Those of you who follow the blog know I'm not the basketball blogger here -- heck, I don't even know that much about the game as its played. But I know the name John Wooden.

I know it because he is to college hoops what Bear Bryant is to college football, what Vince Lombardi is to the NFL and what John McGraw is to MLB. If you've heard of the sport, you know who they are -- and, actually, Wooden is probably better known to the non-NCAABB fan than McGraw to the non-MLB fan, but that's a story for another day.

Wooden died late Friday at the age of 99.

Whenever the best at anything dies without a major personal issue to tarnish him or her, it's a sad day. So it was for John Wooden. I couldn't cite you all the records and titles and numbers as well as basketball fans could, but I know he was the greatest. And I know, from what I've seen since then, that he was an even better man and was greatly beloved.

And I know the world is a lesser place without him.