Time Out, Baby!

This first-person, present-tense account of the 1990-91 college basketball season captures the exuberant quality of Vitale's unrestrained sportscasting while testifying to the rigors of his schedule. A broadcaster for ESPN (now in his 12th year there) and ABC (now in his fourth), who is also a columnist for USA Today and a deliverer of inspirational speeches, Vitale is ever on the go. From a pre-season tournament in November to Duke University's winning the NCAA crown at the Hoosier Dome, Vitale speeds from Kentucky to Nevada to New York to Louisiana to Minnesota, often making several appearances in different states on the same day. In his spare time, we learn, he watches games on TV. Having coached at the high school, college and professional levels, he says he knows every coach (this sometimes limits his objectivity about them and some of their shady practices) and is a generous judge of young talent. Written with Philadelphia Daily News basketball reporter Weiss, this autobiographic chronicle will mesmerize students of perpetual motion. (Nov.)