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Sager remembered in Atlanta, across MLB
- Updated: December 16, 2016
ATLANTA — Long before he became recognized for wearing the eccentric, colorful sports coats that personified his zest for life, Craig Sager somewhat anonymously introduced himself to the sports world as the fearless young reporter who was standing at home plate as Hank Aaron completed the trot that followed his historic 715th home run.
Aaron might have been startled by their first meeting, but the interactions that were enjoyed over the decades that followed led him to share in the widespread sadness felt Thursday when Sager died at 65 years old after a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
• Hail blazer: RIP to TNT’s Craig Sager
“Craig [Sager] was there when I crossed the plate for #715 & has been a friend ever since,” Aaron tweeted. “I thought the world of him & he will be sorely missed.”
Craig Sagar was there when I crossed the plate for #715 & has been a friend ever since.I thought the world of him & he will be sorely missed
— Hank Aaron (@HenryLouisAaron) December 15, 2016
Craig Sagar was there when I crossed the plate for #715 & has been a friend ever since.I thought the world of him & he will be sorely missed
Though Sager was best known as Turner Sports’ NBA sideline reporter with a unique wardrobe and a personality that allowed him to easily endear himself to Michael Jordan, LeBron James and many of basketball’s legendary players, Sager had a genuine passion for baseball and his beloved Cubs, who won the World Series as he proudly watched from the hospital bed he occupied the past few months.
“Seeing him make himself famous as an NBA sideline reporter was counterintuitive to the person I knew,” Royals vice president of communications and broadcasting Mike Swanson said. “His love for baseball is what put him on the field when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run. He didn’t care that he wasn’t supposed to be on the field. He knew that’s the place he needed to be.”
Swanson was a young employee in the Royals’ organization in the 1970s when Sager …
