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“SPORTS DARK DAY”
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You cover this long enough, you think you see virtually everything you can see, feel every emotion you can, and cope with all on the sports horizon.
Not the case on Monday, from start to finish, an awful day of stories.
COLORADO..The emotional outpouring press conference from Coach Prime, as Deion Sanders details his 14-surgery fight against Bladder Cancer, the chemo treatment, making out his last will and testament, and then learning at this point he is cancer free. Admitting his life is forever changed. And of course now we watch to see if he will be able to handle the hours and rigors and pressures of being CU’s head coach going forward.
TEXAS..A judge sentences a 55-year old man to 2 and a half years in prison for sending threatening and sexually explicit texts to WNBA star Caitlin Clark. The stalker travelled to Indianapolis and was in the hotel lobby where Clark was staying when apprehended. Beyond scary.
CLEVELAND..A stunning story of the FBI gambling probe of Guardians relief ace Emmanuel Clase and his removal from the Cleveland roster for at least 60-days if not longer, for large bets placed on certain innings of games he pitched in. Devastating to the Guardians and his career.
CHICAGO..The heartbreak across baseball as Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, the so popular Cubs-Phillies star, lost his battle to Cancer at age 65, just 6-months after it was announced he was cancer free-only to have it return.
PHILADELPHIA..An ugly clubhouse argument, face to face, Bryce Harper vs Commissioner Rob Manfred over baseball economics, and MLB’s public statements about wanting a salary cap in the next CBA talks. Cooler heads prevailed but Harper ordered Manfred out of the clubhouse, and the Commissioner stood there refusing to budge.
DALLAS..Your worst fears realized in one day on an NFL practice field, losing your LT-LG and then a CB with serious knee or neck injuries on the Cowboys practice field.
NEW YORK..NFL headquarters under siege, with a mentally ill Las Vegas casino employee trying to storm the NFL league office at 945-Park Avenue. A shooting spree where he killed 4-people, including a police officer, rode an elevator to the wrong floor, got off and started shooting again, then shot himself in the chest. The suicide victim left a 3-page letter in his wallet, blaming the NFL for head injuries, his own mental health problems, and not taking care of the players over the years. The man never played in the NFL. But think about the horrors, after he wounded an NFL employee-shooting him in the back, what could have happened-would have happened it the man had gotten off at the 5th floor and walked into the NFL League office with that AR-15 long rifle, rather than getting off at the wrong floor on level 33.
It all started at 10am-covering the Colorado Coach Prime Story. By 6pm we were tracking information about the near tragedy in the NFL.
You never expect days like this. So different from expecting to cover the trade deadline, ballgames and NFL training camp notes. Sadly, what our society has become.
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