On Friday, news broke that Los Angeles local media icon Joe McDonnell, who thrived on the radio, had passed away. Covering local sports with a passion for decades, perhaps, the best compliment to "Big Joe" or "Big Nasty" was that both the LA Lakers and LA Dodgers acted swiftly to publicly mourn the loss.
LA Lakers president Jeanie Buss released a statement:
"For more than 35 years, Joe has been a regular at Lakers games and press events. Known for his quick wit and strong opinions, Joe's love of and support of the Lakers has always been appreciated. Over all these years, our players, coaches, and staff have enjoyed working with and knowing Joe. He will be sorely missed."
In an official team statement, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak paid the highest compliment to McDonnell by calling the journalist "knowledgeable and fair" but also "opinionated and brutally honest."
"As both player and executive, I enjoyed working with Joe since I arrived in town in 1981. I will miss seeing him at our games, practices and press conferences," Kupchak added, echoing the sentiment shared by most folks in the media and around the Los Angeles sports scene.
The Dodgers are going to pay a portion of the funeral costs for Joe McDonnell, the L.A. sports-talk legend. — Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) March 13, 2015
Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register reported that the LA Dodgers would pay a portion of the funeral costs for McDonnell's service. One would be surprised if that remaining portion would not be picked up by others who benefited from McDonnell's work.
As support poured in from people who had met, listened to or simply heard of McDonnell, he reached the top of Twitter as a trending topic.
For a man who loved LA sports in his life, it said a great deal about McDonnell that LA sports showed him love and respect on the sad news of his death.
