Does Dick Vitale belong in Hall?
We've had a day to absorb the news of Dick Vitale's selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The question hangs in the air like Michael Jordan taking off from the foul line: Does Vitale belong?
Vitale unquestionably has been a huge booster of college basketball. Now, do we credit Vitale for having a major role in the rise in popularity for the sport? Or was he merely the most familiar face -- and loudest voice -- associated with the burgeoning ESPN coverage that really grew the college game?
Vitale was the right man in the right place for ESPN. For a while, it seemed you couldn't turn on one of the network's games without hearing him from courtside, heaping praise upon this coach or that, chattering nonstop about teams and players who weren't in the game, making "diaper dandy" and "PTPer" entries in the basketball glossary.
If Vitale hadn't been there to become Vitale, maybe someone else -- Bill Raftery? -- would have been ESPN's dominant hoops personality. But that someone, for better or worse, wouldn't have been Vitale. So maybe being over the top is what put him over the top when it came to the Hall selection.
If he had been working Monday night's title game, do you believe he would have pointed out the flaws in the free-throw-shooting technique of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts on their key misses, as CBS' Billy Packer did? Packer, whose grumpy old man persona is a polar opposite to Vitale's, doesn't do catch phrases or get passed overhead in student sections of the stands. And though Packer was chosen for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame this week -- as was Vitale -- the bald guy going into Springfield is not the sober analyst of X's and O's.
So what is the answer? Is Vitale, as he might put it, an HOFer? Recognizing that an answer in the affirmative is not the same thing as saying he's the guy you necessarily want to hear when you tune in a game, I would say yes, he is.
Comments
I don't believe Vitale belongs there. I think he only promotes Duke basketball. He loves the kids, but he needs to stop promoting himself and be more versed on many things throughout college basketball. When he does, THEN maybe he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Posted by: noel | April 8, 2008 8:36 PM
Jim Phelan
Posted by: John Andrews | April 8, 2008 8:39 PM
He belongs in the Duke HOF and nowhere else. Vitale is an egotistical, self-promoting dork. His shtick is old. He plays favorites in a big way and his commentary can't hold a candle to a real good color man like Billy Packer. It is a joke putting this guy in the HOF, and frankly I think it demeans the other real basketball stars that are in the HOF. The guy is a caricature and nothing more.
Posted by: ed from park heights | April 8, 2008 10:16 PM
Vitale is only interested in one thing ...Vitale. This is why the basketball HOF doesn't hold a candle to the baseball or football HOFs. Just because you're loud and goofy doesn't mean you're HOF material. Packer deserves a maybe at best.
Posted by: Rob from Bel Air | April 9, 2008 8:37 AM
My mute button has been used a lot over the years when Dick Vitale announces games. There are many more deserving candidates than him.
Posted by: tom | April 9, 2008 8:42 AM
Sure, Dickie V belongs in the Hall. His routine has gotten old, and his love affair with all things Duke are annoying, but it's because we've been listening to it for so long. Back in the '80s and '90s, he brought a fresh voice and an excitement and show to the games. He wasn't always the Duke lover that he's become ... no more so than Billy Packer's former love affair with Dean Smith. As for Packer, Mr. X's and O's correctly pointed out in Monday's game that Kansas had switched to a box-and one ... problem was, it took him three possessions to recognize it, and then went on and on about how smart Memphis was for picking it up. No kidding, they picked it up the fourth time down the floor seeing it.
Posted by: ryan | April 9, 2008 8:45 AM
If Dick Vitale belongs in the Hall of Fame and Jim Phelan doesn't, then my name is Larry Bird.
Posted by: Butch Kelly | April 9, 2008 9:12 AM
No, Vitale does not belong in the Hall of Fame. He is like a carnival barker. Yes, he promotes college basketball, but his analysis of the game is nonexistent. He rants and raves about as many things off the court as on the court.
Posted by: ron nixon | April 9, 2008 9:59 AM
If Dick Vitale belongs in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, then Charley Eckman belongs even more. Just check Eckman's record as the greatest college and pro referee of his era; coach of the Fort Wayne and Detroit Pistons, NBA Coach of the Year, NBA All-Star Game-winning coach; officiating in the first All-Star Game; as Sportcaster of the Year and the funniest man from the sports world.
