THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008 SPORTS 3B COMMENTARY Dick Vitale gives flowers he received to his wife at the Kansas State game March 1. Jon Goering/KANSAN ESPN's Vitale expresses words of encouragement When I checked my mailbox in the Kansan newsroom last week, I was surprised to see a brown envelope addressed to me with a return address from Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Not having any idea what it was, I quickly opened up the envelope and discovered that I had been sent an assortment of stuff personally by ESPN Analyst Dick Vitale. One of my favorite announcers in the business, Vitale has always been one of my favorites and his excitement and passion for college basketball. He is one of the few announcers that I will watch a game specifically to hear him announce and not to watch the teams playing. Some people rag on him for always talking about Duke and North Carolina, but when you get down to it, Vitale is one of the few who honestly seems to appreciate how lucky he is to be broadcasting the great sport of college basketball each night. BY B.J. RAINS I have no idea how, but it seems as though Vitale must have seen BY B.J. RAINS KANSAN COLUMNIST BJRAINS@KANSAN.COM Dick Vitale, Hall of Fame 2008" I asked to interview him for my story on Welmer, and he was unable to because of his recent throat surgery. But I don't think Vitale has any idea who I am. I am just some college student who writes for the school newspaper, but for some reason, Vitale took the time to write to me and tell me that he thought I was a good writer and that he enjoyed my story. He had no reason to take the time and the effort to write some kid he "BJ, Rock Chalk Jayhawk Baby. You are an excellent writer. Keep chasing your dreams. Best of luck in your career." — I am just some college student who writes for the school newspaper, but for some reason, Vitale took the time to write me and tell me he thought I was a good writer. my article written last week on referee Steve Welmer. I have been told that Vitale regularly reads Kansan.com as well as the student newspapers for several other colleges, so maybe that is how he saw my story or got the address to The Kansan. Vitale autographed a couple of things including the cover of a recent issue of American Airlines Magazine and included a message that I will never forget: I thought that was the classiest thing Vitale could possibly do, but I realized I was wrong when I looked at the other things he had sent me. Included with the autographed magazine was a flyer and an article about the third annual Dick Vitale Gala that is being held next Friday in Sarasota, Fla. Included was a handwritten note on his personal stationary that said, "B.J., just a note to show how classy Bill Self is, he will join us to help kids battling cancer on May 16th. Our goal is $1 million for pediatric cancer and the presence of Bill Self will help a great deal. Go Jayhawks, NCAA Champs Baby." As a side note, that's real nice of Self to travel down there to help. I thought sending a note to a random college kid was the classiest thing he could have done, but as I read all of the materials he sent me on the gala, I realized I was dead wrong. This man does more for cancer research than anyone I know. He is a big supporter of the V Foundation, a cancer research foundation started by Jim Valvano, and now he is trying to raise $1 million at this gala to help find a cure for cancer. Individual tickets to the event cost $1,000, which will include Self, Bobby Knight, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Pat Summit and many other celebrities, and corporate sponsorships cost $25,000. Vitale is more passionate about finding a cure for cancer than he is about college basketball. He made a personal promise to Valvano before he died that he would do everything he could to find a cure for cancer and Vitale is certainly living up to that promise. Dick Vitale will always be known for his passion, enthusiasm, his crazy antics and calls while broadcasting games on ESPN, but he should be known for his amazingly sincere efforts to try and help cure that awful disease. He is doing more for that cause than anyone could have ever imagined. I hope his efforts will not be for nothing, and they will soon be able to find a cure for cancer. So Dick, thanks for not only taking the time to boost the confidence of a young writer, but more importantly, thanks for everything you do to help cure the awful disease that took the life of my young cousin, Anne, years ago. Borrowing one of your famous lines, "You're Awesome, Baby, with a capital A!" — Edited by Kaitlyn Syring Schools vote on preseason top 10 Kansan sports editor contributes to UWIRE.com poll COMMENTARY Editor's Note: UWire.com recently polled the 119 sports editors at Football Championship Series, formerly known as Division 1-A, schools to compile its Preseason Top 10 Poll. The following is how The University Daily Kansan's Case Keefer voted. To see the finished poll, check UWIRE.com later in the week. BY CASE KEEFER KANSAN SPORTS EDITOR CKEEFER@KANSAN.COM 1. Georgia: If it weren't for two bogus Tennessee victories to end the regular season, Georgia would have won the SEC East, beaten LSU in the SEC Championship and won the national championship. It's as simple as that. No one was playing as well as the Bulldogs at the end of last season. 2. Oklahoma: In their spring game, the Sooners showed that their only perceived weakness, well, wasn't really a weakness at all. Despite losing four standouts in the defensive backfield, the new Sooner defensive backs scored three touchdowns in the game and showed they're prepared for 2008. 3. Louisiana State: The defending national champions should always be ranked in the top five to start the next season. But this is more than a sympathy vote. The Tigers will reload with more blue- 4. USC: I'm hesitant to even rank the Trojans this high with all that they lost. But their backfield will still be the nation's deepest and most talented. Plus, you can always count on a 10-2 season from Pete Carroll's boys. chip recruits defensively. And last year's starting quarterback, Matt Flynn, isn't irreplaceable. 5. Ohio State: As a result of the dreadful Big 10, the Buckeyes have a great chance to get pounded in their third straight national championship game. They'll get there behind the likely national defensive player of the year, senior linebacker James Laurinaitis. 7. Missouri: If I would have ranked the Tigers higher than this, I might have feared for my safety in Lawrence. But they might deserve it. Sophomore receiver Jeremy Maclin can do it all and might be the most exciting player in America. 6. Kansas: The Jayhawks deserve some respect. They return 15 starters and add running back Jocques Crawford, last year's JUCO Player of the Year. Not to mention Kansas was the only BCS-conference team with one loss in the nation last season. 8. Clemson: It seems as though Clemson always finds a way to ruin its season late in the year. But it might be hard in 2008. An explosive offense, led by senior quarterback Cullen Harper and senior running back James Davis, will bring the ACC Championship to South Carolina. 9. Florida: Yeah, yeah, junior quarterback Tim Tebow and junior wide receiver Percy Harvin are good players. But they don't play defense, where the Gators need help after surrendering 41 points to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. 10. Auburn: New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's spread offense will allow sophomore quarterback Kodi Burns room to operate. Combined with a stout defense, Auburn may be the surprise team in the SEC West. — Edited by Katherine Loeck RACING RACING Driver comes back from career-halting iniury INDIANAPOLIS — Davey Hamilton has already faced his toughest challenge. An Indy Racing League mainstay and two-time runner-up during the series' early years, Hamilton was out of the sport almost six years after a devastating crash in 2001 mangled his feet and legs. He underwent 21 operations over the next few years and had to undergo an intense rehabilitation program just to learn to walk on his reconstructed feet. "Physically, I've been staying in shape. It's something I have to do the rest of my life anyway, to try to stay light and fit just because of my legs," said Hamilton, whose persistence finally brought him back into racing last year and landed him another ride this month with IRL boss Tony George's Vision Racing team. "After I ran Indianapolis last year, I started back in doing some short-track racing in midgats, sprint cars, super modifieds ... and then I did some tests earlier this year," said Hamilton, who will join Vision's Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV. "I just hope to be able to stay with those two guys, because they're in a position to win a race. It'd be great to have three cars in the top five. It's a steep goal, but it's doable with this team." Hamilton was injured at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001 when another car blew an engine and spun into him. His car slammed into the wall, breaking both of his legs and feet. He wasn't able to stand for five months and was in a wheelchair for almost a year. 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