Over the course of the 1990s , Jack Buck decided to reduce his schedule to calling only Cardinals home games ( or 81 games a year unless there was a special occurrence ) . Health concerns obviously could have played a factor in this , as Buck suffered from such ailments as Parkinson 's disease , diabetes , requiring a pacemaker , cataracts , sciatica , and vertigo . Buck once joked , '' " I wish I 'd get Alzheimer 's , then I could forget I 've got all the other stuff . " '' In 1998 , the Cardinals dedicated a bust of Buck that showed him smiling with a hand cupping his left ear . In 1999 , he lent his name to a restaurant venture called J. Buck 's , with the restaurant 's name being shared with son Joe and daughter Julie . One of Buck 's final public appearances was on September 17 , 2001 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis . It was the first night that Major League Baseball resumed after the terrorist attacks of September 11 . Although looking rather frail ( Buck at the time was sick with lung cancer ) and struggling to maintain his composure ( Buck was obviously showing the signs of Parkinson 's disease as well ) , Buck stirred emotions by reading a patriotic-themed poem during the pregame ceremonies . He concluded by silencing critics who thought baseball had come back too soon : '' " I do n't know about you , but as for me , the question has already been answered : Should we be here ? Yes ! " '' Jack Buck died on June 18 , 2002 , in St. Louis 's Barnes-Jewish Hospital from a combination of illnesses . He had stayed in the hospital since January 3 of that year to undergo treatment for lung cancer , Parkinson 's disease , and to correct an intestinal blockage
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