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When March Loses it’s Madness

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By Erich R Pilcher

March.

This month alone brings hopes of spring. It takes us away from the doldrums of winter. Our clocks spring ahead an hour, we start thinking about summer vacations, college students entering spring break, and so forth. It is a great time of the year. It also brings us one of, if not the greatest event in all sports. The National Collegiate Association of America (NCAA) Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Or, commonly known as March Madness.

Every year 68 teams compete over three weeks in a single-elimination tournament period to crown the National Champion. There are magical moments, stars are born, upsets happen, buzzer-beaters and Cinderella teams. It is pure magic. It encapsulates all that is beautiful and elegant in the world of sports. To have such a great event, there must be a magical voice to tell the audience the story. Sadly, one of those voices will not be around this season and it dampens the magical madness a great deal.

Dick Vitale with Joe Boyle during one of the first college basketball broadcast in the networks history.
Photo Courtesy: ESPN

Richard John Vitale, known as “Dickie V” has been a college basketball analyst mainstay since 1979 when his coaching career ended when he was a part of ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast. For the next 40 plus years, Vitale would provide the soundtrack to the college basketball season. His unique voice and catchphrases would become a part of common vernacular.

“Diaper Dandies (talented freshman), “P.T.P’er”(prime time player or great player), “Dipsey Doo Dunkeroo” (an exciting dunk), “Super Scintillating, Sensational (said when a great play occurs or to describe a great player) and “Awesome baby” (used to show excitement), among many others. You more than likely have heard these phrases because they don’t even just transcend basketball, they transcend sports, they have become a part of society. That just shows the popularity Vitale has due to his passion and knowledge.

Dick Vitale preparing for one of his cancer treatments.
Photo Courtesy: New York Post

This past August, Vitale announced he was undergoing treatment for a melanoma that had been discovered by doctors. Then in October (right before the start of college basketball season) Vitale was diagnosed with Lymphoma and sought treatment. He made his triumphant and emotional return to the booth in a Final Four rematch between Gonzaga and UCLA. He cried pregame, but he delivered a performance that was the standard of Vitale. It was as if the world returned to normal. Dickie V had reclaimed his throne.

Dick Vitale would make his emotional return to college basketball. Commentating the blockbuster early season matchup between Gonzaga and UCLA.
Phot Courtesy: AP

Sadly, it was short-lived. January 24 Vitale announced via Twitter (following his absence after the aforementioned game) that he was diagnosed with dysplasia on his vocal cords and would need to rest. This effectively ended the season for Vitale. Despite this Vitale has been active on Twitter giving analysis that is on a character limit. But because of Vitale’s limitless knowledge, drive and passion he gives the people what they want within those character limits. Because Vitale has limitless character.

When speaking of Vitale, one would be remiss to not speak of his charitable endeavors. With the same love, joy, and passion he exudes in college basketball broadcast, he does for the V Foundation (click the link to donate). Named after the late North Carolina State Head Coach James “Jimmy” Valvano or Jimmy V (his 1983 team won the national title with an epic upset of the Houston Cougars in the title game). Vitale has worked tirelessly to raise over 290 million dollars for cancer research. Most notable 100% of every penny raised goes to cancer research.

To me, this college basketball season has felt a touch empty without Vitale. So many moments have felt diminished without his exuberance, his excitement, and his love. This March those catchphrases that echoed through our television speakers and brought unbridled excitement to the game are not there. There will be no Dickie V upset special picks on Selection Sunday and no overwhelming joy when Cinderella strikes a sledgehammer to a majority of the nation’s brackets breaking them and the pieces falling to a faint memory.

However, at this time of the year, I do not think Vitale would want us to be sad and glum. He would want us to be excited, to enjoy the madness. To embrace next three weeks. Vitale recently announced he has already won March Madness, his doctors advised he is cancer free. So as we watch let’s loosen vocal cords and in our best Dickie V voice scream “Awesome Baby” at our televisions. Because even if this March will not be the same without him, it is only because no March has been the same because of him.

WRITERS NOTE: I myself have lost many family members to the horrible disease that is cancer. In honor of Dick Vitale being cancer free, or if you have lost anyone to this disease, I would like to ask you to click the link below to donate to the V Foundation. You can contribute in the memory of someone you have lost, do it in your name or remain anonymous. Remember, 100% of ALL DONATIONS go to cancer research. Any amount helps. Thank you for your consideration.

https://donate.v.org/give/353765/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=Homepage&c_src2=DonateButton

Just Win Baby, a motto for the American dream

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Whether you loved or hated him, his death made you realize he was one in a million, the last of dying breed. Everyone should mourn the loss of Raiders Majority Partner Al Davis.

That is because Davis is the epitome of the American dream.

Al Davis, while serving a majorit partner of the Raiders led them to three Super Bowl championships and becomming one of the nations most recognizable sports franchises.

Think about it for a minute. Davis was a man that started in the National Football League as an assistant coach for the Los Angels Rams and from there rose through the ranks holding every position in the NFL ultimately becoming Majority Partner of the Raiders, a position he held until his death.

However, his most impactfull position he held was that of AFL commissioner. While serving that post he began to take the premier players from the National Football League, thus forcing them to merge and become the NFL we know today.
It was the shrewd businessman attitude that triggered many controversies surrounding Davis. He sued the NFL for not letting him move his team (he won), sued other teams (those cases never saw the courtroom) and was known to hold a grudge against anyone that crossed him or his “Rah-durs.”

Al Davis with his first of three Super Bowl championship. He enjoyed winning these and saw them as a way to defiy the NFL hierarchy

But, through all of the controversies Davis was a progressive man. He was the first owner to hire minorities as head coaches (he hired the second Latino coach in the history of the league and hired the first African-American coach) and was the first owner to hire a female for a front office position. He also believed in second chances often picking players that teams had cut for various reasons and giving them chances to play. More often than not these moves were successful.

What truly made Davis great was side that no one saw or knew until after his death. Davis always said “Once a Raider always a Raider” and he lived that quote. Whenever a former player, coach, front-office staff and even janitors needed help Davis was always there.

He coined the terms “Just Win Baby” and “Commitment to Excellence” and he held his team to those standards. Many will remember Davis for his disaster drafts of recent years and hiring and firing coaches at an accelerated rate. But I will remember his contributions to the game and the way he ran his team.

That is why owners like Davis are a dying breed. With the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner there are only a few of these loud, ever present and successful owners. Now a day’s owners are content to be out of the spotlight and that is sad. So I implore those fans of sports remember Davis in a respectful way. Because his journey and his life is what the American dream is all about.