Nearly everybody these days has a podcast, but iconic sportscaster Dan Patrick would prefer it if nobody asked him to be a guest on their show. Except for maybe, say, Rich Eisen, who has previously been a guest host of The Dan Patrick Show and was colleagues with Patrick in Bristol.
The two have made names for themselves since leaving the Worldwide Leader, establishing quite a footprint in sports media. Patrick, who made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show Monday, even referred to the longtime sportscaster and radio host as a “legend,” but aren’t they both in their own right?
Patrick was on Eisen’s show to talk about his new book, “The Occasionally Accurate Annals of Football.”
Before he could sign off, Eisen asked his friend and former colleague if he ever dreamed that he was back on SportsCenter. It’s one of the few people he can ask that question to, as Eisen has had these recurring dreams, or perhaps nightmares, and he and Patrick hosted the show during a similar era.
“I dream that I’m going to the set and I’m not prepared,” Patrick told Eisen.
“Are you serious?” Eisen asked, clearly in disbelief. Adding that the recurring dream involves him being late for his hosting duties.
“I dream that I’m not prepared and I’m getting to the set,” added Patrick. “Another one that I have, is I’m on campus and I can’t find the classroom. Which actually happened a lot. I didn’t want to find the classroom…Something about this job, where you’re down to like seconds, minutes. You have to account for everything and you have to be on time. Going to SportsCenter set, starts at 11 eastern, you better be on time.”
While it wasn’t a dream per se, another thing that comes to mind for Patrick involves the late Stuart Scott, which is interesting when considering their complicated relationship.
“I did a show on a Sunday night, and Stuart Scott was with me,” he explains. “So, SportsCenter tease starts, and all of a sudden, Stuart puts some drops in his eye. Well, he loses his contact. He gets up and walks off the set, SportsCenter comes on. I’m on camera by myself. Stuart’s not even there. I had to do Stuart’s intros and Stuart’s highlights. I had to do the entire first 15 minutes. I would be me and then I would say, ‘Can I get a witness from the congregation…Boo-yah…As cool as the other side of the pillow.'”
Eisen did seven years of SportsCenter with Scott and that never happened. Not once.
Patrick said that Scott came back during the commercial break and did not say a word. It almost kind of fits with their complicated relationship.
“We didn’t have a good relationship, but we had respect for one another,” Patrick said. “I think there was a lot of jealousy. There was competitiveness, a rivalry. And I didn’t view it that way. But he did. You know, that was just him. Stuart was a very competitive guy and whatever made him better…Later in his life, we kind of came to an understanding with each other. I had total respect for him getting to the ESPYs and that speech he gave. It was wonderful. It was a tough environment at SportsCenter because it was extremely competitive.”
Patrick can’t imagine how difficult being a SportsCenter anchor would be today, but he still dreams about it. And like Eisen, he often thinks of his overlap with Scott. Patrick created a bit of a media empire himself, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots, especially in his dreams.
