Remembering Mark Haines
It has been 15 years since my friend, CNBC’s Mark Haines passed away.
Here is a repost of my tribute to him written a few years ago.
I wanted to end today’s posts by paying homage to someone we lost this week, nine years ago: CNBC’s Mark Haines.
CNBC’s Mark Haines passed away on May 24, 2011.
I still miss him. His death was a great loss to his family, friends and CNBC.
I probably guest hosted Squawk Box with Mark on over 35 to 45 occasions from 2003 to the time of his death (in those days guest hosts were allotted a full three hours).
Here is a column I wrote on the fifth anniversary of Mark’s death — check out the great video of the match race I had with him at The Meadowlands Racetrack(!): https://www.cnbc.com/video/2011/05/25/fast-money-tribute-mark-haines.html
But it’s just a box of rain, It’s just a box of rain,
I don’t know who put it there.
Believe it if you need it,
Or leave it if you dare.
Or a ribbon for your hair.
Such a long long time to be gone,
And a short time to be there.
— The Grateful Dead, Box of Rain
My friend Mark Haines of CNBC passed away five years ago today, and it still stings.
I appeared via telephone on CNBC’s Fast Money with Mel and the gang shortly after Mark’s death and offered my teary-eyed thoughts, which I wanted to share with everyone again this morning.
Below is what I wrote about Mark upon his death five years ago:
“I have known Mark for about eight years, starting when I began to guest-host Squawk Box with him, Joe and David in 2003.
A lot has been said this morning on CNBC about Mark — his broadcasting techniques and strengths, as well has his personal idiosyncrasies.
What I most remembered about Mark was his strength of broadcasting during a crisis — whether it was a financial, geopolitical or social crisis.
But today, I will write about something this morning that most don’t know — his hobby was betting on thoroughbred horses. And for many years, he was proud to tell me that he had computerized the entire Hialeah Racetrack’s meet.
His favorite page in the newspaper wasn’t the business section. His favorite page was the racetrack entries at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga, Gulfstream and Hialeah in the New York Post and Daily News. And, again, what few know, is that during commercial breaks he could be seen handicapping the horse races.
My fondest memory and funniest story about Mark Haines was about six years ago during a guest-host gig I had on Squawk Box. It was the week of the Hambletonian race at the Meadowlands racetrack (the harness-racing equivalent of the Kentucky Derby).
Two days before I was on Squawk, CNBC taped a match race between Mark and myself at The Meadowlands. https://www.cnbc.com/video/2011/05/25/fast-money-tribute-mark-haines.html Mark had never driven a standardbred, but he loved the racetrack and said to me, ‘What the heck, I will take a shot.’
I had so much fun in that race. (I beat him by a nose!) And after we went over the finish line, I asked him did he have fun, too?
Mark’s reply: “Dougie, I would rather put a needle in my eye than do this again.”
That was Mark — ever so honest and truthful.
Here’s a 2011 clip of Carl Quintanilla announcing Mark’s death on CNBC.
R.I.P. my friend.
Position: None
