RIP to one of our own, one of our best -- Craig Stanke

The long winter nights in northern Jersey would be a little less grim when SF would casually post that it was 85 and he was headed out to play a quick nine. Reminded me that there were always better days ahead. I hope it somehow cheers his family to know there are so many keeping him in mind.

 

I didn't know Craig personally, but enjoyed our occasional banter over Wisconsin sports.

We registered for this crazy place around the same time 9 years ago, and over that period I can't remember a bad word ever said about him here. Or whether he participated in any heated arguments.

Just a smart, smart man who could communicate so effectively with the written word.

South Fresno will never be the same.

 

I honestly think that a great tribute that each of us could do, every day, is to continue to strive to post like Craig did. Try to be thoughtful and respectful and friendly. It's not easy - if it were easy, everybody would already do it. But he represented the best of this place, and striving to be more like he was seems to me like the most wonderful tribute we could pay the man.

 

I'm just now getting caught up on everything and horribly saddened by the news.

I had a phone interview with Craig nearly two years ago for a position at CBSSports. I sent my resume through CBS' site and expected the usual "wait" time before getting a response or even getting a response at all. I sent in on ... let's say a Tuesday evening. Wednesday afternoon I got a call and it was Craig.

At the time I was the managing editor of a local magazine in Central Florida and when Craig called we both said we have about five minutes. We talked for more than an hour. We talked journalism, my work at the Tampa Tribune, to things Wisconsin, a former sports editor at Richmond who shared the same name as myself and how we'd get each other's emails since Richmond and Tampa were in the Media General chain, to how he would have to deal with another staffer from Coral Springs High School if I were to be hired.

I later had a second phoner interview with Craig and Mark Swanson and even though I thought the interview went pretty well I didn't get the job. Craig said there would be some other openings in that near future, although there never really was. But I did email Craig a couple times and usually within an hour Craig wrote back. It shows he always had time - for anyone.

This is sad news. Goodbye Craig.

P.S. Oh and based on his posts as SF_Express. I always had figured the SF meant South Florida - the region, not the school.

 

Not being a journalist, I didn't know Craig Stanke.

But like others, I always thought SF was one of the great posters here, a voice of reason when things got out of hand.

RIP, SF. We'll all miss you terribly.

 

Condolences to Craig's family, friends and colleagues.

See ya in the great beyond, Craig. Thanks for the interactions here.

 

It's tough when anyone goes at that young an age -- especially when it's your age, or close.
I think one of the best things that can be said for Craig is in this context: most of us know the current writing staff at cbssports.com. Many of them are bombastic, both professionally and personally. They're very opinionated, both professionally and personally. A few I count as friends and sometimes they drive me nuts with thinking they're always right -- and I'm sure I reciprocate.

But to a man, these guys are all saying, on this board, and in conversations with me, that Craig was the best boss they ever had. Think of all the different personalities and egos he's dealt with, and smoothly, and turned out the product that he has in that web site, which is the most entertaining on the globe in terms of writing talent.

And that's an opinion I'll never back down on. Go with God, Craig.

 

Agreed: Incredible guts and grace for her to take the time to register and post her comments, in this painful time.

 

In the very early days of this board, I think Simers was the main reason why Craig and I would chat by PM so often. He knew Simers is my favorite sportswriter and obviously, the two of them were very close.

Last night I just kept reading some of the things people were posting about him on Facebook and I kept googling his name to read the latest tributes about how much they're going to miss him. I traded texts with some friends at CBS Sports and they were just like, "He was here yesterday and he seemed fine..."

It's so freaking sad.

 

When I saw the news yesterday, Craig Stanke has died, I thought, oh wow, our business has lost another great journalist. Enter a thoughtful pause of sadness, but one of not "knowing" Craig Stanke.

But, when I logged onto SportsJournalists.com last night and realized Craig is SF_Express ... my heart sank, I mean it truly sank.

And it's still sinking into greater depths of sadness, but also into moments of reflection upon numerous PMs I had shared with SF, er, Craig. He was always so courteous. And on point about his journalistic leanings. And kind. And thoughtful to reach out to those who preferred anonymity on a board of close-knit strangers longing to belong to a community hidden under pseudonyms. A lot of contradiction there, but Craig got it and ran with it.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Amy, his family, his friends, his coworkers and our SportsJournalists.com family.