Vitale

[polycom]

If I remember correctly, he is the second highest paid ESPN Talent behind only John Gruden.

 

[dogfan96]

If I remember correctly, he is the second highest paid ESPN Talent behind only John Gruden.

WOW.. that's amazing. I know Gruden is pulling in like $6.5M/year, thus the reason he has no incentive to take another coaching job.

 

[willie99]

the guys I like best are analysts like Calhoun and Bobby Knight, people breaking down the X's and O's

although most of the country needs subtitles for Jimmy and I think Bobby started losing it last year (or the year before)

plus chicks don't like X's and O's

 

[Mr. Hand]

Vitale is to color commentary what New Direction is to pop music - vapid, mindless, repetitive, overwrought, and appealing exclusively to the lowest common denominator.

I found Vitale's schtick compelling once. About 20-25 years ago. The more games I heard him do, the more obvious it became that he represents the part of American pop culture I absolutely despise. Superficial, commercial, dumbed down, mistaking obnoxious catch phrases for wit.

Sure, there are those who will still like him. But those aren't people who I would ever take seriously for their taste.

 

[Palatine]

The joke is on the people who actually think his job description is breaking down x's and o's. It's sports for . It's supposed to be fun. People think he makes it fun. You want to listen to an insufferable drone spout invented basketball terms ad nauseam you can watch Jay Bilas.

It's not a joke when Vitale props up a basketball team program and virtually recruits for them. He is a shill. It's a travesty that ESPN offers him a platform.

 

[A10 fan]

His coaching career is overshadowed by Bill Rafferty.
Rafferty is twice the analyst and Dookie V.
He is a color man whose sole job is entertainment
He was insufferable 10 years ago and has become a senile joke.
He should just get a job with the ACC.

All of this is true except the first. Vitale was far more successful as a coach than Raff. His Detroit teams would blow the doors off of any of the teams Raff had at Seton Hall.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Bilas can be annoyingly repetitive, and he can also be smug, but he mixes in enough self-deprecation where I've never really had a problem with him. As an analyst, I tend to agree with most of the things he says, and my favorite part about him is that he's unafraid to call out officiating or people in positions of power (like the NCAA). There's also the part where he was, to my knowledge, literally the only person to back us during the APR fiasco.

I can't fathom how anyone can knock Jay Bilas after what he's done in the media to defend this program. He calls it like he sees it, isn't susceptible to the ESPN hype machine, and sheds light on NCAA hypocrisy.

He was also the one who had a 3-minute video segment declaring Storrs the college basketball capital of the world after we won both men's and women's titles in 2014.

I suppose one could quibble about his style of analysis or commentary (though even there I don't see much to dislike), but he should get a lifetime pass from anyone who calls himself a UConn fan.

 

[jibsey]

how about the Stoner? Bill Walton

the "conference of champions" LMFAO

and Army is a football power too Bill

So I'm listening to Walton do the Arizona game and if you think Dookie V is biased listen to Walton go on about Miller and Arizona.

 

[August_West]

So I'm listening to Walton do the Arizona game and if you think Dookie V is biased listen to Walton go on about Miller and Arizona.

after Jordan Matthews makes a run of the mill basket. This stuff is Gold, Jerry, GOLD!

 

[breezy]

So I'm listening to Walton do the Arizona game and if you think Dookie V is biased listen to Walton go on about Miller and Arizona.

I remember watching Arizona two seasons ago (when Shabazz was king of the land) and hearing BW talk about Nick Johnson "the best player in the game," like he was the second coming of MJ. It was crazy.

Just the way he annunciates each player's name, TarZOOskEE, you can tell he thinks they're the best thing since Skeletons in the Closet.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Why? Because their 80? Raft is still pretty good. The other 2 not so much but it's because they don't entertain me not because they are 80.

Partly because they are well over the typical retirement age. But mostly because I'd like to see who else is out there. These dudes (and others like them) have dominated college basketball and other sports forever. I'd like to see some new broadcasters. For example, Dickie Simpkons did a few games for us a while back. He was kinda funny. So I'd like to see more of that. I don't know who's doing regional games in the middle of nowhere, but I'd like to find out.