In honor of our 2 year / 300 post anni over here at GJAW (formerly firedickvitale), I thought it would be fun to take a look at an early theme from the blog. Yes, Dick Vitale still has a job, and yes, he's still an idiot. If you think I'm just jealous because Dicky V. gets paid to say stupid shit and I don't, you're right. (image courtesy someecards - get over there and send someone you know an ecard right now.)
Dick Vitale writes like he speaks, and since he speaks like a drug-addled 4th grader, it's not hard to find fault with his writing. Some people probably think he does a good job. Some people think The Secret is full of insight. These people should get together, actualize themselves a brain.
So, Dick, where do we start today? The Stock Watch is too banal. It's lame and empty, but there's no there there. Thus nothing to critique. Ahhh, heeeeeere we are. Surely you can provide us with some insight on this repeated violation? No? How about some redundant idiocy? Perfect.
Down at Indiana, you would have thought Kelvin Sampson and his staff would have taken every precaution to avoid the embarrassment and humiliation of the latest telephone scam.
Would you? I'd have thought he would break the rules again, since he was an inveterate rule breaker at his last job.
On May 25, 2006, the NCAA banned Sampson from taking recruiting trips or calling recruits for one year.
This is important; we will be coming back to it shortly.
There were stipulations placed upon his hire at Indiana. The feeling was Sampson would be under a zero tolerance policy. No recruiting violations would be tolerated.
Is this the same thing as a "zero tolerance policy"? Because you just said that.
I spoke to Kelvin Sampson and he stated that they did not cheat, but they made an error in judgment.
Sampson was not supposed to make any recruiting calls, so he was conferenced in when they called him. And also, he had assistant coaches make calls for him and then put him on the phone in a 3 way conf. call. So technically, the coach didn't make any conf calls. Great leadership, coach. Way to set an example for your incoming guys.
He [Sampson] claims he unknowingly was patched in to calls with an assistant and a recruit.
I do not believe that you are telling the truth Mr. Sampson.
It will be interesting to see how Sampson cleans up this mess. For those who were critical of The General, Robert Montgomery Knight, I simply ask ... was there ever any talk, conversation or innuendo about any violations?
Bob Knight never violated recruiting rules. However, he punched his players, kicked his players, threw chairs/tantrums/fits, berated and physically threatened support staff, erupted at the slightest provocation, and set new standards for awful behavior as a human being in general and coaches in particular. People have written entire books about it. I'm too lazy to find the links describing how awful Bob Knight is, but I did google Bob Knight punch and got 151,000 hits. Start here if you need a refresher.
2 comments:
WOW, what disjointed rant you express. Vitale is about entertainment, he has developed a following which in of itself is an accomplishment you find fault with the audience. He may not have the classical English skills you infer to be a prerequisite and probably why you are not his chief competitor as a basketball officiado, but what he does have is an audience. When it comes to basketball he actually is quite knowledgable and translates that into entertainment which is what ESPN stands for. And yet he can walk into almost any college coaches office and talk shop. It is a gift, but of course not something you personally appreciate.
Now why I was directed to your blog post---Bob Knight. Sampson, he is done....he cheats and redefines cheating like the current WH Administration has tried to redefine torture and civil liberties...the convenience of the moment. As for Bob, your characterization was correct as towards recruiting and scholastic discipline. As for his human transgressions why don't you do a search on what the almost complete majority of his former players state about him. Sure there are a few, Neal Reed was one, (and now that tape is under serious evidence question, unreported of course, but still forensic experts now have serious issues with the tape), Butch Carter made an unsubstantiated charge, but who else? The use of Google hits is immaterial. And that said,he is not a perfect human being and either are you as evidence by your words here.
thanks for the feedback. I don't agree with you but I think you make good points.
cogency of the rant is dictated by Dick Vitale's stream of consciousness writing style. his writing is so ridiculous as to be a caricature of an actual essay. As for his "entertainment" value, I'm rating substance over style. Buzzwords and blandness are the order of the day with Dick Vitale, and it really bugs me. I'm not convinced that Vitale has a lot of hoops knowledge, but I will listen for it next time I watch the games. As a contrast, Matt Goukas (sp?) calls NBA games, and he's intelligent and nuanced in his analysis. In the college game, I like Jay Bilas, although he gets sucked into excessive superlatives like Vitale does. And he loooooves Duke (another pet peeve).
aside: I think the college atmosphere contributes to the breathless commentary. Plus college suits Dick Vitale and his enthusiasm.
As for Bob Knight, I agree that his players have stood by him through thick and thin (it always amazed me) but I think that is a testament to his skill as a master motivator and leader. He is definitely one of the finest coaches ever, in any sport. He gets the most from his players, runs a clean program, and his teams play quality, fundamentally sound basketball. But I don't think it's fair to compare Knight with Sampson the way Vitale did. Sampson may be a cheat and will get fired, but Knight got fired because he a was a jerk. Two different things.
i'm making no claims to perfection over here. just saying. :)
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