Dick Vitale's Living a Dream: Reflections on 25 Years Sitting in theBest Seat in the House is more than just a memoir of an active life in sports. It is an intimate look at the man behind the TV persona. Vitale reveals details about his start at ESPN and shares his feelings about the most important people in the college basketball world, on both personal and professional levels. There are reminiscences of the celebrities he has met, as well as the deep friendships he has formed over the years. Living a Dream is not mired in the past, however. Vitale is eloquent on the LeBron James phenomenon and the controversy surrounding the breakup of the Big East Conference, both of which have had a huge impact on college basketball in 2003. He writes about the price coaches and players have to pay to be the best, the problems that beset the sport today, what he would want in a perfect basketball world, and his projections for the future of the sport he loves.
Since joining ESPN in 1979, Dick Vitale has become the senior spokesman for college hoops. In Living A Dream, Vitale reveals details about his start at ESPN and shares his feelings about the most important people in the college basketball world. A must-have for any basketball fan.
Jarrod Polsons journey to the University of Kentucky began with a dream in elementary school. Living beyond the Dream offers an inside look into Polsons life as he describes that dream to play basketball for his beloved Wildcats. This memoir narrates the lows and highs and speaks to the lessons Polson learned throughout college. In a world of talent and fame, he understands the choices one makes are more important than the gifts one has been given. Praise for Living beyond the Dream Jarrod Polson is Kentucky basketball. [He] turned down scholarships to other Division 1 schools to live out his dream of playing for the Wildcats. He was given little chance of playing But not only did he play, he was an integral part of UKs 2012 National Championship. To me there is something more important. Jarrod Polson lives what he believes. Cameron Mills Following UKs miraculous run in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Jarrod Polson and I were given the opportunity to visit thousands of school kids throughout Kentucky. Those kids saw that a UK National Champion who got to live his dream can be humble, patient, and kind and still be a champion. You will love getting to know him and Him through Polsons book Living beyond the Dream. Jeff Sheppard In my time here at Kentucky, Ive been fortunate to have been around some of the strongest character kids in the country. JP is at the top of that list, his faith in how he lives his life, his dedication to team and winning spirit made it fun and a joy to coach. He will always be one of my favorite wildcats. Kenny Payne Jarrod Polson writes about the honor to wear a Kentucky uniform and the thrill of being a part of BBN. Dick Vitale
#1 New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein returns to his first love--college basketball--with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops. John Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories--the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits. To tell this story, Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches, and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament, but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren't handled with kid gloves--they're hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else. With his trademark humor and invaluable connections, John Feinstein reveals the big time programs you've never heard of, the bracket busters you didn't expect to cheer for, and the coaches who inspire them to take their teams to the next level.
Dickie V's ABCs and 1-2-3s, the first little book in the Dick Vitale Children's Literacy Initiative, is AWESOME BABY! It's a children's alphabet and counting book from the legendary ESPN college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale. In the book, children learn their alphabet through high-energy basketball words that Dick uses in his national broadcasts. For example, "D" is for "dunk" and "J" is for "jump". In the counting section of the book, Dick leads kids in counting using colorful basketballs. The book has a special feature (may not be available on all e-readers): a video introduction by Dick Vitale and digital audio clips for all 26 letters in Vitale’s own voice "broadcasting" different phrases to encourage the child, including "You and Me-What a Team" and Vitale's signature catchphrase: "You're Awesome, Baby!" The book is illustrated with a colorful menagerie of animal characters and a tiny little version of Dickie V. Dr. Bryan Nelson, a long-time member of the American Academy of Pediatrics says the book is an excellent tool for early childhood development
It's hard to believe, but Dick Vitale, ESPN's perennially youthful basketball analyst, is 75. 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.
What can the film Hoosiers teach us about the meaning of life? How can ancient Eastern wisdom traditions, such as Taoism and Zen Buddhism, improve our jump-shots? What can the “Zen Master” (Phil Jackson) and the “Big Aristotle” (Shaquille O’Neal) teach us about sustained excellence and success? Is women’s basketball “better” basketball? How, ethically, should one deal with a strategic cheater in pickup basketball? With NBA and NCAA team rosters constantly changing, what does it mean to play for the “same team”? What can coaching legends Dean Smith, Rick Pitino, Pat Summitt, and Mike Krzyzewski teach us about character, achievement, and competition? What makes basketball such a beautiful game to watch and play? Basketball is now the most popular team sport in the United States; each year, more than 50 million Americans attend college and pro basketball games. When Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, first nailed two peach baskets at the opposite ends of a Springfield, Massachusetts, gym in 1891, he had little idea of how thoroughly the game would shape American—and international—culture. Hoops superstars such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Yao Ming are now instantly recognized celebrities all across the planet. So what can a group of philosophers add to the understanding of basketball? It is a relatively simple game, but as Kant and Dennis Rodman liked to say, appearances can be deceiving. Coach Phil Jackson actively uses philosophy to improve player performance and to motivate and inspire his team and his fellow coaches, both on and off the court. Jackson has integrated philosophy into his coaching and his personal life so thoroughly that it is often difficult to distinguish his role as a basketball coach from his role as a philosophical guide and mentor to his players. In Basketball and Philosophy, a Dream Team of twenty-six basketball fans, most of whom also happen to be philosophers, proves that basketball is the thinking person’s sport. They look at what happens when the Tao meets the hardwood as they explore the teamwork, patience, selflessness, and balanced and harmonious action that make up the art of playing basketball.
In a court-side chronicle of the North Carolina State Wolfpack's unforgettable 1983 drive to win the NCAA championship, coach Jim Valvano discusses the ins and outs of the college basketball scene
Blue Blood is a thrilling chronicle of the Duke-Carolina rivalry as it has evolved over the last fifty years. With unparalleled insider access, veteran journalist and author Art Chansky details the colorful, revered, and respected rivalry--for the first time ever. "It's not about me versus Dean, or me against Roy or Dean against Vic Bubas. Duke and Carolina will be here forever."--Mike Krzyzewski For fifty years the rivalry between Duke and Carolina has featured famous brawls, endless controversy, long-nurtured hatred--and some of the best basketball ever played in the history of the sport. For Duke and UNC players and fans, the competition is not about winning a prize, trophy or title--it's about bragging rights and raw pride. The Duke-Carolina rivalry has fostered more than thirty former players from the two schools playing or coaching in the NBA; it has enchanted a nation of spectators to watch games between the archrivals--garnering some of the highest regular-season TV ratings in history. Blue Blood celebrates the history of this rivalry, the traditions, the heritage, and, most importantly--spectacular basketball.
