The sports world, the Raider Nation, and TFDS has lost a great man. And I have lost a great friend. Thoughts From the Dark Side founder, co-owner, and senior writer, Patrick Patterson has died of an apparent blood clot in his lung. He was just 38 years of age. It happened in the early morning hours, Thanksgiving day.
Patrick founded Thoughts From the Dark Side in 2005. Since then, he saw his “baby” grow into the site it is today. It is because of him that TFDS has media credentials and can bring fans the unique point of views with inside perspective.
I came across TFDS in 2007 and was immediately impressed with Patrick’s passion for the Raiders and his skill for putting that passion into words. I began writing for the site shortly thereafter and for the past three years, we have been the best of friends.
He and I spoke nearly every single day over these past three years. Often it was about the Raiders and bouncing ideas and opinions off each other. But many times it was just discussing life in general. The night before Thanksgiving was no exception. I spoke to him at around 10pm that evening. He told me he had written eight articles that day for his various publications and subjects. I called him a slacker. Little did either of us know, that would be the last time we ever spoke.
The next phone call I received came Thanksgiving morning. The call woke me up but I saw it was Patrick and figured it must be important. I was taken off guard when I heard a woman’s voice on the line. It was his mother letting me know that he had passed away. And from that moment through the hours of Thanksgiving day, it has been sinking in that he is really gone.
Patrick was truly one of the greatest people you could ever meet. You could never find anyone more trustworthy and giving than he was. He wasn’t a particularly religious man, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that there is a place in heaven for his soul.
TFDS Staff writer Bret Armstrong had this to say:
“Patrick- You will always be a mentor to me, man. I don’t know why the world would want to take you away from us when you still had so much to offer and to give in life. Whenever I think of you in the future the thing I will probably remember the most was your laugh. I guess that’s a good thing.
“You’ll never know how much you actually influenced me and my writing. It was a great honor and a privilege to work with you and to be a part of your life even if it was just for a short time. You’ll always be in my heart, big guy, and I can only hope to carry on this website in a way that would still make you proud to be a part of it with us.
“An honorable man, and I know he will be dearly missed by those who were close to him. My heart just goes out to his family and his close friends because I didn’t know very much about him outside of our work together, but what I did know is that he was a very kind hearted and good spirited person. I love you bro, rest in peace.”
Patrick was a Raider fan from birth. His father took him to Raider games as a child and he was hooked. He remembered the days when Ken Stabler ran the two-minute drill with precision and the Raiders took the moving Van down Route 63. He never got over the pain of loss when the Raiders picked up and left him for Los Angeles. And when they came back in 1995, it was a dream of his to some day cover them as a sportswriter. A dream he saw fully realized. A dream that will not die with him.
This site was his heart and soul, as it is mine. It was also a labor of love for Patrick and, for the past three seasons, I have had the honor of sharing in that labor. Not having his contagious energy around will make this and extremely difficult endeavor.
Patrick meant many things to many people. A brother, a son, a colleague, a confidant, a mentor, a friend. You will truly be missed, Patrick. In ways that are impossible to measure, let alone put into words.
I love you, brother.
For the details on Patrick’s memorial service Click Here.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
