By Jeff Moss

DetroitSportsRag@GMail.com

January 4, 2015

The last thing I wanted to do today was write an article about the passing of ESPN anchor Stuart Scott. We are just a few hours away from Halley’s Comet passing through our atmosphere , errrr, I mean a Lions postseason game and I really should get prepared for it.

But unfortunately, I feel I need to address the firestorm that the following Tweet created and I need more than 140 characters to do so ……

Let’s all do that thing now where we act like a good majority of us didn’t think Stuart Scott was TERRIBLE. — Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) January 4, 2015

There are a few things I would like to say about that missive but one of them will NOT be an apology ….

1) The original intent of that Tweet wasn’t even a commentary on Stuart Scott’s anchoring skills – which I didn’t enjoy – but the nauseating social media rush to be the first person to wish thoughts, prayers and hashtag RIP to the latest celebrity who has died and turn them into the greatest thing ever.

That kind of canonization should be reserved for the true greats like Phillip Seymour Hoffman and …… ummmmmm …… Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

2) By commenting that Scott wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean I am trivializing his death. Truth is, I value life more than most because I am an atheist who doesn’t believe in fairy tales like “he is in a better place” or that said dead person is frolicking in heaven with their loved ones. And now, according to the Pope, … THEIR PETS.

I am sad for his family and children — like I am when ANYONE dies — but I have no idea why, if his fans are allowed to comment that he was the greatest anchor ever, I am not allowed to present a rebuttal.

If it is in poor taste to comment on his PROFESSIONAL life while his body is still warm instead of praising him for being a great dad and son, why not vilify all of the folks in my timeline who weren’t just focusing on his how he raised his daughters?

Stuart Scott was always great on Sportscenter. Such a bummer. Cancer is the worst. #RIP — JD Harmeyer (@jdharm) January 4, 2015

It’s ballsy to challenge your medium. It’s triumphant to bring it to a better place. Stuart Scott did both. He elevated our discourse. RIP. — Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) January 4, 2015

Many of us have grown up to the legend that is Stuart Scott! He was one of those few people/idols that… http://t.co/kbcCkmS4L4 — Chris Paul (@CP3) January 4, 2015

I grew up watching Stuart Scott before heading off to school. When you think ESPN, you think of him. RIP — Ben Verlander (@Verly32) January 4, 2015

The problem that people seem to have is that my comments are coming on the day of his death. So it would have been okay for me to state two days ago that I thought Stuart Scott’s schtick was awful when he was in the last days of his suffering?

Or it would be okay to wait two weeks to bitch that I believe Stuart Scott “Billy Bush’d” and “Entertainment Tonight’d” Sportscenter with his antics? Or that I despised his athlete worship during interviews and that his ass-kissing of superstars irrevocably changed one of my favorite shows on television?

I mean, I am not a member of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting outside his funeral. I made a fairly innocuous Tweet and ,the last time I checked, Taelor and Sydni Scott weren’t among my suddenly dwindling follower list.

If your argument is that Stuart Scott’s family might see my comments, well ….. where the fuck are their priorities? I heavily doubt they are monitoring Twitter today for anyone who thought their loved one wasn’t a very good anchor. Yep. I didn’t think he was as good as Craig Kilborn, Keith Olbermann, Tom Mees or Bob Ley.

OH, THE HUMANITY!!!!

3) While you are preparing the cross to nail me to because I had the audacity to say that I didn’t like Stuart Scott as an anchor on the day he died, can we discuss the disease that killed him for a moment? Ya know, the real villain?

There is a 1 in 2 chance an American male will get cancer. 1 in 3 for women. Let’s kick its butt. Double cancer research. Now — Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) January 4, 2015

We spend $7.4 billion on Halloween; $5 billion on cancer research. Let’s double research funding and make cancer history. Please. — Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) January 4, 2015

There are a lot of scenes in the movie “Independence Day” that I think are not credible. But the most outrageous is this thought that if aliens attacked the White House and the Capitol Records building all of Earth’s countries would unite to fight the common opponent.

It’s bullshit. You want to know how I know it is bullshit? Cancer is killing TONS more people than the little green aliens from “Mars Attacks” and nobody is doing jack shit about it.

