Way late to the party here, but this is very well said. And he has a passion for crushing cancer and donates much of his off air time and finances to this VERY worth cause.

If we all had as much passion for such things the world would be a better place.

Quite an insult to Vitale!!! Vitale is in another league altogether.

Funny referee story...

NBA Referee Bob Delaney lives in the same neighborhood as Vitale - probably less than a mile away. He's been there and says that Dick's house is amazing -- all sorts of sports memorabilia all around the house. I've driven by it and it is HUGE.

Anyway, Delaney was relating to someone one day that he lived in the same neighborhood as Vitale. The person asked, "How far is his house from yours?"

"About $2 million.", Delaney replied.

LOL

It's my opinion of his announcing schtick. He's like a screech owl on meth. Fingernails on a blackboard imo, and in the opinion of quite a few others that I have read also. His worn-out and hackneyed phrases add absolutely nothing to a game but aggravation, also imo.

What he does in his personal life is completely different than what he does in his professional life, and that's the way that he also should be judged. He might be Mother Teresa away from a microphone, but I'm not commenting on that part of his life. It's his announcing solely that grates on my nerves.

Add you can add Billy Packer to that group also. Again, that's just my opinion.

Fourteen thumbs down for the clowns. Mute 'em! Mute 'em, I say!

How do we know if they're clowns? Do they float?

I can't disagree with that. I also can't see where it is relevant though. Vitale may be a great <b>person</b>, but that doesn't make him a great <b>announcer</b>. They're completely separate and different qualities imo, and he should be judged separately on both. Jmho.

The first hint is their round, red noses.

You might be right, but to be fair. What you are likely judging Vitale on as well as many others, is the fact that he does not know rules the way we like him to. And the role of the color commentator is to tell the public about the strategy of the game. They would not be qualified to reference rules or understand officiating issues. That is an industry wide problem and unless the particular commentator takes extra time to learn the rules or talk to officials, we are not going to get what we want as officials. And of course it is possible that you and others might not like Vitale’s style. But it is clear that you are in the minority in that area, because a lot of people seem to like him whether you or I do not like him.

Peace

I think schtick is a good description here. Vitale obviously chooses to come off this way, which some people must like, but I personally do not. The term
"diaper dandy" seemed silly the first time, and it has really worn thin since. Packer, on the other hand, tries to come off straight, but his delivery is often warped by glaring fundamental errors of simple basketball rules .
To each his own, I suppose.

Actually, he drove me nuts before I ever put on the stripes, and all the sports fans I knew in college felt the same way. It had nothing to do with the rules knowledge he couldn't display; we wouldn't have known he was wrong. It was just his style and over-the-top antics.

Obviously, he is liked and something is telling the networks he's popular. I just don't know more than a handful of people who like watching him work on TV (and that includes the folks on this board who have said they like watching him.)

Bingo.

He mighty be the greatest guy in the world but I just can't stand to listen to him broadcast a basketball game.

Like everything else, it's a personal preference. I feel the same way about Terry Bradshaw. Fingernails on a blackboard to me.