to him, first words out of his mouth" hey did you go to Niagara, I grew up in Buffalo, are you from there?" I tell him the quick story I from Niagara Falls, i do not want to bother him or his wife, and he refuses to let me go. Looks at the beer I am drinking, orders one for me, and asks what my fiance is drinking. Asks if I am watching the Bills the next day(playing the Lions, either 95 0r 96)) and I explain the dish to him. At that point, he was still going to the NBC studios for every Bills game not on the local channel. Really long story short, I got pretty lit up with the man in an empty bar on 18th st in DC. We sat and drank beer for a good two hrs and talked Directv and Bills football. Our roots brought us together, and even our wives got along making fun of how geeky we were being from Buffalo. My only real claim to being close to celebrity, but the man was a good man. I pray for his dad, he has got to hurting beyonf belief. My tears are running, and I am not sure why. Russert was a Buffalonian, i was a Buffalonian, he did nothing but act like we all do when we meet somebody from Buffalo. God rest in pease Tim, you will be missed in this household What a fantastic story. Thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Fischer Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Due to my career I'm around famous people all the time, therefore I'm jaded and rarely in awe of anyone. However, Russert was different. I regret I never met him in person and he was always at the top of my imaginary list of people you'd like to have dinner with. I can't imagine any other celebrity having this effect over me. I was numb for hours until Brokaw signed off at 10:59PM with "Go Bills" and the tears streamed. Now I get choked up every time I think of it. As Tom Shales said in his column today: It's just not fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
col_forbin Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 rip Tim....we will all miss you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndZoneCrew Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 RIP Tim................. It's remarkable the remorse I feel. I'm sure it's the remorse many are feeling and have posted about previously. This remorse from someone I don't know, but do. I'm stunned, saddened and feel great loss. Remarkable. This is exactly how I feel...it is like a VERY close family member has passed on......I too can't stop thinking about how unfair this is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 MSNBC is still running tributes to Tim. R.I.P. Tim. Buffalo's lost a good friend and a good son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Here's the Bills statement on Russert: Buffalo Bills: "The Buffalo Bills organization is devastated in hearing the news of the passing of Tim Russert. Tim, as everyone knows, was a tremendous Bills fan. He was always so proud to let people know just how much he loved our team and was such a great ambassador for Buffalo. So many times he ended his "Meet The Press" show with his patented "Go Bills!" that it became part of our Game Day morning rituals. He was a true friend and we will miss him immensely. Our sincere sympathies go out to his family and our team carries a heavy heart tonight as we mourn the loss of this great man, Buffalo's native son and a Bills fan forever." I still can't believe he's gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 MSNBC is rebroadcasting last night's NBC tribute right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cåblelady Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 MSNBC is rebroadcasting last night's NBC tribute right now. Thank you! I missed it last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsNYC Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 They should play Tom Brokaw's ending quote from the tribute and have a moment of silence at the home opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 They should play Tom Brokaw's ending quote from the tribute and have a moment of silence at the home opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkAF43 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherryCoke Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 yeah Brokaw's line at the end is perfect/classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Put in a good word with the big guy for the Bills when ya see em ! RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Time for this... A Town A Team A Dream Thanks for the links; good to see that again but tough to watch some of those scenes. Sad to think that so many of the great connections to the Bills and Buffalo are passing on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 They should play Tom Brokaw's ending quote from the tribute and have a moment of silence at the home opener. I'll take it a step further: They should slap a "TR" patch on the jerseys for one home game. No, he was never part of the franchise but he was their highest profile fan. And Buffalo may have never had the best football team in the country, but we at least had the best reporter in the country for several years. Who knows how much longer the Bills will even be in Buffalo? There's no reason not to celebrate Tim Russert and, by extension, Buffalo fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffaloed in Pa Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Prayers and sympathy,to the family. R. I.P. from a former S.Buff kid . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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