Twenty more years of Dick Vitale: Awesome with a capital A?
Irrepressible. Ebullient. A verbal full-court press as a basketball commentator.
It’s safe to say that Dick Vitale makes an indelible impression at any game he works. Love him or not, you cannot ignore his presence on or off the air.
This runaway train of enthusiasm will be 80 years old on June 9. On his birthday last year, he signed a contract extension to work games for ESPN through the 2020-21 season. That was at least the fourth straight year ESPN extended his contract. His goal is to work as a most colorful color commentator at age 100.
Using one of his familiar catchphrases during a telephone conversation last week, Vitale said, “I’m going to walk into Rupp Arena at 100 and say, ‘the Big Blue Nation, they’re awesome baby with a capital A!”
Judging by Twitter, Vitale working games for another 20 years would not please every Kentucky fan. His contribution to ESPN telecasts of UK’s recent games against Auburn and Mississippi State annoyed some citizens of the Big Blue Nation.
Jane Q. Barker (the last name seems apt for this story) tweeted that she turns the volume down on games Vitale works and uses the radio call to accompany the telecast.
“Too much mindless chatter!” she tweeted.
Cindy Wyatt tweeted that “by talking obsessively” Vitale ruined the experience of watching the game.
(Blue alert: Vitale will be working games at the SEC Tournament in March. He said he may also work Kentucky’s game against Arkansas on Feb. 26.)
Vitale’s conversation with Charles Barkley during the Kentucky-Auburn game irritated Jeffrey Seraphine. “Shut the hell up and let us watch the game,” he tweeted.
When asked about fan complaints, Vitale shrugged. He recalled working an Indiana-Ohio State game decades ago. As he waited at the airport in Indianapolis the next morning, IU fans complained about the compliments he paid Ohio State star Jimmy Jackson during the telecast. And when he was in Cincinnati awaiting a connecting flight for his home in Florida, Ohio State fans complained about his gushing praise for “the general, Robert Montgomery Knight.”
“I broke out in a smile,” Vitale said. “People hear what they want to hear.”
Judging by Twitter, what more than one UK fan wanted after the Mississippi State game was for Vitale to retire already.
Forget about it.
“Retire?!” Vitale said. “For what?!”
A self-described basketball junkie, Vitale loves what he’s doing. His bosses at ESPN are pleased. He’s relatively healthy. He’s been happily married to his “beautiful wife,” Lorraine, for 47 years, he said. His two daughters are graduates of Notre Dame. He dotes on his five grandchildren.
“I’ve lived the American dream,” he said.
When asked a delicately phrased question about his broadcasting “style,” Vitale mildly protested.
“You know, it’s no style,” he said. “It’s who I am.”
The word “style” brought another word to mind for Vitale.
“I don’t have shtick,” he said. “I heard people talk about that. Well, it’s not shtick. That’s been me all my life.”
Vitale recalled how he was identified in his high school yearbook. Under his picture, he said, were the words “everybody’s buddy.”
Vitale conceded that he’s not a hard-boiled objective reporter. “I’ve probably violated all the rules they teach in journalism school,” he said. “But you know what? It has worked.”
Duke 6, UK 2
When it comes to programs that are compelling television attractions this season, Duke is a clear-cut No. 1.
The Blue Devils have played in six of the 10 games that have drawn the most viewers this season. That counts any network that has aired games.
Kentucky has been in two such games, one being the 118-84 blowout loss to Duke on opening night. That Duke-UK shocker was the third-most watched game. The game with the most viewers was Duke’s victory over Virginia. ESPN aired both of those games.
The second-most watched game was Indiana at Michigan on Jan. 6.
Kentucky’s victory over North Carolina was the fourth-most watched game. So UK fans can say their favorite team has played in two of the four games with the highest ratings.
Other Duke games in the top 10 are the loss to Gonzaga in Maui on Nov. 21 (sixth-most watched), the victory at Florida State on Jan. 12 (seventh-most watched), the victory over Auburn on Nov. 20 (eighth-most watched) and the loss to Syracuse on Jan. 14 (ninth-most watched).
The other two games in the top 10 are Michigan State at Penn State on Jan. 13 (fifth-most watched) and Michigan State against Kansas on Nov. 6 (10th-most watched).
Poll results
While a top 25 ranking by The Associated Press is routine for Kentucky, it is not for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs’ No. 14 ranking on Jan. 7 marked the program’s best showing since reaching No. 11 on Jan. 11, 2005.
At No. 22 in the latest AP poll, State was in the top 25 for a 12th straight week. That matches the third-longest such streak for the program (it last happened in 2004-05).
The only longer streaks came in 2002-03 (17 weeks) and 1958-59 (14 weeks).
‘Not just Kentucky’
South Carolina Coach Frank Martin is a tireless promoter of SEC basketball. On a league teleconference Thursday, he said his team’s advancement to the 2017 Final Four helped the cause.
How Sindarius Thornwell led South Carolina to its first Final Four “made people realize the SEC has a lot of good players,” Martin said. “Not just Kentucky.”
Alabama’s Super Bowl?
John Calipari often suggests that playing Kentucky inspires opponents. The game is a Super Bowl for opponents.
Maybe Ole Miss experienced this effect in a 74-53 loss at Alabama on Tuesday. Coach Kermit Davis saw his team less engaged than Alabama. The Tide played in a “desperate mode,” Davis said. “Our team seemed a little content.”
Ole Miss went into the game ranked No. 20, which Davis said served as motivation for opponents. This season marked the first time the Rebels have been ranked since being No. 23 in the coaches’ poll the week of Feb. 4, 2013.
When asked if the ranking inspired opponents, Davis said, “No question. We talked a lot about it to our team. Picked last (in the media’s preseason order of finish in the SEC), not so much. But you start getting ranked, and you get national attention (that changes).
“For the most part, we’ve done real well with it.”
That changed at Alabama. “You could sense it in that first five minutes with their crowd and their players,” Davis said. “We just didn’t handle it very well.”
Cancer’s enemy
Dick Vitale is fighting a multiple-front war on cancer. His fund-raising efforts include an annual gala, proceeds from the sales of a new book and hands-on interaction with families touched by the disease.
“I’m probably more proud than anything in my life and career of raising so far $25.2 million for kids’ cancer research,” Vitale said.
His immediate goal is to raise that total to $30 million.
The 14th annual Dick Vitale Gala will be held May 10 at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla. Honorees will include Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, Alabama basketball coach Avery Johnson and ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler.
Also ESPN’s Holly Rowe and Lee Corso will receive the John Saunders V Foundation Courage Award.
More information is available at dickvitaleonline.com or dickvitalegaga.org or by calling 941-350-0580.
His book is titled “Dick Vitale’s Mount Rushmores of College Basketball.” It explores his opinion of the best of the best in covering college basketball for ESPN since the network’s inception in 1979.
Top coaches: Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
Christian Laettner is included among the top four impact players and all-March Madness picks.
The four all-Mr. March picks include John Calipari and Rick Pitino.
Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are among the four all-One-and-Dones.
All proceeds from the book, which costs $29.99, will go to the V Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research. Books ordered through dickvitaleonline.com will be personally autographed.
Happy birthday
To former Tennessee Coach Kevin O’Neill. He turned 62 on Thursday. … To Chris Mills. He turned 49 on Friday. … To Tony Delk. He turns 45 on Monday. … To Rick Robey. He turns 63 on Wednesday. … To Josh Carrier. He turns 36 on Wednesday.
This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 12:47 PM.