As Cool As the Other Side of the Pillow

On Sunday night, I did something for the first time in months.  I watched "SportsCenter."  The reason for that should be obvious.  I wanted to see the tribute to Stuart Scott.  And ESPN absolutely hit it out of the park.  As cartoonish as that show gets most of the time, Sunday's 90-minute episode was brilliant, proving once again that when ESPN actually cares enough to do something right, they really get it right.  Well done, ESPN.

Like anyone who's watched ESPN over the past 20 years, I knew who Stuart Scott was and that he was sick.  Nobody knew how sick, though.  Until the ESPYs.  He'd been in the hospital for a week, but managed to make it to LA for the ceremony, accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and delivered probably the most memorable ESPYs speech since Valvano himself at the first ESPYs.  That speech is our lasting memory of Stuart Scott.

He was too sick to continue in his role as host of "Monday Night Countdown" this season, but Steve Levy always made sure to say he was "in for Stuart Scott" during that little teaser at the end of the Monday night game every week.  A subtle suggestion that it was still Stu's job.  He was just keeping the seat warm until Stu came back.  Which everyone expected would happen.  Up until Sunday morning.  Even though "cancer" is a scary word, it never crossed anybody's mind that Stuart Scott wouldn't kick cancer's ass then return to the air.

That's I think what makes his death so shocking.  It's so finite.  There's never going to be another "Boo-yah."  There are no more "player hater degrees" to hand out.  Nobody's "as cool as the other side of the pillow" anymore.  It's a signature style that was all his own.  And it's going to be missed.

The 14-minute tribute was one of the best pieces of journalism I've seen on ESPN in quite some time.  They taped it months ago, which suggests those at ESPN knew he was in worse shape than he was letting on.  But it's also something they never hoped would air.  They knew they had to do it, though, because Stuart Scott deserved such a tribute.  If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend taking the time.  They interviewed everyone.  Not just current ESPN employees, but former anchors like Rich Eisen and Dan Patrick, too.  And Robin Roberts, a cancer survivor.  He wasn't just a colleague.  He was their friend.

It's clear how much Stuart Scott meant to everyone.  They had a moment of silence before both wild card games and every NBA game on Sunday.  Condolences were sent by everyone from Michael Jordan to the President.  They even made mention of his death on the 11:00 local news.  But perhaps the most fitting tribute came from Rich Eisen.  During NFL Network's pregame show right after the news broke, Eisen could barely hold back the tears as he talked about his friend and longtime partner.  I can't even imagine how difficult that was for him.  But it also might've been Rich Eisen's finest hour.

I don't know of a sports fan who didn't enjoy Stuart Scott.  He brought a fresh, unique style that appealed to everyone.  Those catchphrases became a part of pop culture.  They made him a superstar, perhaps the one that shined the brightest in the ESPN universe.  But it never got to his head.  He was a genuine person who was beloved by his colleagues as much as the viewers.  All because he never stopped being himself.

Everything on Sunday night's "SportsCenter" hit the right chord.  His friends, Scott Van Pelt and Steve Levy, anchored the show, which was a nice touch (Van Pelt even did a "Boo-Yah" during the Cowboys-Lions highlights).  And they busted out some old "This is SportsCenter" commercials featuring Scott that they haven't aired in years.  It was almost all tribute at the expense of highlights, but on this occasion, it was OK.  ESPN rarely loses one of its own.  Let alone someone like Stuart Scott.

My favorite part of Sunday night's tribute, though, was the end.  They faded to black, gave Stuart the last word (which was from his ESPYs speech), and ended with a close up of the empty anchor's chair.  It's not something anyone wanted or ever expected.  But it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Stuart Scott.  Someone who won't be forgotten anytime soon.