What's March without Dick Vitale?

[Kitaman]

Nothing energizes and speeds his recovery more than broadcasting a dook game.

Tolerate him while you still can, he's one of the few broadcasting legends left.

 

[bendm]

Had to mute him, just like old times. Absolutely unbearable calling a Duke game.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

More tolerable?

 

[TroyHall98]

Dookie V was in rare form last night.

 

[storrsroars]

I have never equated March with Dick Vitale. I have equated massive annoyance with Dick Vitale throughout many winters and early springs. March will be just fine without him.

Give me Raftery every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[connVA]

Team A has the ball, Team B knocks it loose, a scrum ensues as both teams dive for the loose ball, a jump ball is called, and Dickie only acknowledges Team A for its willingness to dive on the floor while ignoring Team B, whose defensive aggressiveness led to the tie-up in the first place. Do I even need to bother clarifying which one is Team A?

 

[connVA]

I have never equated March with Dick Vitale. I have equated massive annoyance with Dick Vitale throughout many winters and early springs. March will be just fine without him.

Give me Raftery every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Amen (regarding Raftery at least)

 

[alphasigko]

Much better than with him.

 

[Jaydumo20]

He's a Rays' fan. That's my guy.

 

[uconnfan68]

Team A has the ball, Team B knocks it loose, a scrum ensues as both teams dive for the loose ball, a jump ball is called, and Dickie only acknowledges Team A for its willingness to dive on the floor while ignoring Team B, whose defensive aggressiveness led to the tie-up in the first place. Do I even need to bother clarifying which one is Team A?

If you said Team D, we'd know.

 

[DCHuskyFan]

Didn't notice his fade into partial retirement. Should have stayed there because absence really doesn't make the heart grown fonder. Wish him good health though.

 

[mussels]

Funny how you mellow with time and a few championships. His blatent Duke homerism used to really annoy me, and now I find it amusing and would hate to see it stop.

 

[Palatine]

It's better without him. He turns every game into a Duke game. He is a turn off the sound sign.

 

[Dibbie]

Has he ever been involved during March Madness? His season typically ends with the regular season

 

[uh-no]

Has he ever been involved during March Madness? His season typically ends with the regular season

No. ESPN and CBS were even going to do a deal last year or the year before to allow him to do a couple games, but he's too loyal to ESPN to do games for another network.

 

[uconn1999]

Did you mean Greg Gumbel?

 

[DRBackup]

Had to mute him, just like old times. Absolutely unbearable calling a Duke game.

It isn't just during Duke games

 

[Sibeerian]

What's Christmas without putting your hand in a glove and a pine needle slides under your fingernail?

 

[Scrutineer]

Here's a scenario we've seen and heard from Vitale many times:
A team rebounds a miss and gets the ball to their point guard who turns up court and sees one of his wings ahead of the defenders and fires a perfect 35 foot bounce pass between two defenders to his wing who catches it in stride and dunks while swinging on the rim.
Vitale's typical call on that play:
Did you see that catch by Laettner. Dipsy do, dunk-a-roo!!!!!!

 

[Zonepress]

Seems like a nice fellow
But I turn the volume off when he on

 

[EnochRoot]

It drives me crazy when people overstate Vitale's importance in growing the game of college basketball. What grew the sport is the NCAA expanding the field to 64 teams in 1984. What grew the sport was dragging the Northeast into the game with the explosive growth of the Big East. What grew the sport was a 24/7 sports network. Dick Vitale talking about diaper dandies didn't really move the needle. I mean, he was there to describe the day to day stuff, but there was so much more that mattered more to the growth of the sport.

 

[uconn13]

Soothing

 

[WrenchFan69]

Absolutely hate listening to him call games. I just put it on mute if I'm happening to watch a game he calls. But he's a nice, heartfelt guy who promotes the hell out of the sport and has worked hard for the Jimmy V foundation, probably for free, for 30 years which I respect.

 

[lateralous]

Vitale was the first announcer I can remember that tried to make the broadcast more about himself than the actual game. By all accounts, he’s a great person but professionally, I always disliked him for that.

Also, I don’t equate Vitale with March at all. The tournament was always CBS. He did most of his damage ruining Big Mondays yelling about diaper dandies and PTPers.

 

[jibsey]

Vitale was the first announcer I can remember that tried to make the broadcast more about himself that the actual game. By all accounts, he a great person but professionally, I always disliked him for that.

Also, I don’t equate Vitale with March at all. The tournament was always CBS. He did most of his damage ruining Big Mondays yelling about diaper dandies and PTPers.

He was never March. He helped ESPN build college hoop by not being serious as a heart attack making up slogans etc. He’s not retired. He’s has 4 battles with cancer and is lucky to be anywhere. Cut him some slack and humor because he’s 85 and time is not on his side.