Unfortunately, Eckman is missing from the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame and the Baltimore City College Hall of Fame. Why?
Posted by: Fred Neil | April 9, 2008 12:08 PM
Yes, he belongs. When I first heard him 20 or so years ago, he used to annoy the hell out of me. But over the years, I've come around. First of all, there is no better spokesman for college basketball over the last 30 years. While he has in the last few years become a cartoon of himself, for a long time he was among the most knowledgable and infomative basketball analysts in the game. People forget that. They only think about the shouting and the made-up phrases (many of which all of us use in conjunction with college hoops, btw). But his passion, knowledge and love for college basketball have helped the sport grow over the last several decades.
Posted by: Adam Blustein | April 9, 2008 12:15 PM
Nooo, baaaabiieeeee!! He is so Duke and UNC biased it's disgusting.
Posted by: Bob | April 9, 2008 12:20 PM
Dick Vitale is a clown. His announcing style detracts from the game and focuses attention on him. If there is a HOF for doofus announcers, I vote for him to go there.
Posted by: Joe | April 9, 2008 1:07 PM
First off, I believe Vitale absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame. To say he was the in the right place at the right time couldn't be more wrong. There is no better advocate for the game of college basketball. Some people may dislike his chatty style, but more find him engaging and entertaining. He has more knowledge about the individual players than anyone I've heard and also possesses a wonderful perspective of college basketball's history. I definitely don't get the opinion of Vitale as a shameless self-promoter. To me, it's his love of the game, not an ego that drives him. He may not incorporate X's and O's into his discussion, but that's not necessarily what the average viewer wants. Also Vitale was both a coach with the U of Detroit and the Pistons, so if you think he doesn't have the capability to analyze the game, you'd be wrong. It's just not his style to call that to the forefront.
Posted by: Matt | April 9, 2008 1:14 PM
A lot of important college basketball people think he belongs in the HO. Yes, his schtick gets old, but he has been a great promoter of the game, and that is why he was elected. Just listen to announcers and very few have the proper blend of personality, enthusiasm, and the formula for sharing their ideas with the audience. Hubie Brown is the best basketball analyst, followed by Bill Raftery and Mike Gminski and Dan Bonner are excellent.
Remember, it's just a game and pastime not a Nobel Peace Prize.
Posted by: moe | April 9, 2008 2:15 PM
Matt is right. Vitale is also a member of advisory boards for the Harlem Globetrotters and the Henry Iba Citizen Awards. Additionally, he participates on selection committees for both the Naismith and Wooden awards and is a member of the Associated Press voting panel for the Top-25. Stop the hate and give the man a break.
Posted by: C | April 9, 2008 2:17 PM
Yes he belongs .. .no doubt about it. The HOF in any sport goes beyond just the players on the field. It speaks to ambassadors of the game, and there isn't a better one for college basketball. Yes, John Wooden is the greatest ambassador, but he was also the greatest coach the game has ever seen. Dickie V never claimed to be a great coach, player or even analyst. He is a promoter of the game he loves, and no one has more passion for it. Forget that he heaps praise on Duke -- I'm as big a Terps fan as anyone and despise the Dukies but respect that they are a tremendous program just like a USC in football. Give credit where credit is due.
I had the chance to spend some time with Dickie V when I was fresh out of college and a bellman at a resort with a famous mouse as a mascot. He was by far the most genuine and incredibly gracious personality I have ever met, and I came across quite a few in that position. He's not, as one reader said, a dork, and his passion for the game supercedes many players and coaches who take their positions for granted.
Ambassadors belong, and there isn't a better one.
Posted by: Chris C | April 9, 2008 2:24 PM
In regards to Vitale, I can't stand him as a broadcaster, yelling, "oh, oh, oh," but he does a lot for the game. Speaks to kids throughout the country, and this is where he does a great job. He is an ambassador for the game. So I think he belongs.Lefty Driesell deserves to be in the HOF at Springfield, Mass.
Posted by: fkterp | April 9, 2008 3:19 PM
Dear Terp fan: Worry more about your 0.00% graduation rate for men's hoops than about Dick Vitale.
Posted by: charmcitykid | April 9, 2008 4:38 PM