Batavia gathers to remember Craig Sager

Think back on your high school days. How many people do you remember? What do you remember about them?

I remember Craig Sager's smile. It wasn't a smile of contentment. It wasn't a smirk. It was a devilish smile that signaled that he was up to something. He had that smile for everyone he knew, everyone he met.

Even in those days he lived life to the fullest. He was a cutup, a jokester, and a happy-go-lucky guy who was full of the dickens. He was the only one in the history of Batavia High School who is pictured wearing a Nehru jacket in his senior class photo.

Everyone liked him because he seemed to have a place in his heart for everyone.

"I became friends with Craig in kindergarten," said John Clark. "We had rugs to rest on and mine was really nice. He stole it."

The theft didn't affect their friendship that lasted decades. John was with Craig every step of the way as Craig battled acute myeloid leukemia.

Craig endured three stem cell transplants in hopes of surviving the deadly disease. Throughout it all, he remained positive that he would beat it.

Many of you remember Craig for his crazy clothing that he wore as he stood along the sidelines interviewing NBA players during games. Some tuned in just to see what he was wearing. Underneath his colorful attire was a sportscaster who knew the game and respected the players. He knew just the right questions to ask. He never tried to set them up or throw them off guard. Although when you saw that smile, you knew an interesting question was sure to follow.

We have had many people from Batavia who have gone on to achieve professional success in their fields, but none has given credit to his hometown more than Craig. He was always making references to Batavia.

When he threw out the first pitch and sang during the seventh-inning stretch at a Cubs game, he told fans to sing loud enough so that the people in Batavia would hear it. He was proud to be from Batavia and his pride made many take note of our special town.

Batavians Andy Preuss and Chuck Thiery were at the Ryder Cup a few years ago representing Cleveland Golf.

"We saw Craig Sager standing on the 17th tee at Medinah," said Andy. "Chuck shouted out that we were from Batavia and Sager started singing the Batavia loyalty."

No question about it, Craig Sager loved Batavia.

"At last year's alum golf outing, Craig stood for hours letting people get their photo taken with him," said current BHS basketball coach Jim Nazos. "He was such a generous and giving person."

Years ago, Craig Sager called former BHS basketball coach Jim Roberts and offered tickets for his entire team for a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a meet and greet with LeBron James. Unfortunately the team had a game the next night so the coach had to decline.

"The worst thing was that our high school game was canceled because of a snowstorm," Roberts said.

Now it is time to show how much our community loved Craig Sager. A special night honoring him will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at Batavia High School, 1201 Main St. His family will be there. It's my hope that Batavia will pack that gym. There will be a social gathering at Crosstown Pub and Grill, 1890 Mill St., following the event.

"I think we'll see two different groups coming out for this," said Mayor Jeff Schielke. "There will be those who grew up with Craig and those who knew him from his television broadcasts."

Both groups are in for a special night. There will be plenty of stories about Craig Sager from Roberts, Schielke, Clark and former NBA player and coach, Dan Issel.

Three videos will be shown. There will be the video he created to accept the BHS alum award, the video of the speech he gave at the ESPY Awards and the video he created for the 100 years of Batavia basketball. That video is worth the price of admission alone, which is free.

I think the greatest gift we could give the Sager family is to show them how a community comes together to honor one of its own, to share in the laughter that will result from the stories of a life well lived.

In the end, Craig was dedicated to raising money to fight cancer, through his foundation Sager Strong, having seen so many kids dealing with leukemia in the hospital. The foundation has already raised millions for clinical trials and research.

Craig's love of life, his love for people, his love of the game and his sense of humor took him a long way.

When Craig asked John Clark to speak at his funeral, just days before he died, he said, "I'll bet you 50 bucks you don't make it five minutes without breaking down."

John's wife, Carole, said she thought it would take one minute. John was able to keep his composure for the allotted time and then broke down.

"He owes me fifty bucks," said John.

I think of Craig Sager now, standing next to St. Peter at the pearly gates with microphone in hand, waiting to do the next interview. He is dressed in majestic splendor and his smile lights up the heavens.