Ralph Wiley dies

[paynomind]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=1821759

Ralph Wiley, one of the original Page 2 columnists and former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, died Sunday night at his home in Orlando of heart failure. He was 52 years old.

Wiley joined Page 2 at its inception in November 2000 and had written more than 240 columns for ESPN.com.

"For the past three and a half years, Ralph has produced a body of work that was both exceptional and insightful and arguably the best sports commentary on the web," said John Walsh, executive vice president and executive editor, ESPN.

Wiley also had appeared on ESPN's "Sports Reporters" since 1990. He provided regular commentary for ESPN's SportsCenter and formerly worked as an NFL analyst for NBC.

[Waffles]

I couldn't believe it when I heard this on PTI...as Dan Le Batard put it, he had so much more to say.

Some thoughts on R-Dub...His work was absolutely transcendant. It transcended sports, transcended race, sometimes even transcended words, taking the flow of a one of those jazz songs that butter you up with their pace, then annihilate you with their sheer magnificance.

It's his liveliness that makes this news even harder to believe.

[NJTank]

I was shocked when I heard it on PTI too he was young too only 52.

[Sterling84]

From my favorite columnist Steve Czaban:

Sports Commentary Takes A Hit - 06/15/04

Ralph Wiley, 52

ESPN Page 2 columnist and TV sports commentator Ralph Wiley died on Sunday of a heart attack at the age of 52. His death touches me in a small, but significant way. Ralph was an irregular contributor to my local show in Washington D.C. on Sportstalk 980 with Andy Pollin. Ralph made perhaps 20-25 appearances over 3 plus years, and I really truly enjoyed his company and opinions while in the studio. I say ?while in the studio? for a specific reason: because that is literally ALL I knew Ralph from. We had brief, perhaps once a month, two hour knock around sessions on the radio. I wish dearly that I had been given a chance to be around him for many more years in other settings. Ralph had a history of being very pointed, and often very political in matters of sports and race. Normally, these kind of guys wear on my like an itchy sweater, but not Ralph. Ralph was always quick with a laugh, willing to volunteer that ?you may be right? and generally even handed about anything race related that we talked about on the show. While others might term him ?militant?, I would not. Not in my experience. The thing I enjoyed most about Ralph is that he genuinely appreciated what Andy and I do every day on the show, and the art of making it great (or at least making an attempt every day). He was very curious about how we did the show, why we did things a certain way, and above all else made sure he came on the air to contribute, provoke, and have fun. He was both an easy boothmate, and a fun listen no matter what season of the sports calendar we were in. In fact, Ralph was on the schedule to join us next week, after the NBA Finals, and I was already thinking ahead about how I was going to give him big credit for being one of the few writers who laid out an intelligent blueprint for how the Pistons could upset the Lakers (and this was before either conference final was actually over!) It?s weird when somebody you know (but really don?t know) dies far too young. It?s ever weirder when two ?guest reporters? on your show die of heart attacks in the 5 years you have been doing it. Former NBC 4 weekend anchor Darrian Chapman, died several years ago at the mere age of 37 after playing a pick up hockey game while working in Chicago. He too, was an infrequent guest of ours on Sportstalk 980. He too, unfortunately, an African American male in seemingly excellent physical shape. There are many more people who carry their grief over Ralph?s death than me, so I won?t try to pretend we were long lost friends. But I know this, I will miss dearly his cutting insight into sports issues that only he could provide. In fact, the rant he gave about why Kobe?s dad didn?t talk to him for almost a year after he got married to Vanessa was the stuff of radio legend. Ralph cut loose for about 10 minutes straight, about the pointlessness of 13 bedroom mansions in Orange county for a couple with one child, inter-racial marriage, the stubbornness of genius, and parents who simply cannot let go sometimes. It was pure Ralph, and I was lucky to witness it up close.