Taking Vitale To Task

It's been a while since my last post. I guess I was just waiting for the right topic. Found it!

Dick Vitale is one of about ten people on the planet who have made college basketball what it is today. He is, and should be, a hall-of-famer. I have a REALLY BIG PROBLEM with this though. Since May 7, 2008, Vitale has written two articles that completely contradict each other.

First, http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/080507kentuckyrecruit.html. In this article, Vitale discusses Billy Gillispie's "wacky" recruitment of a 15-year-old. He complains: "Gillispie made the offer, but I don't think it is healthy and good for college basketball....Kentucky got a lot of headlines out of the Avery story. The bottom line is that this is not good for the game."

Fast forward to this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/news/story?id=3481407. Vitale discusses Billy Donocan's recruitment of a 15-year-old. He praises: "He can flat-out recruit … he's a salesman deluxe, baby!" He continues: "It is a win-win situation for the Gators, the Rivers family, and a young man who gets to play for a coach that relates well to the modern-day athlete."

Um, really? I've listened to Kentucky fans for years talk about how Dick Vitale hates Kentucky. I always thought it was a bit of a joke. I truly don't believe there too many commentators out there that "hate" a given school. Rather, I think they more likely "prefer" certain coaches. Well, here you go. Vitale's hypocrisy in this matter is just ridiculous.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter much. Both kids will go play for their schools, and by the time they are there, no one will remember all of this. But, Dicky V., come on! What makes this worse is that after Gillispie signed the 15-year-old, the National Association of Basketball Coaches came out with a statement that kids that young shouldn't be recruited. Then, Donovan "struck gold." At least Gillispie inked his kid before being told not to do so. Donovan, on the other hand, listened to what the NABC had to say, then flipped them the bird, and did it anyway. Yet, according to Vitale, Gillispie's actions "aren't good for the game," and Donovan's actions are a "win-win."

Good job, Dicky V. Way to stay consistent.