A Final Farewell To A Great Jounalist And A Great Father

Today is Sunday and if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. On Father's day, I have but one real complaint and that is that Tim Russert wasn't given enough time to carry on a Sunday tradition that I have come to enjoy every Sunday morning. As you all know by now, Tim Russert passed away this weekend at the very young age of 58. Even though, I have never been one to make such a post like this, I can't help but feel compelled to give my thoughts on man who was so much to so many people including me.

Tim inserted himself into a world of people that get all the blame and none of the credit, that's politics. In that world, he provided many a moment that was considered "gotcha" by many people, but make no mistake, anyone who appeared on his program knew very well that the moment was coming and he'll get to it in his time. It is impossible to think of how a person will now spend a Sunday without eagerly awaiting for that moment. This was my favorite quality about Tim and of course his incredible sense of accountability. How anyone could go on that show and not expect to be held accountable from a comment mentioned some 4 years ago or better and not be asked to explain themselves is beyond me and those particular moments always came at the best times, always. There IS no better moderator in the business and there will never be one comparable to a man who truly loved the marriage of journalism and politics.

I am not a journalist in any sense of the word, but one thing I do know of journalism is that I know its greatness when I see it. Journalism suffers an enormous loss with his passing. He was a father, a husband and a son to Big Russ. Most importantly, he was Buffalo's favorite son. I will miss those particular Sundays when Buffalo would play Miami and I would hear my favorite cheer for Buffalo, "Go Bills, squish the fish." It didn't matter if it was the Bills, the Sabres or even the B.C. Eagles, Buffalo and Boston had the ultimate fan on their side.

I encourage all of you who my read this today or whenever to give someone close to you a moment, a conversation or even a hug and do so in the memory of a man who shared such closeness with his own family. Thank you Tim for giving us 17 years of journalism at its finest on the stage of the ultimate town hall. Thank you for giving us such a fine example of what is means to be a father, a husband and an honorable son.