Gregg Doyel Will Kill Himself if Vitale Makes Hall of Fame

I think it's clear Gregg Doyel hates everybody. He railed on Duke's program following the The Elbow and last week he took aim at the happiest guy people love to hate: Dick Vitale. So, what's the problem this time? Vitale's up for the Basketball Hall of Fame and Doyel is, to put it mildly, a little pissy about the prospect.

...[I]f Vitale makes it into my Hall of Fame, I'll disown the damn thing. You can have it if Vitale, who didn't achieve greatness but who had greatness thrust upon him like a pie thrust upon a clown's face, gets in.

I don't think Doyel leaves any room for confusion. And despite coaches "lining up to support Vitale," Doyel writes that "[c]oaches are the least sincere group of people you've ever met ... they're interested primarily in the same thing: self-preservation." Um, yeah ... but on some level, isn't everybody? I'm not saying Vitale is Hall-worthy, but this line of reasoning falls flat on its face.

I agree that Vitale is at best grating, and at worst an intolerable, squeaky-voiced chimp. But the guy has impeccable timing. He landed on the college basketball scene right before it got really big. Some might say he was partly responsible for its increased popularity. I'm not willing to go that far, but I will say this: as sycophantic as Vitale is, he's freakin' Edward R. Murrow next to that angry little man, Billy Packer.

I can understand Doyel's frustration -- most every fan feels the same way -- but it's hard to take Doyel seriously when he complains about everything. You almost expect it at this point.