Sad.
Grew up with the guy as MY sportscaster while growing up, and he certainly had an impact on my childhood and young adulthood.
I always got a kick out of his hip hop references. It was clear it was a reflection of the love of the culture and art that we all shared, and it obviously drew me to him and helped validate us and our perferences on a grand stage. Personally it was his attempt to market himself as different from the typical white bread, stuffy sports announcer of the day, and it worked. Dont know why he took so much hate for it, but we tend to reflexively trash our own and act overly critical for whatever reason.
I know the last few years of his life was filled with incredible pain. He battled bravely. In a sense Im glad thats over and he is at peace. He made an impact on the world and he seemed like a great guy. He will be missed. R.I.P