Dickie V's ABCs and 1-2-3s

[DST Fan]

Dick Vitale receives his share of criticism on this site, so I thought it would be fair to post this link to a report by Andrew Luria, who is with a Tampa Bay affiliate of ABC.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/sports/sports_blogs_local/Dick-Vitale-helps-groups-of-kids-learn-life%27s-ABCs-and-1-2-3s

[Indoor66]

Dick Vitale receives his share of criticism on this site, so I thought it would be fair to post this link to a report by Andrew Luria, who is with a Tampa Bay affiliate of ABC.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/sports/sports_blogs_local/Dick-Vitale-helps-groups-of-kids-learn-life%27s-ABCs-and-1-2-3s

I don't think anyone gets down on Dickie V as a human being. There is no question he is a fine man with a good heart. It is just that he fails to report on the game he is viewing and takes incessant, rambling trips into inconsequential, trivial matters.

[Reddevil]

Despite the criticism on his straying away from the game at hand - which is annoying, he does seem to be a really good guy at heart. It is obvious that he cares deeply about people. I like him in the studio more than on the sidelines. Remember how entertaining he and V were together? His passion gets the best of him at our expense sometimes, but I would still rather live in a world with people like him than without.

[Saratoga2]

Despite the criticism on his straying away from the game at hand - which is annoying, he does seem to be a really good guy at heart. It is obvious that he cares deeply about people. I like him in the studio more than on the sidelines. Remember how entertaining he and V were together? His passion gets the best of him at our expense sometimes, but I would still rather live in a world with people like him than without.

Dickie V constantly talks about unrelated and inconsequential matters. Give me Bobby Knight, who does it right.

[sagegrouse]

Dickie V constantly talks about unrelated and inconsequential matters. Give me Bobby Knight, who does it right.

I remember, years ago, when Vitale was broadcasting a game at Duke that he, his wife, and friends sat out in the lobby before going to Cameron. He was using the fan interaction ("Hey, Dick! Who's gonna win tonight?") to get pumped for the broadcast.

After the game I was in the bar at the hotel, when Dick walked by. The guy next to me said, "I used to go to his summer camp in Michigan." I said, "Go talk to him. He'll love it." And he went up to Vitale, and they talked for several minutes.

No one else in broadcasting today is like this -- certainly not Bob Knight.

sagegrouse

[Olympic Fan]

I love Dick as a person and while his broadcasting schtick is old, I love his enthusiasm for the game.

My personal Vitale story goes back to the late 1980s. I was in Springfield for the old Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic. I was having a drink in a hotel bar with an old friend who lived in Springfield. Upstairs, the Hall of Fame was having some function. At about midnight, Dickie V came down in his tux and saw me in the bar. At that point, we had met ONCE before for about 30 seconds the previous season.

He came over and joined us at our table and talked basketball with us until they closed the bar at 2 am. It was a great experience. My friend, who had dealt with commentators before, couldn't get over what a regular guy he was. My friend's description of Billy Packer was, "He's the kind of guy who would insist on a limo to drive him across the street to do a game."

I can understand not appreciating Dick as a broadcaster. But he is a fine person -- and that over-the-top enthusiasm he has for college basketball is absolutely genuine.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I love Dick as a person and while his broadcasting schtick is old, I love his enthusiasm for the game.

I can understand not appreciating Dick as a broadcaster. But he is a fine person -- and that over-the-top enthusiasm he has for college basketball is absolutely genuine.

This is exactly why I love Dickie V. I understand he's not the best analyst around and does tend to ramble on, but the man truly loves the game. Listening to him go crazy over a dunk makes me want to lace up my shoes and get back on the court again. He doesn't sound like a grumpy old man like Len Elmore.

I know RMK would probably strangle DV by the end of a game, but I'd love to see the 2 paired together a bit more. It would probably end tragically :p but no one is better at analyzing the game than Bob, and no one enjoys the game more than Dickie.

[ncexnyc]

And Mr. Vitale is getting paid for exactly what he does on the air. I understand he annoys a lot of people, but the man does know his stuff. If you have any doubts about that checkout one of his early games from the UNC vs Duke series, he's a totally different broadcaster. The over the top antics became his calling card and that is why they keep him around.