Instead of collaborating to battle a PLAGUE that is going to kill all of us one day, we instead spend trillions devising ways to kill each other.

We already have enough nuclear weapons to wipe everything off this planet yet our defense budget still totally dwarfs cancer research. If there were a GOD — spoiler alert …. there is not — IT would be laughing its ass off at the way we throw money at figuring out ways to kill each other rather than lengthening the lifespan to 200.

You want to be pissed off at something on the day of Stuart Scott’s death? Don’t get angry at a meaningless blogger who didn’t like Stu’s awful catchphrases. Be up in arms that we spend more money on Butterfingers and Smarties every year than on CANCER RESEARCH!!!!!

I’m sorry that I am not a hypocrite and I don’t think there should be a waiting period before you can comment on the dearly departed. Actually, I am not.

I am just wondering how many of the social media zombies who ran on to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to gush about Stuart Scott voted for him in the Deadspin “Whom Do You Hate” in Bristol bracket years ago?

Yep, that was the FINAL!!!! And I am out of line for stating the guy wasn’t universally beloved? And I am sure if Skip Bayless or Rush Limbaugh or Piers Morgan died this morning there would be the same public outcry about my Tweets stating that I wasn’t a fan of their work.

Shut the fuck up if you truly believe that. At last count, I have lost over 300 followers today — I am not sure how I will ever get over this public backlash — and my mentions (both direct and otherwise) have been a thing of beauty ……

@JeffMossDSR what a pathetic sob u are — Justin hawk (@Jhawk21blue) January 4, 2015

@MichaelNachman @JeffMossDSR Look at his bio.He’s a moron.At least Sharp fakes his stupidity. This guy is actually a moron. — Steven Cullen (@StevenCullen3) January 4, 2015

Stfu faggot “@JeffMossDSR: Let’s all do that thing now where we act like a good majority of us didn’t think Stuart Scott was TERRIBLE.” — Coco (@Sir_Coco_) January 4, 2015

@JeffMossDSR if say u were an inconsiderate lowlife. — Joshua Fisher (@gobrownies23) January 4, 2015

@JeffMossDSR or shall I say negative attention is better than sittin n ur parents basement naked eatin cheetos wonderin y ur dick is orange — B (@bsteffen460) January 4, 2015

@JFunk2800 @JeffMossDSR Will never understand how people like you exist. — Justin Love (@meh_j) January 4, 2015

@JeffMossDSR You should probably call a specialist to get your head out your ass. The guys a legend show some respect dumbfuck — ShmoneyShav⚡️ (@reeshav_patel) January 4, 2015

@GABrownsGuy @JeffMossDSR Absolutely no respect.The man just DIED!Youre in very small minority who felt he”was terrible”.An ICON to most smh — God Hates Cleveland (@JimWalker13) January 4, 2015

Jeff Moss is a piece of shit & people are shocked? He’s always been scum & bad at his “job”. Don’t feed into his BS. — Tophs (@TopherThinks) January 4, 2015

Jeff Moss got blocked from various sports journalists….dude is straight scum — NFC East Champs 12-4 (@lovejazzy94) January 4, 2015

If I was Jeff Moss I would’ve already killed myself so kudos to him. — The 313 Blog (@The313Blog) January 4, 2015

Seriously everyone, unfollow or block Jeff Moss. What a miserable human being. — HarbaughReturns! (@Skeets24) January 4, 2015

Jeff Moss is fucking scum. Zero class. Fuck him. Fucking loser who hides behind a keyboard. — Dr. Loomis (@dloomis24) January 4, 2015

@AndrewSWelch we need to get a mass Jeff moss report for spam campaign going breh — Boney (@__boney) January 4, 2015

@AndrewSWelch we need to amass to large group of people to do it all at once — Boney (@__boney) January 4, 2015

OHHHHHH the fake outrage!!!! I am such an animal for pointing out that I didn’t like his contrived taglines and didn’t think he was a “legend” or one of the best to ever work behind the Sportscenter desk.

Look, when I finally drop dead, please don’t rush to Twitter saying I was a great guy or Tweet false platitudes. My family won’t give a fuck and I will be dead, so I surely won’t care.

Not that, after reading the above mentions from today, I think THAT will be an issue!!!!!