Vitale; Just your average bald, one-eyed basketball wacko who beat the Ziggy and became a PTP'er
New York, N.Y. Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1988. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. 334, [2] pages. Illustrations. Includes Acknowledgments, as well as chapters on the Sound Is Familiar; Opinions Are Like Butts--Only I Have More Than One; My Week and Welcome to It; Little Richie: Coaching at Last; Buyers and Sellers; Rockin' in Motown; The Cons of the Pros; Television: This (Waste) Land is My Land; Coaches: The Rolls-Roycers; Paisanos and Wackos, Moaners and Mr. Cleans; The Next Bit Stars and All the Rest; MAT PTP&T NTM WAPTLB OAL TBUHW; and If I were King. In this book, Dick Vitale tells the story of his lifelong love affair with the sport of basketball. We see him rise from coaching high school ball in New Jersey to landing the head coaching job with the Detroit Pistons in just seven years. And we follow him through the depths of despair when he is fired by the Pistons just twelve games into his second season, and then on the unbelievable joyride he's had since joining a fledgling network called ESPN. Vitale talks about the controversies he's created, the words he's stood by--and the ones he's had to eat. Richard John "Dick" Vitale (born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 40-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster for ESPN. He is known for catchphrases such as "This is awesome, baby!" and "diaper dandy" (outstanding freshman player), as well as enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He has also written nine books, and appeared in several films. He called ESPN's first college basketball game. Derived from Publishers Weekly article: Vitale, assisted by Sports Illustrated writer Kirkpatrick, deals exclusively here with college games. He includes a brief look at his coaching career in junior high, high school, college and the pros, but devotes most of his attention to observations about the best and the zaniest college coaches, the top teams and players of the 1980s, his proposal for a semi-pro league and other controversial aspects of the game. To explain the subtitle: Vitale beat the Ziggy (getting fired) when, as coach of the Detroit Pistons, he became a Prime Time Performer as a basketball color man for ESPN, the cable sports station, and ABC-TV. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Dick Vitale, Coaches, Sportscasters, Basketball, ESPN, Detroit Pistons, NBA, Color Commentator, Vitale-isms
ISBN: 0671660403
[Book #81881]
Price: $37.50