Jim McKay is the commentator I hear in my mind when I think of sports in my youth. I remember watching Wide World of Sports and learning that there were sports like Barrel Jumping, Grand Prix Racing, and Cliff Diving. McKay passed away today at 86.

McKay was the one who spanned the globe to bring television viewers the constant variety of sports on ABC’s influential “Wide World of Sports,” where he told of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

A far different kind of agony awaited in 1972 when word came down in Munich that Palestinian terrorists had kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes. McKay was summoned from a day off, hurriedly putting clothes over a bathing suit to anchor ABC’s coverage of the drama as the games stood still.

The commando raid to free the hostages ended awfully. McKay told the world.

I remember watching his coverage of that tragic event. He told the story in a way that few could match.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his son and daughter. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

He will be missed by spots lovers around the Wide World.