Dickie V: No Longer a Shameless Front-Runner
Posted by rtmsf on October 19th, 2008Ed. Note 2 – Ok, we get it – Dick Vitale is NOT a front-runner. Thank you to all Rays fans for enlightening us. As an offer of our sincere apologies, we’re sending some peace offerings in the form of team gear to DV at the ESPN studios – his new Duke sweatshirt, Notre Dame cap and Yankee pullover are on their way (being such a longtime fan, season-ticket holder and Tampa Bay area luminary, we figure he has enough Rays gear).
Ed. Note – to all Rays fans, of course we knew that DV was a season-ticket holder. All he ever wants to talk about during the season is Duke and Sarasota. We still think it’s funny that he’s a self-described Yankees fan by birth, yet he’s such a wild Rays (sorry we’re so used to saying Vitale is a (Blue) Devils fan all year long) fan in the photo. We guess it’s ok to have Team A and Team B, but even you’ll agree Vitale tends to have a Team C, D, E, F, G, and H…
Spotted at the BoSox-Devil Rays game tonight, cheering wildly for the Rays. Is there any front-runner local team that he’s supported since the franchise’s birth this guy won’t sell his soul for?
I loathe Vitale as an announcer as much as anyone–but, in his defense, he’s been a long-time Rays season ticket holder. (He lives in the Tampa area.)
As much as it pains me to defend some of his biases. Dickie V has been a Rays fan since their inception and held season tickets for years. There were many times he’d be one of 2,000 fans at the games.
It will be interesting to see if all the people coming to the Rays games for the playoffs are fairweathers (a la Marlins fans) where you can now count attendance in your head, or they’ll actually keep coming back in 2009 and afterward.
Since the playoff run, the last time I can even remember Tropicana Field full was when Wade Boggs was going for his 3,000 career hit in the twilight of his career.
You should do some research before you bash the guy. He has been with the Rays from the beginning, goes to dozens of games every year.
Dickie V is a longtime season ticket holder. Maybe you should do some fact-checking before you post something idiotic like this.
I’m not a Vitale fan, and I’m not a Rays fan.. but you are showing yourself to be a hack. Vitale has had season tickets for the Rays since their inception. That you don’t know this (as this fact has been mentioned, often, on ESPN) brings into question the content of anything you write.
So, first impression of “Rush the Court” = FAIL.
Not coming back.
Except that Vitale lives in Tampa, has followed the Rays since they began, and even did things like talk about them starting to turn a corner a couple years ago when he spoke at UF.
But sure, yeah, celebrity in a jersey. Must be a bandwagon jumper.
Jesus, a quick wikipedia lookup of Dicky V (the laziest form of cross-checking) would hip you to the fact that he’s been a Rays fan since they came into existence.
High-quality YouTube, maing.
KJ says it all. Good thing you did due diligence before making an unfounded assumption.
“Is there any front-runner this guy won’t sell his soul for?”
do you research, dickie v is and has always been a HUGE rays fan, hes the only semi-celebrity to associate with them, you want a band wagon jumped, how about hulk hogan
Front running? What are you talking about? He’s had season tickets since the Rays came into existence and has said as much REPEATEDLY over the last decade. Do a little research next time…
he’s been going to rays games for years. should he stay home because they are good now? retards.
This is way off base. If anyone here did any research (cursory), they would know that Vitale grew up a Yankees fan. However, since he lives in FL, he has been a Rays season ticket holder for ten years. He’s seen the awfulness that was the Devil Rays. He has every right to be happy that the Rays are doing well without having douches claim he’s front running again.
Vitale lives in Lakewood Ranch, just outside of Sarasota and has had season tickets since the Rays inception. He’s loud, boisterous, annoying, and horrible to listen to, but he’s a Rays fan and always has been.
Hey you fucking morons. He has been a season ticket holder since the franchise came into existence. Try doing a shred of research next time before you post this bullshit. Retards
This blog entry is to blogs what striking out with the bases loaded and having the bat fly out of your hands and into your own dugout is to baseball.
Dickie V has had season tickets from the beginning and I’ve often seen him talk about the Rays, even back before this season when they weren’t good. He’s anything but a bandwagon, front-running fan.
He’s been a season ticket holder for the last decade of suckitude. You’re a freakin idiot.
I think your editor’s note might make even less sense than the original post itself. Your argument is that he liked another baseball team before the Rays existed (or DEVILS as you call them)? Duly noted.
your editors note probably just made it worse. “Devils fan”? The Rays dropped Devil from the name already, and I guess you referring to the hockey team?
Also, your comment on how he is a Yankees fan is likewise short-sighted. He could easily be a huge Yankees fan by birth, but still get extremely excited by a Rays team that plays near his current home that he has watched since its inception 10 years ago.
A more responsible note would have just admitted being wrong instead of adding more ignorance to your awful whiff already.
I’ll give Dick the Rays, but anybody who pulls for Duke AND the Tarholes is a a front-runner! He sucks.
Geezus you Rays fans are vicious. Chill the f*ck out. RTC is still an exemplary college basketball blog. Give ’em a break. I think they’ve realized they need to just stick w/ what they know- basketball.
Dicky V is a retard.
What the original post meant is that DV has lots of allegiances. LOTS of them. And whichever one happens to be doing well, THAT’S the one he makes the most public mention of being a fan of. Guarantee you that if Notre Dame has a good hoops OR football year (someday), he’ll talk about all of his ties to Notre Dame. But we don’t hear that much right now, do we? In all of Dick Vitale’s public appearances for the past several years, I have only heard him mention his love for the (Devil) Rays, well, maybe five times. In probably five years. But when the Yankees were doing well, boy, all you heard was how much he loved the Yankees. His allegiance to the TBR and his season-ticket holder status have not — repeat NOT — been questioned. But why are we only hearing about it now? Didn’t hear him talk much about the Yankees this year, strangely. If this isn’t a form of frontrunning, well, I don’t know what the heck is.
“If this isn’t a form of frontrunning, well, I don’t know what the heck is.” AGREED.
I wish I could stir up controversy like this… not to mention the pageviews.
I’d like to apologize to all 21 of the Rays season ticket holders (I guess 22 if Dickie V hasn’t replied to this post) for rtmsf’s utter lack of knowledge of baseball. I’ll just blame it on the fact that rtmsf lives in one of the most “un-American” parts of the country.
Personally, I could care less who Vitale roots for in baseball. I just hope he doesn’t talk about this when college basketball season starts because otherwise the public won’t know about Duke, Coach K, Roy Williams, and Tyler Hansbrough.
Whoa. A Nvr1983 sighting!