Some of us have been reading Peter Vecsey for decades, back when he was not only good...but outstanding. Connected. Irreverent and funny. The man ain't what he used to be, but when I saw this I thought it was worth sharing: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/04/hall-yes-these-new-yorkers-bel.html Frank Isola Hall yes, these New Yorkers belong in Springfield April 2, 2009 The Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009, otherwise known as Michael Jordan and a bunch of other good players and coaches, will be announced on Monday in Detroit, site of the Final Four. Jordan, of course, is a lock to make it as is David Robinson and John Stockton. You’d like to believe that Jerry Sloan goes in and perhaps this will be the year that former Knick Richie Guerin is selected by the Veterans Committee. I’ll be pulling for a couple of guys from Brooklyn to make it and one writer from Queens. Bernard King and Chris Mullin are finalists as well. Mullin was a star at St. John’s and won two Olympic gold medals, including one with the Dream Team in 1992. King was also an outstanding college player and the only Knicks player in franchise history to win the scoring title. If King or Guerin are elected that will likely mean the Knicks will retire their uniform numbers. One name you won’t hear mentioned on Monday is the long-time basketball writer, Peter Vecsey, a former New York Daily News reporter. At the very least, Vecsey deserves the Curt Gowdy Award which singles out members of the electronic and print media for outstanding contributions to basketball. Long time New York basketball writers Leonard Lewin, Leonard Koppett and Sam Goldaper have all received the Curt Gowdy Award and most recently Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum and Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times have been honored. Vecsey has been covering basketball for more than 40 years. He was writing about the NBA when no one covered it. He spawned a whole generation of basketball writers making the transition from newspaper to television. He has an original style and we all know that he can be brutal on anyone who plays, coaches or covers the NBA. He’s hit me a couple of times over the years. When I was breaking into the business he took me under his wing. We shared dinners together, played some basketball and always talked about the NBA. And he still hit me. But that’s Peter. Mullin once told Vescey that he’ll scan is column and if he doesn’t see his name in it then he’ll read continue reading it. There is probably somebody in Springfield that Vecsey has been critical of in the past which is why he hasn’t been considered for the Hall of Fame. But if you where to ask anyone over 30 years old, when they hear “NBA writer” who is the first person that pops into their heads most will say Peter Vecsey. He belongs in Springfield. And one more thing; if Dick Vitale can get in as a contributor, so can Vecsey.
frankly, Vecsey is not that good. just rhetorics. 40 years ago, in the 60s, basketball was one of the top 3 sports. the hearal examiners, defunct since the early 90s, was the 2nd paper in LA. as small banana as it was, it had a beat writer covering NBA basketball. Vitale doesn belong in the hall. w Vitale in the hall, the NBA Hall of Fame has already met the unspoken quota of inducting one who doesn't deserves it. the fact that Vitale is in it means Vecsey and those of his ilk will not.
a mediocre coach career at the U of Detroit, followed by a pathetically short stint (fired after less than half a season) coaching the Piston. As a supposed broadcaster, he has been a joke. B4 Yao ever play a game in the NBA, the self-annointed basketball expert declared that Yao is the 2nd coming of LaRue Martin, the all-time biggest bust for the #1 overall pick. to this date, he hasn't apolgized for that pre-matured ejockulation on his part. Vitale has been credited, wrongly so, w the popularity of the NCAA basketball. the highest rated NCAA game was in 1979, the Larry Bird / Magic Johnson matchup. Vitale has been hyping the NCAA game for the last 25 years; the fact the the Bird / Magic game is still the highest rated NCAA game of all time suggest that his hype hasn't help the TV-ratings for NCAA game. he has not contributed to the game of basketball; not a differenc maker. no hall-of-famer.
as much as I do not like vitale (for acc bias) he was a former coach and he is a legendary college ball announcer who brought the NCAA into many people's homes. he is a legend in his own right for his contributions to the game of basketball he has touched a lot of people lives in the sport that way. His speech last year was one of the best speeches I have ever heard when he was inducted. It was just great the guy truly loves basketball. Vecsey pails in comparison in his contribution to the advancement of the sport, if anything he has crippled it with his sensationalistic stories and constant failed rumors of trades and all. honestly how much credibility does vecsey have left? when it comes to modern day nba "journalists" i would rather have craig sager, david aldridge or ernie johnson get into the HOF before vecsey
Bernard King belongs. That guy was good, really good. His post game was awesome... he had a money move for any position the defender chose, and he routinely shot over 50%. Career, he was a 22/6/3 guy, but for a couple of years before major injury, he was in the stratosphere. Consider 84-85: 33/6/4 while shooting .530.
I'm pretty sure the order was baseball, boxing, football, then basketball back then, at least that what everyone I know that was into sports in the 60s says. As far as Vescey goes. Let him in, don't let him in, whatever. Don't think it's worth an argument either way.
that's just rhetorics. ESPN was responsible for making NCAA basketbal such an omnipresent brand years B4 Vitale joined the network. it's ESPN, not the bald-headed clown.
wrong, ESPN is college basketball true thant, NCAA basketball on TV, as a sports brand, without that bald-headed clown.
NCAA basketball on TV, as a sports brand, would be much better without that bald-headed clown, the Glen Beck of TV basketball analyst
Peter Vecsey absolutely changed the way the game was covered, his championing of the ABA (and the NBA, while we're at it) was years ahead of its time, and he's broken NBA more stories just in the last 25 years or so (and this is no hyperbole) than the entire roster of Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox, SI.com put together. Toss in the newspapers. Did he throw a lot against the wall? Is he nearing (or has he finally met with) irrelevance? Does he write a lot of stuff that he shouldn't? Yes, yes, and yes. Michael Jordan also played with the Wizards. And he drafted Kwame. And he couldn't score on Dan Dakich. And he missed about half the shots he attempted. Nobody's perfect, Vecsey belongs in the Hall.
I think Vecsey's more deserving of a HOF nod than Vitale was. Vitale gets too much credit for making the NCAA more popular. Dicky V actually has the opposite affect in my eyes; when he's calling a game I either mute it or change the channel. Calling him a great announcer is a slap in the face to people like Marv Albert. Now on Bernard King and Chris Mullen, I think Bernard should be a first ballot HOFer. I'm not too sold on Mullen, though. I think he's pretty deserving, but I'm pretty sure he won't get in on his first try. He should definitely have his number retired by the Warriors ASAP though.
If Reggie Miller gets in the Hall, and the consensus seems to point that way, then that'll kind of help out Chris Mullin and Bernard King. Both Mullin and King had injuries majorly taking its toll on them. Though I think both Mullin and King were better in their peak than Miller. Just that Miller had good longevity, 1 great skill like Ray Allen, and many memorable clutch moments in the reg and postseason.
