NBC sports anchor Bruce Beck kept praying that Post sports photographer Anthony J. Causi could beat COVID-19, hoping it could be another one of those New York sports comebacks for the ages that he chronicled with his friend of more than two decades.
Beck knew they needed some breaks. Causi had an underlying condition, Beck said. He had Type-2 Diabetes, according to Beck, which we all have learned hinders recovery from COVID-19.
And there was a glimmer because Causi, after being on a ventilator and after suffering kidney failure, was still fighting and stabilizing. There seemed to be good news.
“‘We need a David Tyree miracle,’ ” Beck said he would tell family and friends during the 25-day ordeal. “We just need one catch, an amazing catch that could change this whole thing. His body had too many underlying things going on. We thought we would get a miracle.”
On Easter Sunday, Causi’s death struck like an anvil into the hearts of Beck and so many in sports media. He was just 48, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
A photographer’s job is to make moments timeless and Causi did it so many times in big moments and small.
While Causi has received tributes from the likes of Derek Jeter, Justin Tuck and Noah Syndergaard, when you talk about Causi’s sports media family, there are so many at The Post and elsewhere. But Beck, Jimmy Roberts, Beck’s NBC cameraman, and Charles Wenzelberg, The Post’s chief photographer and Causi’s good friend, were big parts of his pack.
Derek Jeter in 2008
Anthony J. Causi
Megan Rapinoe holds the World Cup championship during the New York City parade in July.
Anthony J Causi
Spike Lee poses with Rami Malek for a photo courtside during a 2018 Knicks game.
Anthony J Causi
Mitchell Robinson dunks during a Knicks game in December.
Anthony J Causi
Conor McGregor poses for a photo on Jan. 16.
Anthony J Causi
Noah Syndergaard during spring training in February
Anthony J Causi
Yoenis Cespedes opens up his Vero Beach ranch for a visit in 2017.
Anthony J Causi
Eli Manning holds his three daughters after his final game as a Giant in December.
Anthony J Causi
Derek Jeter celebrates his last home game as a Yankee in 2014.
Anthony Causi
Yoenis Cespedes leaving the spring training facility in 2014
Anthony J Causi
Eli Manning celebrates after winning Super Bowl XLVI.
Anthony J. Causi
John Travolta along with his wife, Kelly Preston, visit Lenny’s Pizza (from the movie “Saturday Night Fever”) in 2018.
Anthony J Causi
Saquon Barkley carries the ball against the Packers in December.
Anthony J Causi
A Philadelphia Eagles fan reacts during a game against the Giants in December.
Anthony J Causi
Deontay Wilder knocks out Artur Szpilka in the 9th round and retains the WBC heavyweight championship in 2016.
Anthony J. Causi
Derek Jeter welcomes Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees on Feb. 17, 2004.
Anthony J. Causi
Alex Rodriguez with his daughters Natasha and Ella in the rain before his final MLB game on Aug. 12, 2016.
Anthony J. Causi
Alex Rodriguez hugs Mariano Rivera after the Yankees win the 2009 World Series.
Anthony J. Causi
Brett Gardner walks off the field under a beautiful sunset at Yankee Stadium on June 25, 2019.
Anthony J. Causi
D’Angelo Russell posing in 2018.
Anthony J. Causi
Derek Jeter on Sept. 27, 2014 in Boston, the day before his final game.
Anthony J. Causi
Derek Jeter waves as he walks off the field in his final professional game.
Anthony J. Causi
Eli Manning grabs the Lombardi Trophy after the Giants defeat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Anthony J. Causi
Jacob deGrom posing at spring training on Feb. 20, 2020.
Anthony J. Causi
LeBron James does a powder toss at Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014.
Anthony J. Causi
Jay-Z with LeBron James at Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014.
Anthony J. Causi
LeBron James reacts against the Knicks at MSG on March 17, 2019.
Anthony J. Causi
Kobe Bryant dunks against the Knicks at MSG on Feb. 2, 2009.
Anthony J. Causi
Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony share a laugh on Nov. 6, 2016.
Anthony J. Causi
Kyrie Irving poses on Sept. 27, 2019.
Anthony J. Causi
Xavier plays DePaul in the Big East Tournament at MSG on March 11, 2020, one of the final events before coronavirus forced sports to shut down.
Anthony J. Causi
Mariano Rivera tips his cap in his final game on Sept. 26, 2013.
Anthony J. Causi
Mets players running at spring training on Feb. 18, 2019.
Anthony J. Causi
Wives and girlfriends of Mets players play with their dogs at spring training on March 12, 2015.
Anthony J. Causi
Michael Rapaport with Taylor Swift at the Knicks’ season opener on Oct. 29, 2014.
Anthony J. Causi
Yankees OF Rondell White gets interfered with while trying to make a catch on July 20, 2002.
Anthony J. Causi
Serena Williams walks onto Arthur Ashe Stadium the US Open on Aug. 29, 2018.
Anthony J. Causi
Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier and the 1973 Knicks championship team honored on April 5, 2013.
Anthony J. Causi
Mariano Rivera holds up the New York Post on Nov. 4, 2009 after the Yankees win their 27th World Series.
Anthony J. Causi
The Yankees celebrate after winning the 2009 World Series.
Anthony J. Causi
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Beck has lasted so long because he is the hardest-working man in local sports TV. He is everywhere, with Roberts by his side. That’s how Causi operated, too.
On the road, especially during playoff runs, the media travel together. For the most part, your rivals are your friends. Competing in the press box and then meeting later for dinner.
“He never missed the big event,” Beck said. “I was the same. He, Jimmy, his buddy Charlie Wenzelberg, the four of us would just go out to dinner all the time.”
Beck and Roberts called him “Causi.” All the stories about Causi are true, they say. A pure photographer, he was always taking pictures, jotting down an email address and sending a little history for someone to remember.
It could be his iconic shot of Jeter touching the Joe DiMaggio sign at the old Yankee Stadium or of a couple who had just gotten engaged in Central Park.
“He treated every shot like it was the most important shot, like he was applying to a college and this picture that would get him into Harvard or not,” Beck said.
The outpouring for Causi in his death can be understood because of how he treated people.
“Describing Anthony is easy,” said Roberts, a cameraman cut from the same cloth. “Causi had the Turtle Effect. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside — and willing to stick his neck out for anyone.”
From his hospital bed, Causi reached out to Beck.
“He texted me, ‘Bruce, it’s bad, it’s really bad,’ ” Beck said. “He knew it was bad. He did.”
There was no miracle, but, as a photographer professionally and in his spare time, Causi left behind so many memories.
Causi was always taking shots of Beck and Roberts working or Beck with his wife, Janet, at events.
“We have some beautiful pictures,” Beck said.
Editor’s note: A GoFundMe account has been set up for the Causi family in wake of Anthony’s passing. Please find it here.
