Living Out Loud
Page 20
And I am confident that I will. I believe with all of my heart that I will be on the NBA sidelines again and that I will grow old with Stacy and watch my children enjoy life’s experiences as I did. And I am not giving back my ESPY.
Oh, and by the way—my first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game in June? High and wide, but made it the sixty feet, six inches.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
One thing that I hope you took away from the preceding pages is an understanding of my undying love and admiration for Stacy. She came into my life and simply changed it—and me—forever. She has been a wife, a mother, a best friend, a caretaker, an organizer, and, simply, an angel. Every day with her is a blessing, and she is the reason why I am still enjoying life.
All five of my children—Kacy, Craig, Krista, Riley, and Ryan—have made my life such a joy. I pray for their futures, and I know that they will find happiness and success on the road that lies ahead. If I could pass on any advice to my children, it would be this:
You have nothing without hope. Always believe that better days lie ahead and that the next day, the next golf shot, the next exam, the next run, will be better.
Rules are for people without brains. Use common sense, to experience the thrills that life affords us and to push the boundaries of what you think you can do. If you have smarts, you don’t need rules.
Create your own luck. As I did with Hank Aaron and Seattle Slew and during many of my stops in my career, work hard and put yourself in a position to be lucky. It works.
Don’t take no for an answer. Be persistent, find ways to a yes, and, if needed, use a boat.
Turn a negative into a positive. Throughout my life, I have taken challenges and obstacles and turned them in my favor—not because I am who I am, but because I take the right attitude.
Be who you are. If I worried about what others thought of my appetite for fun, of my bright wardrobe, of choices that I have made, then I would not be who I am today. Love yourself, and remember, being different can be a good thing.
Get busy living or get busy dying. There will be plenty of time to rest when you are gone. Experience as much as you can during your life, as you won’t want to miss a thing.
Over the past few years, Stacy could not have been by my side without the love and support of her mother, Mary Jo Strebel, who has stepped up in emergencies and over long periods of time to care for Riley and Ryan and to keep things running smoothly in Atlanta. She is a truly amazing woman, and I am forever indebted to her.
My sister, Candy Menzemer, has been with me the longest, and though she may not have liked me much when I was a younger pain, she has never been anything less than a wonderful big sister.
My parents did not give me a brother, but Batavia did, and John “Hondo” Clark has been my best friend since I was a toddler. Hondo and his wife, Karol, have been there in good times and bad, and outside of Stacy, there is no one I trust more in this world than him. I couldn’t imagine a better brother. Paula Issel and Jimmy Roberts, and all of the Batavia gang continue to be a part of my life, and I am grateful for their love and support, as well as Terry Thimlar, Margaret Sirianni, and my friends in Florida.
There are so many colleagues and friends from over the years to thank, but let me acknowledge a few. David Levy and the staff at Turner have been my family for more than three decades, and never more so than in the past two and a half years, with their unwavering support. You have provided me with a lifetime of memories. To Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, producer Tim Kiely, Tara August and Olivia Scarlett, who are tremendous friends and colleagues, thank you. I am also grateful to the teams at ABC/ESPN, CBS, and NBC for the opportunities of a lifetime.
The members of the NBA basketball community have brought me to tears with their generous love and support the past few years. I want to thank Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office, Bob Delaney and the officials, the coaches, the team PR directors, the colorful fans, and, of course, the players. In particular, thank you to Steph Curry, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade for supporting me and my battle. It is an honor to witness your passion and skills.
I also want to thank Jerry Colangelo and the USA men’s basketball team for their kindness and compassion. There was no place in the world that I wanted to be more than Rio de Janeiro this summer, and I could not have been more proud to see them take home the gold again. My gratitude to Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Tom Thibodeau, and Monty Williams, and the players: Carmelo Anthony, Harrison Barnes, Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Draymond Green, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, and Klay Thompson. Thank you.
How do you thank those who have truly saved your life, time and time again? A mere “thank you” seems unreasonable and inadequate. I am grateful to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, particularly Dr. Kent Holland, who got me past my first year of the battle and my first transplant. I became close with Anslee Ward, an oncology nurse, who not only nurtured my daily care but did it with a pleasant confidence and assuring approach, even feigning interest in my habitual viewing of long-ago television shows, as well as Janet Benn, who was there for me when I needed a smile or just a distraction. And, yes, Raphella Stovall, who makes giving blood in the mornings easy and fun!
