Vitale's first video since radiation therapy
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
Prayers for you, Dickie V. A good man. Get well soon.
Love him or not, he's a huge part of CBB.
This. He truly is. I’ve listened to his broadcasts since my youth. Hope he has a full recovery.
Me and my Dad ran into Dickie V at Joseph Beth Booksellers in ‘96. I think he was in town to do the UK/Mississippi State game later that night. I was 12 years old. I’ll never forget how complimentary he was of Kentucky, it’s tradition, and it’s fans.
I’ve given him a hard time over the years due to his ACC — and especially dook — homerism, but the man genuinely loves coming to Rupp. Hope he’s around for many more years.
I’ve given him a hard time over the years due to his ACC — and especially dook — homerism, but the man genuinely loves coming to Rupp. Hope he’s around for many more years.
I don’t always agree with him, but, he’s a good man who truly cares about others. I’ve mentioned this on here before, but, when West Carter’s beloved girls’ basketball coach, John “Hop” Brown, was battling cancer (brain cancer IIRC) in the early 2000s, word somehow got to Vitale that Brown was sick & also a big fan of his.
So, Dick took the time & made the effort to call coach Brown, just to talk & give him words of encouragement. From what I understand/remember, it became a weekly call & they became friends until coach Brown lost the battle.
Because of that, no matter how annoying or wrong he might be on air, I’ve had the deepest respect for Vitale & have held him in extremely high regard ever since. He didn’t have to do that. He had no idea who coach Brown was & it didn’t matter that he was a girls’ coach at a small high school in EKY & not a celebrity at a high profile institution.
That spoke volumes about the man’s character, IMO. He actually cares about ppl & tries to help in any way he can, even when there isn’t a camera on him to document it. Which is such a rarity in the internet age, especially for a celebrity. Just a genuinely good man with a heart of gold & I wish nothing but the best for him.
I’m one of the rare people who love to hear him call games, to me, he brings another level of excitement to the game. Praying for Dickie V, college basketball isn’t the same without him IMO.
I think a bunch of folks jumped off the "Dickie V is great" wagon when he essentially accused UK and its fans of running Tubby off; but even that was out of loyalty to Tubby. I like the guy.
Agreed. I'm praying Dick has a full recovery, but he's dealing with the same issues we all face at various times as we age. It's no fun getting old, but the alternative is dying too young. We gotta take care of ourselves. On that note, I hope all goes well with my fellow UK fans here. 😀
Wish him nothing but the best in his recovery and hope he returns to his passion of commenting at college basketball games. Prayers to you, Mr. Vitale.
