Dickie V. needs a T.O., baby.
ESPN announced Tuesday that college basketball analyst Dick Vitale had successful surgery to treat ulcers on his left vocal chord and doesn’t plan to return to the air until early February.
Vitale, in his 29th season, had never missed a game. His voice will be missed for the rest of December and in January. Some fans (particularly North Carolina folks who’ve dubbed him “Dookie V” because he frequently praises Duke) won’t mind a break from Vitale’s high-volume banter.
But college basketball insiders love Vitale for his enthusiasm for the game. He does a lot to promote cancer research in the name of former broadcast pal Jim Valvano, the late N.C. State coach. He greets fans everywhere with charm and wit.
Watching big games on ESPN won’t be the same until Vitale returns. Let’s hope those pipes are ready to bellow in time for Vitale to return Feb. 6 for Duke at North Carolina.
– Ken Tysiac
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Vitale taking a TO, baby, for surgery
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5 comments:
Please no. College basketball viewers will be better off when he retires.
College basketball is supposed to be about the players, Vitale thinks he is bigger than the game and find s the need to constantly talk over the game.
Give me reasoned insight that adds value to the broadcast I am watching. Tell me something about the development of the plays that I don't know. Vitale does none of that. He just yips and yells and does his same old jokes game after game after game. And rather than comment on the game in front of him, he feels the need to incessantly talk about teams, players and coaches not involved in the telecast.
The game itself should be the entertainment, not the color commentator.
I and most fans like me watch basketball to see basketball being played, not to hear one man's redundant shtick.
Does anybody turn on the game and respond, "Oh boy, Vitale is doing the game, this is going to be great"?
Or is the response, "Oh no, not Vitale again. Let's see if I can pick up the radio signal."
May his health recover quickly and he live a full life, but if we never have to hear him (or Billy Packer) do a basketball telecast again, we all will be better off.
I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully in this time away he discovers a love for writing about the game he never had before.
Listening to Vitale's monotone mumbling about everything but the game in front of him is maddening. I don't wish him any ill will, but I hope he retires. He can go live in Dooram, put on a blue turban, and join the rest of the athletic engineering major fans in Cameron, and be very happy. He can study the organized cheer sheets and be ready for each game. We all win, he is where he wants to be, and he is where we want him to be.
by the way, it's vocal CORD---there's no "h" in it.
It was Lute Olson who dubbed him "Dookie V" not North Carolina folks.
miss your comments, I hope you recover soon, to go ahead and minds so that we can hear soon on ESPN
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