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It’s Awesome, Baby!

75 Years of Memories and a Lifetime of Opinions on the Game I Love

by Dick Vitale, with Dick Weiss and Joan Williamson

$28.95
It’s hard to believe, but Dick Vitale, ESPN’s perennially youthful basketball analyst, is 75.

From his blue-collar roots in New Jersey, his first college coaching job at Rutgers, his ultimate dream job with the Pistons (where he got the Ziggy!), to his 35 years at ESPN as a “Prime-time Performahhh.” This is Vitale as you’ve never seen him—an inside look at America’s favorite basketball fan.

Learn the secret of his longevity in the fast-changing world of TV. More than the personal memories, “Dickie V” provides the die-hard hoops fan with his outspoken opinions on a range of topics including: the most intriguing coaches, players and owners in the sport like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Ollie and Donald Sterling; the growth of “one-and-dones” leaving for the NBA draft; the increase in player transfers; out-of-control fan behavior; recruiting top-notch players; and the changing landscape of college sports following conference realignment.

All in his infectious, inimitable“Vitalese.”

From 1939 to 2014, you’ll get to know 75 years worth of history, facts, and opinions, as well as his thoughts on family, the game of basketball, and his passionate fight against childhood cancer.

This book will give you new insights into Dick Vitale—both the sportscaster and the humanitarian.
It’s Awesome, Baby!

About the Authors

Dick Vitale

Dick Vitale has been the voice of college basketball for ESPN for the last 35 years and an award-winning analyst for the network. He is a member of 12 Halls of Fame. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, which is the highest honor that can be given to anyone associated with the sport. He has also been inducted into the National Sportscasters’ Hall of Fame. Vitale is a tireless worker in the fight against pediatric cancer and his galas in Sarasota have raised over $12 million for the V Foundation—a charitable organization named after the late Jimmy Valvano that funds crucial cancer research. He has also written more than a dozen books. He and his wife Lorraine live in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, near their two daughters, Terri and Sherri, and their families. When Dick isn’t covering the country’s top college basketball teams and players, he loves to spend time with his five grandchildren, Sydney, Ryan, Connor, Jake, and Ava.

Dick Weiss

Dick Weiss is an award-winning sports columnist who spent more than 40 years working for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Daily News. A member of the U.S. Basketball Writers’ Hall of Fame, he has received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Hall of Fame, as well as the Bert McGrane award for outstanding contributions from the Football Writers’ Association and the College Football Hall of Fame. Weiss has written 11 books with Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Dick Vitale and Theresa Grentz, in addition to a tribute book to Mike Krzyzewski.

Joan Williamson

Joan Williamson is an accomplished writer and an award-winning editor who worked in administration for the University of Pennsylvania and recently co-authored a book with Theresa Grentz, the star of Immaculata’s Naismith Hall of Fame basketball teams. She and her husband, Dick, live in Havertown, PA.

Specifications

Language
English
ISBN10
978-0-9904375-4-3
ISBN13
978-0-9904375-3-6
Genre
Autobiography/Biography/Celebrity, Sports
Publication Date
November 2014
Trim Size
7.5 x 8.5, hard cover, full color photos throughout
Page Count
256
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