10 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
OU PITY the text bubbles.
They sit there in that
rectangle, quivering with
nervous anticipation. They dance
and do their equivalent of a three-
man weave. And then it comes: The
bubbles are replaced by a burst of
photos, emoji and text blocks.
These onslaughts, these
cloudbursts of prose, emanate from
the thumbs of Dick Vitale. Now 82,
Dickie V is no diaper dandy, but
he spends as much time on his
devices—head down, hands out—as
any teenager. He has been texting
in lieu of talking.
Yes, if you noticed that the college
hoops soundtrack this season has
sounded a little different—quieter,
not quite as fun—blame the double-
team dysplasia and ulcerated lesions
on Vitale’s vocal cords. They’ve put
him out of action. But if Vitale has
been silenced, that doesn’t mean he’s
lost his almost compulsive need to
communicate. Asking him whether
he wants to converse over text for
this story is something akin to askingSteph Curry whether he wants a few
open looks from the perimeter. And
Dickie V in text form is what you’d
likely expect: relentless, scattered,
irradiated with joy, awash in dropped
names—and impossible to consume
without a smile.
In his initial answer (checking in
at 1,931 words), he explained that,
as recently as last July, life could
scarcely have been better. He and
his wife, Lorraine, celebrated their
50th anniversary by taking their
extended family to Hawai‘i for two
weeks. He wrote: Maui & also the
Big Island staying at absolutely
beautiful Four Seasons Resort.
hey it is not everyday u celebrate
50 th anniversary.
Upon returning home, Vitale
went to his dermatologist for a
biopsy of a small skin
growth above his nose.
It was melanoma. It
was removed, and
he underwent plastic
surgery to minimize the
scarring, but it had to beY
HE’S UNDER DOCTOR’S ORDERS NOT TO SPEAK.
BUT DICK VITALE’S THUMBS WORK JUST FINE,
SO HE’S TEXTING LIKE A TEEN AS HE RECOVERSVITALITY, BABY!
BY L. JON WERTHEIM PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL FRAKESHeck, that is only 18 years to go. D
bet against it happening/I guess n
wrong with dreaming baby!...I ju
need MY VOICE BACK.I’m blown away by the
overwhelming numberSI EATS p. 14 GAMEPLAN p. 16 FULL FRAME p. 17 FACES IN THE CROWD p. 18