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

Ah. The name makes sense now.

 

Worked for Craig when he was the boss in Jacksonville... reconnected with him through this site.

RIP, Craig... Much too young and full of life to have it be over.

Matt

 

Don't quite know what to say, except what MileHigh said ... this is crushing.

RIP, Craig. You were a fine man.

 

Worked with Craig from afar when I was with SportsLine's Tacoma satellite office. Since then, I've found him the voice of sanity here on the board through the all dizzying changes in our business. RIP to a great one.

 

This is so scary, folks. Death knows no time.

 

He was the first person who ever sent me a PM on here, which was our introduction. The point of his message was: Cool it and walk away. I did (on that thread at least).

This is the only place I knew him, but he always had a way of making his points without pissing off or belittling the person he was responding to. That probably makes him a singular figure on here.

 

I found out about Craig's death by happenstance - saw a friend's comment about it on Facebook. I was shocked then and am still a bit in that state.

I first met Craig the day before I started working at SportsLine.com at, appropriately enough, Sharkey's (for those that knew him, you'll understand).
He was such a great guy and taught me so much, which I've tried to carry with me even years after leaving South Florida.

Words are hard to come by. I hardly knew him the best, but I do know he will be missed greatly and by a whole heck of a lot of people.

 

I did know him.
I worked for him.
And all I can say is goodgoddamn I will miss him. I showed up at SportsLine.com thinking I knew all there was to know. And then I learned a lot.
And we drank a lot and laughed a lot and generally decided we'd never have all the answers, but NOBODY was going to try to have all the answers harder than us.
And now he's gone and I'm in some bleeping airport on another assignment and he'd be proud of that.
And I'm crying and I'm laughing and keeping up with everything about him, and people around me are looking at me like I'm crazy. Well, another good was lost, denizens of the airport, and you didn't know him. But if you knew what he meant to so many, and what you read in your daily rag or web-site every day, you'd miss him to.
St.Anke (his NTN Trivia name, for those who don't know), I know you quit drinking, but it's OK now. I'll raise one (or four) to you on the flight to Baltimore.