Remembering Jim McKay

Sports journalism lost a giant over the weekend with the passing of Jim McKay at age 86.

For me, the Olympics were never the see once ABC no longer owned the broadcasting rights to the games, meaning McKay could no longer anchor them.

As a former sports writer myself, McKay brought something else to our profession - respectability. After his historic broadcast covering the Israeli hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Games, McKay changed the face of broadcast journalism forever with his handling of the situation.

With his passing, I can't help but think how far sports broadcast journalism has fallen.

With ESPN having a virtual stranglehold on the industry, it's a different era. The Wide World of Sports, which brought the unusual but interesting sports to the masses, is no longer around. Why would ESPN waste broadcasting time on such things when they can foist the likes of the X-Games upon us?

And McKay's low-key, dignified approach? A thing of the past with anchors who want to shout "Boo-yah!" every five minutes and out-do each other with catch phrases and fluff.

McKay was a true broadcast legend. Let's hope he wasn't the last of his era.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Speaking of things that were better in a bygone era, Game 3 of the NBA Finals (ABC, 9 p.m.) between the Lakers and Celtics airs tonight. It's a series of huge significance to me - 20 years ago. Now, honestly, I can give a crap but I'm sure someone out there is still watching.

If you enjoyed "Iron Man" and are eagerly anticipating "The Incredible Hulk" this weekend, you may want to check out "Comic Books Unbound" (Starz, 10 p.m.), which traces the phenomenon back to 1930s serials.