Dan, say it ain't so

Dan Patrick made it official yesterday when he said he would be leaving "The Worldwide Leader" to pursue other interests. He made the comments live during his radio show.

In fact, when his regular guest Reggie Miller came on, Miller was stunned. He kept asking Daniel what he would do next, but Patrick remained mum on the subject, but he did say he was not going to follow in Bob Parker's footsteps at "The Price is Right".

This news is devastating to ESPN. He's the only voice left at the network that is actually worth listenting to. Patrick singlehandedly turned "SportsCenter" into a trendy culture. He's responsible for getting wives and girlfriends interested in sports because frankly that's what they had to watch while their significant other was glued to the Cathod Ray Tube.

I still remember eating my Cheerios and watching Patrick and Keith Olbermann on "SportsCenter". It got so funny a few times that I nearly choked on soggy Cheerios, when you think of it, is pretty hard to do.

Unfortunately, I hardly watch the network now. They don't show box scores and now they're just pumping nothing by fluff into their telecasts, especially with their, "Who's Now?" series. Honestly, do you have to waste this much time debating something that has no bearing on anything?

Patrick's last day is Aug. 17 and mark my words, ESPN will forever be remembered for "The Whiff" on not being able to keep their top guy.