At two different times, both Tim Russert and Tony Snow called me “kid.”

When I first met Tony Snow during the early days of Fox News, he greeted me with that genuine and all-consuming grin of his and sent me out on camera with, “Knock ‘em dead, kiddo.”

When I first met Tim Russert shortly after joining NBC, he wished me good luck on my new MSNBC show with, “Go get ‘em, kid.”

I loved their calling me “kid.” It was their way of showing me that they were pulling for me, the way a good coach would pull for a rookie. Unlike many others in the media business, they were incredibly decent men who truly wanted their fellow colleagues to do well, succeed, flourish.

Both presided over big-time franchises. For Russert, “Meet the Press;” for Snow, Fox News Sunday, and then, of course, the biggest franchise of all: the White House.

They were smart, insightful, thoughtful men who came into our homes every week with a list of questions, a smile, and a true love for their country.

I’m sure they’re now competing for the big “get:” maybe Lincoln or FDR. Or maybe, given that they were both men of faith, they are jockeying for a sit-down with Jesus.

Death came too soon for them. I was grateful to have known them, however briefly, and we were all lucky to watch them do what they did so well, however briefly.

Godspeed, Tony Snow.

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