Dick Vitale

🎵Music🎵 I need to hear right now and I know he's happy because he's always happy, but he's also the biggest celebrity Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan I know and our listeners, they're big fans of the NFC South Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers, they are moving on from Cam Newton in the place of Teddy Bridgewater, Cam being released earlier today. Dickie V, it's good to have you back on the show. Were you involved at all in the Buccaneers sales pitch to Tom Brady? Not really, except I did come on Twitter with a video and say, Tom, it's the place to be, man. We got great weather, we got a great coach, we got great receivers, they got a lot of cash for you. Come on down, baby.

I thought I was going to be a chauffeur. Alright, are the Buccaneers going to win the Super Bowl this year, Dick? I'm going to tell you one thing, we're going to make a run, there's no doubt about it. That team could have been 11-5 easily, Josh. Last year, if they had a little bit of luck, missed a field goal at the end of the game, could have won the game, a chip shot against the Giants, had a couple of big games right there that were right there to be won, and then all of a sudden, there's a pick-6 the other way or an interception, and I think that'll be solved big time by Mr. Brady. We got great receivers.

I mean, you take a look at the receivers with Evans and Godwin, you throw in tight ends like Brady, you throw in Otis Howard, the kid Howard played at Alabama, I'm telling you, they got great potential. I'll tell you another thing, we got a terrific coach, there's no question Bruce Arians has changed the culture and the whole attitude here with Tampa Bay. Well, let's talk a little bit about College Hoops now, because in the ACC last night, Boston College, they announced that they're keeping Jim Christian in place as their head coach.

They haven't made the NCAA tournament since he's been there in six years, so he's back at BC. I struggle to believe that the pandemic, as it affects everybody across the country, doesn't play a role when the world changes. You're like, okay, well, we want as much security as possible, and I think it does affect decision makers and what they could potentially do, and I think that's interesting now in this area as Wake Forest tries to make a decision on Danny Manning.

It's reportedly a $15 million buyout. I just wonder, in your mind, as the transfer portal becomes bigger and bigger year after year, how do you think this pandemic might affect AD's decisions on coaches, or even players who are thinking whether or not they want to enter the transfer portal? Well, I think when coaches, I think some jobs have been saved, I really do. I think some jobs have been fortunately saved because of the situation, a lot more stability. But I think in cases like you mentioned, you know, Jim Christian, top job up there, Boston College, man, playing in a conference, they play and try to compete all the time.

You've got to weigh that. Same with Wake. You know, Danny came in in a tough, tough situation. They showed a lot of eyes for a promise last year.

They had a couple of games right there, they could have won against quality competition, so I'm hoping he gets another year. You mentioned about basketball right there in your area. North Carolina A&T, Josh, they've got a good guy down there. Coach Jones, I'm telling you right now, I happen to know somebody that he worked for previously who told me today. In fact, I just spoke to him earlier today. David Smoky Gaines had a moment with him up in LeMoyne when he was out in LeMoyne. David was a former Hall of Famer with the Globetrotters, and he told me that this guy could coach.

Yeah, it's funny. I actually heard from some folks today who heard you were coming on and wanted me to ask you specifically about Smoky Gaines. What's the best story you got there? Man, I could go on with Smoky Gaines.

Are you kidding me? There's so many stories. All you gotta do with Smoky is know he was a Globetrotter, a Harlem Globetrotter, and fit to perfection the whole personality of the team. He smiled all the time, felt good about life, always gave me a hug, and always just was great. He was on my staff for years, and then went on to be a head coach at San Diego State, and just really a terrific guy that went to LeMoyne where he was an All-American, was a player. He's an amazing story, how he even made the Trotters. He went to a tryout, and he had so many stories about the previous solidarity, and his trips. He said, what an education it was.

They were in, I don't know, he thinks so much 60 countries. But he worked with Will Joles now, a coach at North Carolina A&T, and he just spoke so unbelievably highly of them. Dick Vitale with us, he's on Twitter, at DickieVee.

He doesn't really need much of an introduction in these parts, but one thing I do want to mention, it's one of the cooler books that have been released recently, and we've talked about it. It's Your Mount Rushmore of College Basketball. You got Mike Krzyzewski right there on the cover. Every dollar, every cent of it is going to go to a great cause, and everything you do for the Jimmy V Foundation. It's terrific stuff there, but I wonder, speaking of retro stuff and lists and things you look at among the best of college basketball, would there be a no game?

CBS is broadcasting a lot of the great NCAA tournaments, a lot of them featuring NC State, North Carolina, Duke, over the last handful of decades. Have you had a chance to go back and watch any of these? No, I've been really trying to keep a little busy here. My wife's got me doing chores, man.

I posted up on Twitter. She got me back in the pool area. I'm back in the pool. Now, she's talking to me today about getting on my knees, the large scrub of the floors. I mean, I've got to do badly, Josh. I've got to get out of the house and strike me crazy.

I'm so bored. But you know, let's face reality, the number one priority right now, we all really want to see a containment, a control of this unbelievable pandemic. It's incredible what it's done to families. I read about one family in New Jersey, and it brought me to tears. Four people in their family, four in one week died. I couldn't believe it. And then three others are in critical condition.

That's unbelievable. We can't take this lightly. We have to do all the things they say we should do. We have to talk about washing our hands often. We have to talk about distancing. We have to talk about even when you go to get your gas, to pump gas, make sure you wear gloves, man.

I mean, you've got to be really cautious. It's nothing to just look at and take for granted. I mean, just look what's happening around this world. Where do you find positivity in times like this, Dick? Well, you find positivity by the fact that right now I'm excited about one thing. I'm excited because we in America have a way of coming through tough times.

We really do. There's a way of uniting our people. People won't get involved. People really do what you're supposed to do.

Follow the guidelines. And I think ultimately what you look at, it's going to be solved. And let's hope it's solved quickly because really this has been a nightmare, nightmare for so many. We postponed my gala. My gala was supposed to be May 8th, and there's no way we could have a gala at that time, so we postponed it to September 4th. And if anybody would like to join my team and be part of my goal this year, Josh, it's $5 million for kids battling cancer, and I need help. So people even if they can't make the gala, we're going to sell out. I know we will. I know people will not let me down in that area. All our celebrities that we're going to honor are all going to be part of it.

They've all agreed to September 4th. Online, you can find dickvitalonline.com. If you want to help out, what's the best way to do so, Dick, because the book is a good way I start? Well, you know, you can go simply donate at dickvital.com. You can donate at dickvital.com. Dickvital.com.

You can find all that. He's on Twitter at DickieVee as well. And I mean, I was hearing the voice of Vince Scully yesterday, and it put a smile on my face. Hearing your voice puts a smile on everybody's face as well, and I appreciate you.

I know you're happy about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting Tom Brady, but putting things in perspective, especially in this time, we wish we were all watching college basketball. It's appreciated, Dick. Well, I appreciate it too, and I'll tell you this, you know, people had somebody tell me just yesterday, one of the young guys I was with, said, boy, I'm going to miss, I was going to play in all these tournaments, I can't believe I missed. Look, tennis, you're going to get a tournament to play. Those people aren't going to get their lives, man.

People are being buried over this disease. If that's the worst thing I said that could happen to you, that you're going to miss tennis tournaments, that's, you're living a great life. And the same with basketball. I love the tournament. Are you kidding me? I think it's the greatest three weeks in all of sports.

But if that's the worst thing that's going to happen, I'm going to miss a year of basketball tournament in my life, I've lived one super life. You're the best, Dick. Thank you for doing this. Thank you guys. Take care, Josh.