Dick Vitale demoted - Not doing NC/Duke game.

[Mr. Wonderful]

You're all cynical lunatics. I'll take Vitale every day of the year compared to some of the humorless, colorless lumps out there.

Yes, he was too enamored with some of his favorites, but he slobbered over UConn often enough.

He's 75 - they were bound to move him down at some point. (He's doing a UK game this week, so they're not exactly retiring the guy.)

Vitale let his on air persona become too cartoonish. He is a living caricature of the ESPN sportscaster motiff. At this point he should be wearing a clownsuit and a rubber nose. Nice guy or not, I'm glad it's nearing the end.

 

[boog204]

Never had an issue with Vitale. Yes, he is obnoxious and a Duke fanboy. But he was also a UConn fanboy for years and in the "early days" of us being good (early 90s), having Dickie V announce a game at Gampel or the HCC was exciting for a 10 year old boy who was developing an enormous passion for UConn basketball. His speeches to high school seniors back then were also pretty amazing.

 

[Scoe]

Dickie V is old, Jay Bilas is better its as simple as that. It's like choosing an in his prime Aaron Rodgers over an old Brett Favre. Jay Bilas is simply better then Dickie V, Jay Bilas has been working for ESPN for a long him he has earned the right to broadcast this game.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

LOVE Doris, she's great. People have their own opinions but I'm unclear how one could dislike her.

cant stand her voice, i used to mute her when she first started doing our games back in 08'. She knows the game for sure, i just hate her.

 

[Kembacity]

I remember catching some of Duke crushing somebody earlier this year, and they couldn't get any breaks, nothing was falling, etc. They hit a 3 from the corner and Dickie V was basically laughing at them, said something like "oh man, look at that! they hit a shot baby!". It could have been Cuse and I would have been foaming at the mouth, like how can you do that in a telecast, unless its only aired to Duke fans like the Teamcast thing during the final four last year.

I took to twitter to search for tweets at him, and sure enough there were endless tweets reaming him out for being such an awful commentator to laugh at a struggling team and dog them like that, both from fans of the team and outsiders. I wouldn't at all be surprised if moments like that lead to his being used less, or at least less for Duke games. Even Calhoun can be unbiased and talk about a team beating UConn without seeming like he's got steam bursting from his ears.

 

[Kembacity]

I love Doris Burke. She really knows the game, she doesn't over or under emphasize things, she stays focused on the action on the court . . .
Does anybody else dislike her?

She's the worst, she makes the game sound like its a board meeting of the most boring fortune 500 company there is. I think she's very knowledgable, so I'm not knocking her knowledge and I absolutely have no problem with female commentators, but her mood/tone/voice literally makes me want to vomit. I think her monotone boring nature is well suited to NBA games honestly, she really brings me down when she calls a college game, and I do recall her saying a lot of great things about Shabazz and Boat, but I remember more her downing the Huskies and lauding whoever we play who happens to be giving us fits.

Its all about the voice, if she had another woman's voice I could be her biggest fan

 

[Mr. French]

cant stand her voice, i used to mute her when she first started doing our games back in 08'. She knows the game for sure, i just hate her.

Understandable, like I said I have no issue with anyone's personal taste, I just think she's great. Always have and I like her on the NBA stuff now too. I guess I could see if someone's voice annoys you how it would affect your opinion, haha

 

[storrsroars]

He's the Flavor Flav of basketball analysts. Brings little substance, can't stand alone, all about the hype, plays to the crowd...all that being said, I enjoy the show. Sorry to see him not at the big games.

Whoa. What would "Harder Than You Think" be without Flav?

 

[huskyhaven]

I love Doris Burke. She really knows the game, she doesn't over or under emphasize things, she stays focused on the action on the court . . .
Does anybody else dislike her?

I totally agree with you, although I am somewhat biased.

 

[BoatShow]

The best thing about Doris Burke is perhaps Kerith Burke.

 

[Husky Dogma]

I'm sad to see him go. I love his enthusiasm and passion for the game. Was he overly theatrical and overwrought at times? Absolutely, but I'll take that over the dry, monotonous, and humorless analysis of countless others.

I also love that he gave me this quote after UConn beat Syracuse (which I repeated on my Syracuse alum brother's voice mail): "warm up the bus baby, this game is oh-vah!"

 

[Matrim55]

Re: Vitale being a class individual, I thought this was one of his best moments:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12146571

 

[jibsey]

• I like color in the broadcasters, I used to love it when Al McGuire said funny things. Vitale is responsible for a huge shot in the arm to men's college hoops on ESPN weekday nights, which eventually translated into March madness. Who used to watch it except for the final game in the 60's, 70's? I'm sure he's quite close with K and it's hard to be objective with your friends, I know Bilas does that well actually, but who in H wants to listen to bland announcers or even worse Billy Packer know it all types. Let's give him some credit for what he's done and especially the V foundation.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Outstanding human being, unbearably awful broadcaster.

I couldn't have said it better, exactly on the money. I was fortunate enough to attend his gala two years ago when Calhoun was one of the honorees. What he does to raise money for pediatric cancer is amazing, truly a special person. His Duke and Kentucky love though almost negates everything he does well on the humanitarian side because he can be so intolerable.

 

[BoatShow]

Verne is the only dinosaur I really enjoy these days.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Whoa. What would "Harder Than You Think" be without Flav?

In my opinion, probably a better song. It's the Shirley Bassey sample that makes that song great.

 

[Dougsts]

I haven't had the sound on in a game that Vitael was doing for quite a few years now. I just couldn't stand to listen to the guy. I also feel that Raf is a Jr. Vitale, he is hard to listen to for me.