I’m a little torn in my emotional reaction. On the one hand, it was tremendously sad he didn’t get to say the goodbye he had thought about. On the other, he didn’t reach the gut-wrenching point of having to make the decision to step away from his beloved show.
I know come Monday it’s going to be bizarre to hear Ken introduced. One more connection I once had to my own father, enjoying the show and Alex so much, gone. Silly as that may sound, I often did think about how much he would have enjoyed Ken and James, the GOAT tournament and other moments.
Given the circumstances, Ken has a temporary job that may be among the hardest in TV. Whatever he does that resembles Alex will be criticized by some as imitating. Whatever he does that’s different will be criticized as not being sufficiently respectful. That would be true regardless, but with Alex not being able to have given up the reins of his own choosing, and the raw emotions, it’s magnified exponentially.
I do believe he could do the job. I happen to think Brad would be even better. But by no means do I think the search should be limited to people with a connection to the show, no more than it was in 1984. Outside the “family,” I think there are also a plethora of potential hosts. No one needs to be Alex, they just need to bring the dedication to the game, in their own persona. Something tells me that’s what he would have wanted.
