A team spokesman says the Redskins will put a plaque at Tandler's regular seat in the press box at FedEx Field and keep it empty. There will be a moment of silence for Tandler before the Cowboys game.
Owner Dan Snyder says Tandler's “dedication to covering the Redskins over the past 14 years has made him an irreplaceable presence among our media corps, and he will be in our hearts.â€
Every once in awhile life reminds you that it is random, cruel, and impersonal.
In the early 2000's, when Gibbs had just come back, and some of us from Extremeskins were thrust into a fan coverage role at Redskins Park, Tandler was already a fixture. He and Keim were right there with the *serious* sports media coverage guys from the Post and other outlets, but they hadn't quite 'made it' yet. They were nice enough to try and be a little bit of a buffer between us and those professional sports reporters who truly resented us even being there.
Three things I'll always remember about Rich. First of all, there will never be another guy who worked as hard to earn his stripes and keep them as Rich Tandler. Guy was a tireless workhorse, a content producing machine, and he achieved the respect he earned through sheer hard work and perseverance. Secondly - he was arguably one of the most knowledgeable Redskins history guys ever. I still have several of his Skins history books and they are unequaled in their detail and breadth. As someone who's done a little bit of writing on Skins lore, I know how much work he put into capturing past glory and the heroes of Redskins past. Finally, Rich always told it like he saw it. He didn't particularly care if you, me, or any other fan agreed. He saw the truth and facts as he saw them - and that was that. I kind of admired that about him.
Here's to you Rich - wherever you are And good thoughts to his family and all of his friends who undoubtedly loved the man.
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