Craig Sager battling cancer

mabrowndog

mabrowndog

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Awful Announcing
 
 
Turner Sports has yet to have an official statement on the matter, but they have released a statement from Sager himself.
 
It’s a short statement, but it possesses his trademark sense of humor and even makes reference to his tete a tetes with Gregg Popovich on the sidelines.
 
“My favorite time of year – city to city, round by round, 40 games in 40 nights.  A dramatic turn has matched me with acute myeloid leukemia.  From the sidelines to being sidelined, 40 veins and 40 electrolytes.  Too bad, I had some probing questions for Pop.”
 
Tracy Wolfson will be on the sidelines with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr while Sager undergoes treatment.
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Sager's hilarious. Wishing him well.
 
Monbo Jumbo

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Just a bit outside said:
They had his Sager's son at the Spurs game today.  Popovich was great.  Complemented the kid on his questions and then wished Sager well. 
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How old is the son? I used to see Craig at PTA meetings when our kids went to the same middle school.
 
mabrowndog

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More on Pop's response, which also answers Monbo's age question.
 
 
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he looks forward to sideline reporter Craig Sager's return and "I promise I'll be nice."
 
TNT's Sager is missing the NBA playoffs as he undergoes treatment for leukemia. So his son, Craig Sager Jr., filled in for Sunday's broadcast of San Antonio's playoff opener against Dallas, asking Popovich a few questions before the fourth quarter.
 
Popovich is famous for his terse answers to in-game questions from Sager and other sideline reporters. Sager even joked about it in a statement Friday confirming his diagnosis: "Too bad, I had some probing questions for Pop."
 
This time, Popovich was verbose by his standards in discussing the Spurs' play. "Great questions from Craig JUNIOR," he quipped at the end.
 
The younger Sager, a sports reporter in Atlanta, said he asked his father for suggestions but was told, "You're on your own."
 
"You did a great job," Popovich said to him, "but I'd rather have your dad standing here."
 
Popovich then shared this message for his father: "We miss you. You've been an important part of all of us for a long time, doing a great job. We want your fanny back on the court, and I promise I'll be nice."
 
The ponytailed Sager Jr., 25, wore a sparkly orange tie that was still tame by his father's standards. A former football walk-on at Georgia, he later tweeted that Popovich gave him a hand-written letter to deliver to his father.
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mabrowndog

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Man, what a great article by Craig Sager Jr. for The Sporting News. In addition to recounting his interview with Pop (arranged by the folks at Turner without Craig Sr.'s knowledge), there's reason for hopeful optimism for his dad's battle. But the crux of this piece is that it's one of the best tributes from a son to a father I've ever read. The kid was raised right.
 
Walking In My Father's Blazer
 
 
On the final day of this year’s Masters, March Madness was in the rearview mirror and I was hoping to finally hang out with my dad before NBA playoffs started. There was no answer when I called. Hours later I got a call back — this was when he first told me he’d been in the hospital for three days, and doctors thought he had leukemia. That Wednesday we found out he did, in fact, have acute myeloid leukemia. He was sent to begin treatment the next morning.
 
I could not believe my dad was going to miss the NBA Playoffs. I wanted to fill in for him, but I was never going to suggest that. I was mortified at the thought of it, to be honest.
 
I went to visit him that Friday, the first day of his chemo and Day 1 of the many upcoming days spent in the confines of the Atlanta hospital. I was expecting to spend the day — possibly the night and weekend — with him. But 20 minutes after walking into his room, I was pulled out and asked if I would be willing to fly to San Antonio the next morning and interview Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before his game. I obviously said yes. All we needed was an approval from Pop. I was in the hallway when they called, and Popovich said "absolutely."
 
When I arrived in San Antonio nobody, including my dad, knew I was there except a few people at Turner Sports, my mom, sisters and step-mom.
 
Game day arrived Sunday. I stood outside Popovich’s office minutes away from our scheduled 9:30 a.m. interview barely breathing I was so nervous. When I walked in he said "no cameras," and they shut the door for a one-on-one talk.
 
Popovich took valuable time before his playoff game to talk about my dad and how much he's appreciated. The whole time I was still thinking about our interview, and when we walked back into the hallway, he told us he didn't want to tape anything; we needed to do the sideline interview live after the third quarter ... just like my dad. The last-minute change resulted in the best tribute I could ever give my dad and family.
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On May 6, I did a blood test to determine if I was a bone-marrow match for my dad. They claimed a 25 percent chance I’d be a half match and a 2 percent chance I'd match all six indicators. I told them not to worry. I was that confident.
 
