| Moment Home Page | Current Article Index | Title: Mees and Me Editor: Christopher Tse Writer: Wayne Chang There were many sports stories in the past few months to make this a memorable summer. The Summer Olympics, the baseball pennant, a possible labor agreement in baseball, and NBA free agent signings filled up sports pages across the country. Any one of these stories could be chosen to be the highlight of the summer of 1996, but for me, the most important story happened in a Connecticut pool on August 14. Tom Mees, one of the original members of ESPN, died in a drowning accident. Mees was a sports reporter who actually reported sports news. He never deluged viewers with extraneous emotions or words; he just reported the scores and described the highlights. Mees was a throwback to when reporters and play-by- play announcers existed to cover the game, not to overshadow it. Even before I started going to school, I watched Tom Mees on Sportscenter. For one hour every morning, I would sit and watch this program, barely understanding what it all meant. I could not understand what Mees or his partner, Chris Berman, would say, but somehow it fascinated me and formed the foundation for my budding interest in sports. I would understand more and more of the telecast each day. I would semi-comprehend the humor they brought to summarizing games or their interaction with each other, but more importantly, I better understood the nuances of each sport. Sportscenter and Mees taught me the basic rules, the personalities, and the teams of each sport. I never truly realized how much Tom Mees meant to me until he died. Watching and reading pieces and articles after he died, I truly became emotional. Tom Mees gave me one of my first experiences with sports, and he inspired me to pursue my interest in them. I don't know what my life would be without sports, but I know that I am a better person with them. Sports have provided me with structure, given me a respect for effort, and provided me with countless hours of entertainment. For all of this, I will always admire, respect, and remember Tom Mees.