At courtside with Dickie V., and hoping he can be a Prime Time Player this spring

“The soundtrack of our lives” has become a well-worn cliché. But, forgive me, here I think it’s appropriate to dust it off another time. If you are a college basketball fan of the past four decades, the soundtrack includes the loud hyperbole, relentless enthusiasm, name-dropping, non sequiturs, cogent analysis and chain-saw voice of Dick Vitale. … Continue reading At courtside with Dickie V., and hoping he can be a Prime Time Player this spring

A stranger’s confession: ‘I used to be a heroin addict’

One of those polite, “so where you from?” sort of conversations went this way: “I used to be a heroin addict.” Not the sort of line to make a morning drive with a complete stranger very comfortable. And even if it makes no difference intellectually, and I was making no judgment, there is an inevitable … Continue reading A stranger’s confession: ‘I used to be a heroin addict’

That crazy kid who ran off to elope in Rising Fawn, Ga.: Remembering the great Bobby Bowden

Ushered into his office, the first time I met the legendary coach he was knee-deep in film. Literally. Bobby Bowden was studying an opponent in those ancient pre-video days, with a projector beaming the action from his desk to a screen on the wall. He opted not to use the take-up reel at the opposite … Continue reading That crazy kid who ran off to elope in Rising Fawn, Ga.: Remembering the great Bobby Bowden

A deserving honor for some great practitioners of ‘Scrapbook Journalism’

At a break during an NCAA basketball regional years ago, I introduced myself to one of the best-known leaders in college athletics. “Your name is so familiar,” he said. Then, finally, he added this: “It’s the damn scrapbooks.” Indeed, a couple of decades earlier, in many stories under my byline, his wife’s name appeared. She … Continue reading A deserving honor for some great practitioners of ‘Scrapbook Journalism’

Get off my lawn with this 12-team college football playoff business

There is a fascinating baseball season unfolding. The NHL playoffs, which offer some of the best post-season drama in sport, are in full-force. Ditto the Lebron-less playoffs of the NBA. The finals of one of tennis’s Grand Slams is this weekend, and the U.S Open golf tournament starts this week. Photo by Juan Salamanca on … Continue reading Get off my lawn with this 12-team college football playoff business