Ten days later the results were in, and I was a perfect 6-for-6. This would give me a chance to save my dad. Four surgeries from my football career were devastating but, this time, I felt like I had just won the lottery.
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Afterwards he was hired by TSN as a writer, and sent to cover Games 1 & 2 of the NBA Finals. Then...
 
 
Despite my dad spending his entire life on the road, I felt farther away from him than ever. He was at home this time, and I wasn’t.
 
Was I being too hard on myself? Yes. If it wasn’t for the support from the likes of Stuart Scott, J.A. Adande, Michael Wilbon and Popovich, I think I would have broken down.
 
As I wrapped up, I looked around at all the media present. While they weren't necessarily going through the same things I was, they all had families, too. I knew they were missing home, as well, and it made me realize what a tough lifestyle it is. For all these years I've thought about what it's like to be Craig Sager’s son, but not what it's like to be Craig Sager. Did he ever get this lonely on the road?
 
I thought about the times he would call late to talk about the game and realized why he was actually calling. How many times did he have to feel like this? My realization turned the weekend into a valuable learning experience.
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I could not make Game 3 or 4, as I had my pre-surgery blood work to complete.
 
Six hours, 18 vials and two bags of blood later, I finally walked out of the hospital the same time my dad was leaving one of his meetings. He thanked me for doing it for him ... with a fist bump.
 
We're a couple weeks away from the July 3 surgery, and my dad is doing well. He’s showing a side of himself and a patience I’ve never seen. I'm glad we’re able to spend more time together during this difficult situation, and I'm looking forward to the family time we will continue to share, especially Sunday.
 
Happy Father’s Day, everybody.
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Vandalman

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Back on the sidelines.
 
 
From SI:
 
Sager has been away from the sidelines since he began receiving treatmentfor leukemia last April. Sager spoke about his battle with cancer in December on Inside the NBA.
On Sunday, Anthony described to Sager that "We miss you" and that "the game hasn't been the same, the sidelines hasn't been the same without seeing you out there."
Sager, donning polka dot socks and a shorts suit, responded by explaining that he could possibly return "probably around March 1 if everything goes well over these next two weeks." 
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Vandalman

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Craig Sager's leukemia has returned
 

From his son's statement:
 
"[Sager] is battling his newest set of obstacles, but unlike the first time, when everything was new, there is a blueprint in place and all focus is on one checkpoint at a time. [Sager's] leukemia returned last week and he is undergoing treatment that will be much like this time last year when he got rounds of chemo and prepared his body for a bone marrow transplant."
 
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Van Everyman

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Real Sports piece on Sager was excellent. He's already beaten the odds two or three times which I hadn't realized. Here's hoping he does it again.
 
mauidano

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Sager has had an incredible life and put up an incredible fight. He has truly lived.
 
NDame616

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http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/09/charles-barkley-craig-sager-hospital-bone-marrow-transplant-leukemia

Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager underwent his third bone marrow transplant on Wednesday as he continued his battle with leukemia.

He had a special visitor by his side: Charles Barkley.

Sager’s wife, Stacy, has been alongside Sager throughout his cancer treatments. But just days before Sager was due for his bone marrow transplant, Stacy caught a bad cold. According to the Associated Press, doctors needed Stacy to stay away from Craig out of concern for his health.

Once Barkley got word of Stacy’s cold, he took a flight from Phoenix to Houston, so he could be by Sager’s side at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Barkley made this decision despite recently having hip replacement surgery and under strict orders against traveling.
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kelpapa

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Rachel Nichols is discussing this on ESPN2 right now. It's worth switching it on.
 
johnmd20

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Sad, poor guy, when he went on TV this summer it was obviously a last hurrah and he hung on for a really long time. Great announcer, seemingly awesome dude, terrible clothes.
 
Jed Zeppelin

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TNT's NBA coverage is the best, and one of the last safe havens for watchable studio analysis. Laid back, love the sport, not hot-take factories, an oasis in a world that is slowly trying to suck all of the fun out of professional athletics. Sager was, obviously, a huge part of that. Great rapport with the league's coaches and players. Never a dull moment, unlike 99% of what passes for sideline interviews today. A true original.

What a goddamn shame.
 
LogansDad

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Sager was one of the few announcers left who made me enjoy sports more by being on TV, rather than making me question why I even bother anymore. There are very few left that are like him.

This sucks. Fuck cancer.
 
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