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As Cool As The Other Side Of The Pillow (Rest In Peace, Stuart Scott)

I have read a few things about this man since he died Sunday; I recall the ESPN The Magazine piece about his maniacal workouts since the cancer diagnosis. I knew he had teenage daughters; I might speculate that he was the most popular anchor on ESPN's flagship program even before all these things took place. Why?

I think it's because he understood what a beautiful contradiction sports is: We pay people money to watch other people play childhood games. On the face of it, it's absurd. But we know that because it's human, it goes much deeper. It's a thing that demands a little levity, and at least potentially, the utmost seriousness. I think Stuart Scott could move between those poles better than almost anybody.

It might be an exaggeration to say that my attention to the post-Jordan NBA as a fan increased because of Stuart Scott, but not much of one. He made the viewer passionate about whatever he happened to be talking about. You meet people like that from time to time. It just so happens that he was on our TVs every day for close to 20 years.

I'm not surprised to learn that he was a beloved colleague and a good friend, too. The only way to live is memorably and passionately, and the only way to foul it up completely is to be passionate about the wrong things. If we could ask him, I'm sure he had many mistakes and sins, but it sure seems like he got a few things right.

I read that he was a churchgoing man, and I hope they said good things, about repentance and hope, resurrection in Christ, and glory, and I hope he believed them. As for me, I believe in (among other things) the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting, so I hope to meet him then.

Will there be anything more fitting than his trademark "Booyah!" at the sight of the new heavens and new earth? At the moment, I can't think of it.
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