There was a lot to like about Rich Tandler. I had the
pleasure to meet him in 2009 when blogging was the next big thing. A community of DMV
Redskins bloggers gathered at for a meet-up at Nationals Park, organized by Ben
Folsom, the very talented writer behind The Curly R blog.
All the best blogging talent was there, including Mark
Newgent, Washington Examiner, me, Running Redskins and Hog Heaven, along
with Hogs Haven writers Ken Meringolo and Kevin Ewolt.
And Rich Tandler.
Newgent was established as a writer. The
rest were serious hobby bloggers or fresh faces launching careers. But Tandler
wrote a BOOK, The Redskins Chronicle: A Journey Through the History of theWashington Redskins 1937-2008. That made Rich the Dean of Redskins bloggers in
my eyes. He was kind enough to autograph my copy, now a cherished possession.
Sports teams then were unsure how to approach blogs as a
marketing channel. Professional writers were snooty about it. But the Redskins announced
a vacancy for a team blogger. Both Rich and I responded to what we knew to be a
forlorn hope. (The ‘Skins hired Matt Terl.)
We spoke of our shot during that summer gathering. Rich
wondered how he would pull it off if the Redskins hired him. He lived in
Richmond where he managed restaurants. I looked dead at him and said what I was
thinking to myself; "If the Redskins chose him, he would figure a way."
Indeed, Rich got that dream shot through news outlets closely
affiliated with the team. His career was my sweet success story lived vicariously
through him. As Potter was “the boy that lived,” Tandler was the amateur
that made it.
Rich passed away today, unexpectedly. I’m going to miss him.
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| Redskins bloggers in 2009 at Nationals Park, l to r, Ben Folsom, Mark Newgent, Anthony Brown, Rich Tandler, Kevin Ewolt, and Ken Meringolo. |
