Most Americans like to discuss who is the best at a certain profession...in the NBA, is it Kobe or LeBron?...in the NFL, is it Peyton, Brady, or LaDainian?...but when it came to political journalism, Tim Russert of NBC News was flat out THE BEST...end of story!...The nation lost a good journalist who was fair - which is often hard to find these days...Russert's climb to become the best in the business is a true American Dream...he was a kid from Buffalo who's parents were just average working class people...but while growing up, he learned a lot of lessons from his parents, most notably his dad, Big Russ, who is still alive...that work ethic helped him rise to become the best...
One of the main reasons I watch NBC News is because of Russert...no matter what I was doing, whenever he came on the air, I would stop to listen...he was "the man" inside the Beltway and I knew he was not slanting his reporting to favor a Republican or Democrat...
What I liked most about Russert was that he was not some handsome, plastic journalist...he was a bit overweight, his hair was always messed a tad, and he had a face not for television...but he always had a smile on his face...he seemed like a nice fella...his co-workers stated that he would talk to anyone no matter who they were or what their job was...that is something that many people lack in today's society...Russert did not think he was better than anyone else...
Russert was also a huge sports fan...he was often seen as Washington Nationals, Wizards, or Redskins games, even though he loved his Buffalo Bills...a few years ago, I was fortunate to get Russert's autograph on a baseball...I have collected almost 200 autographed baseballs, and he has always been one of my top five...
He became NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief at the young age of 34...and today, at the age of 58-years-old, he died...the one person I cannot get out of my mind is his dad Big Russ...about 4 years ago, Russert wrote a book about his dad, who is in his mid-80s and still lives in Buffalo...I cannot imagine the grief Big Russ is feeling -- losing a son -- just two days before Father's Day...
God Bless Tim Russert and his family...
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