Vocal cords need a TO too, baby
If anything could motivate Dick Vitale to talk less, it’s the fear of no longer being able to gab for a living.
The ESPN college basketball announcer, who missed more than two months last season after throat surgery, continues to take precautions to rest his vocal cords.
“Little things like that are going to help me prolong my career because I’m going to be honest with you, without it I probably would feel like my life is over,” the 69-year-old Vitale said. “I’m a gym rat. I love being around kids. I love being around the environment of the college game. If that’s taken from me, I really believe the party’s over.” Vitale, who is still working with a speech therapist to learn to speak from his diaphragm, reminds himself to be less “boisterous” on the phone and to stay as quiet as possible during game days. “I was always going 24-7,” Vitale said. “Man, I love to talk.”
In a zone The Denver Broncos are the only NFL team from the Mountain or Pacific time zone to win a game in the Eastern time zone this season, Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post points out. He says the Broncos are 2-1, with back-to-back victories over the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. The other five — the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49 ers — are a combined 0-14. And that doesn’t take into account the Chargers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints in London. Rah ! rah ! When Brigham Young plays Utah in their annual football game Saturday, BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and Utah President Michael Young have to choose between their employers and their alma maters. Samuelson graduated from Utah, Young from BYU. Samuelson says he has always been loyal to wherever he has been, so he will be cheering on the Cougars. Young says he’s still a big BYU fan — except for the one Saturday every fall when the Utes and Cougars play each other.
Mutiny Barry Melrose, fired after only 16 games as Tampa Bay Lightning coach, said the players voiced displeasure with him to management.
“I think the players didn’t want to play for me,” Melrose said. “I’m not a guy who sings Kumbaya around the fire. I’ll let you know if I’m not happy with you.
“ And obviously, a lot of guys didn’t like to be held accountable with this team, and obviously, they went to the owners and said they don’t like this style of coaching and ‘would you get rid of him.’ I don’t think there was any secret about that.” Melrose said “the players have the power, and they exercised that power.” “ Now they can play who they want and how much they want and when they want and not demand a lot of them. Everybody’s happy in Tampa right now. ”
Major pitch Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has a way to shorten baseball’s postseason.
“I’d make it onegame-and-you’re-out for the first series,” he said. “It would be exciting. It would be great.”
Begun in 1995, the division series has been a best-of-5. The league championship series and World Series are best-of-7. Under the current format, Game 7 of the World Series wouldn’t be until Nov. 5 next year. Quote of the day “I’ve been shocked by how successful we’ve
been.” Central Arkansas Coach Clint Conque on how the Bears have fared in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA )
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