Once I arrived at MD Anderson, I was blown away by the skill and compassion of the medical staff, and it starts at the top, with Dr. Ronald DePinho, who has become a good friend and counselor. No words can adequately describe what Dr. Naveen Pemmaraju has meant to Stacy and me. He is not only my savior but a true partner, and I only wish that everyone battling cancer could have Dr. P at his or her side. Dr. Qazilbash saw me through two stem cell transplants and a lot of chemotherapy and has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine. The nurses and support staff have been great, and I found one nurse in particular, Mary Elliott, at MD Anderson, who has an unparalleled touch with bone marrow extraction and massage that is soothing and comforting. Don’t get me wrong: it still hurts like hell, but at least Mary makes it somewhat bearable.
Hank and Kelley Cook, Sam and Susan Blair, Mike Joehl, Bob Beardslee, and all of those who have been instrumental in the SagerStrong Foundation, your work has meant so much to me, but, more important, to those who will come long after. My thanks as well to the Chicago Cubs and ESPN for providing me with the thrill of a lifetime, and to Mark Thomashow and Lynn Merritt at Nike for their continued love and support.
I had no idea what would go into writing a book, and, honestly, I was hesitant at the start, but it became a fun passion and a much-needed distraction. My sincere gratitude to my son Craig, whose tremendous writing is evident in these pages and who was willing to share the perspective of a family member. Of course, I can never thank Craig enough for extending my life twice. I love you.
The saying “better late than never” certainly applies to Brian Curtis coming into my life. Not only is he a talented author, but he quickly became a friend and confidant to Stacy and me. I hope that we can continue the jokes for a long time to come.
My thanks to Bob Miller and the incredible team at Flatiron Books for believing in me and my story. Jasmine Faustino, Steven Boriack, Marlena Bittner, Liz Keenan, Molly Fonseca, Ben Tomek, David Lott, Emily Walters, Steven Seighman, and Vincent Stanley made this process so easy and were great partners in pushing to get this book into the hands of readers. Thanks as well to our agent, Gary Morris, at the David Black Agency, for moving this project along.
Finally, thank you to all of you around the world who have inspired me with your kind words, your letters, and your stories. I am amazed at the kindness and hope in this world; the future is bright for my children.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Craig Sager is an Emmy Award–winning broadcaster for Turner Sports who has become synonymous with the NBA over his more than four decades on the air. He has also reported on MLB, the NFL, college football, twelve Olympic Games, the PGA Tour,
Wimbledon, the World Cup, the Goodwill Games, and horse racing for TNT, CNN, CBS, and NBC. You can sign up for email updates here.
Craig Sager II is a managing editor and sportswriter based in Atlanta covering high school sports as well as working with the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Atlanta Falcons. Sager graduated from the University of Georgia, where he participated as a walk-on football player.
Brian Curtis is a New York Times bestselling author who has contributed to Sports Illustrated. He is the author or coauthor of six books, including Fields of Battle: Pearl Harbor, the Rose Bowl, and the Boys Who Went to War and Go Long!: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame (with Jerry Rice). Curtis was nominated for two local Emmys for his work as a reporter for Fox Sports and served as a national reporter for CSTV/CBS College Sports. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Foreword by Charles Barkley
Introduction
Part I: The Making of Me
1. “Let’s Play Two”
2. No Fear
3. Home
4. One Minute
5. Family
6. Growing Up Craig Junior
Part II: The Fight Begins
7. Green Ale
8. A Mistake
9. High Hopes
10. A New Normal
11. Pop
12. The Colors of My Life
13. Moving On Up
14. Victory
15. A Match
16. A New Birthday
17. “I’m Back, Baby!”
18. The Colors of Me
Part III: Houston
19. Dr. P
20. A Second Chance
21. Relentless
22. Daniel and Brandon
23. Slew
24. Maybe This Time I Am Back
25. Searching for Answers
26. Living Out Loud
27. Can’t Stop
28. Day to Day
29. Another Chance
30. Lessons from My Father
31. Never, Ever Give Up
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Copyright
LIVING OUT LOUD. Copyright © 2016 by Craig Sager, Craig Sager II, and Brian Curtis. Foreword copyright © 2016 by Charles Barkley. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.flatironbooks.com
All photographs courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted
Cover design by Keith Hayes
Cover photography by Deborah Feingold
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-12562-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-25012563-7 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250125637
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: November 2016