So, did you guys watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics? I did. I’ll be honest, I am not the biggest fan of the Olympics. I do appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to get there, and the talent that is imbued in any of the atheletes. But I am not interested in watching much of, and bully for those of you who are so engrossed in it that you get updates on your ipod. I am not one of you. I do, however, enjoy amazing things you can see during the openings. I am also a big enough smart ass to make silly comments about things I notice during the Opening. Last night was no exception. When I was paying attention. See, last night was a raid night for me, which means I am playing my game, and participating in a group activity with a specific goal in mind. So I wasn’t really paying attention when they announced something that I hadn’t known about. See, I may have mentioned that I have a new job, and between that and the boys and the game, I havent exactly been paying attention to the news. So, when Bob Costas announced today that Jim McKay had died, I was totally floored. More than I thought I would be. I mean its not like I went around saying “Oh my god what am I gonna do when Jim McKay dies,” or even anyting of that nature. But I like him. He was honest, forthright, an all-around decent guy. He was respectable, and a professional and amazingly potent in a moment when he could have been a slim. And my grandfather knew him. Also liked him and respected him. And he deserved it from his service in the Navy in WWII, the twelve Emmy Awards he won on his broadcasting career, and this:

"When I was a kid, my father used to say 'Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.' Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They’ve now said that there were eleven hostages. Two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone."

So when I watched “Sword of Gideon” and the learned the background about the events which lead to Operations Wrath of God and Spring of Youth by the Israeli Army, the story of Daivd Mark Berger from Wisconsin, who was one of the victims of Black September, I was extremely moved by Jim McKay

Growing up, even after the incident I spoke about between me and my dad not long ago, I used to watch ABC Sports with him on Sundays. The Thrill of Victory, the Sting of Defeat. Lots of time spent with Dad, and moments when it didn’t seem like Dad dispised my presence. So, when I heard the news a few minutes ago, that Mr. McKay had passed, I was hurt more than I thought I would be. Partly for the moments with my father, but also because of the quote above. Orginally, I didn’t know anything about the background of the movie Sword of Gideon, and when I was watching it as a teenager, and my parents asked me if I understood what it was about, and I really didn’t, they explained it to me. My dad even went so far as to find a retrospective of the 72 Olympics, and the moment in the broadcast when Mr. McKay said the things he did. And knowing that he might be the one to have to tell David Berger’s family that he was dead, he could only say those words. “…They’re all gone.”

This is actually harder to write about than I thought it would be. So rather than ramble more, I will simply say… Thank-you, sir. Rest in Peace.

James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008)