Goodbye to a legend

After 18 years, Dan Patrick has left ESPN. I'm not totally sure why, but this really upsets me. Sure he was, by far, my favorite sports anchor on the station. But I don't even watch ESPN that much anymore. When I did watch ESPN on a consistent basis, I always thought he had the perfect balance of comedy and professionalism. And that balance is even harder to find in todays sportscasters. In fact, it's almost impossible to find anybody talk about sports who can make you laugh, relay the information, and hold a serious conversation with an athlete, or anybody for that matter. Only a few other sportscasters/anchors come to mind that matched Patrick's style and skill. One being Keith Olbermann, who has since gone on to host "Countdown with Keith Olbermann;" a countdown on the days current events with a bit of a comedic twist. Another is Chris Berman, who thankfully is still with ESPN. No one does highlights like this guy. In fact, I will be listening to him call the Home Run Derby in about two hours. Lastly, the only other person I can think of who matched Patrick (as I write that Tony Kornheiser and Dan Wilbon come to mind as sports reporters who I admire) is a local guy: Michael Barkan. He's probably the most visible face in sports in the Philadelphia area; and for good reason. I now have one less reason to turn to ESPN for my sports news, as Stuart Scott and his lazy eye will probably get even more airtime.