What a special, special night! Many friends and former players welcomed me home to New Jersey on September 30th at the Brownstone in Paterson, NJ. The evening was hosted by Notre Dame Head Basketball Coach, Mike Brey and ESPN’S Bob Ley. The highlight of the evening was when Mayor Jim Cassella of East Rutherford, a former player of mine, announced that the playground and the basketball courts in East Rutherford will be named in my honor and will now be known as “The Dick Vitale Playground and Courts.” It was truly one of the most emotional nights I have had in a long time. Seeing so many of my former players and people I grew up with and worked with during my time in New Jersey, brought back so many wonderful memories. I can’t thank dear friend, Tom Longo, for organizing the night. The evening raised over $25,000 for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

What a blast I had in Phoenix for an appearance on behalf of Diet Mountain Dew. I am so thrilled to be part of a marketing campaign that will run during basketball season, along with Erin Andrews and Mike and Mike. I did my photo shoot today for point of purchase materials. It was great having Ira Stahlberger there as well representing me on behalf of IMG. Also while in Phoenix, I had the chance to address all the Pepsi bottlers from across the country, over 700 individuals. I was happy to share with them my thoughts on motivation and success. I can’t thank the following people enough for making my time in Phoenix so enjoyable. I am truly thrilled to be part of such a winning organization as Diet Mountain Dew!!!

Al Carey – President of Pepsi

Simon Lowden, Chief Marketing Officer

Brett O’Brien, Vice President of Dew Brands

Jennifer Storm, Global Sports Marketing

Emily Silver, Brand Manager, Diet Mountain Dew

Zach Harris, Brand Manager, Diet Mountain Dew

My wife and I also had the opportunity to take in a Diamondbacks game while in Phoenix. What a beautiful stadium! Got a chance to talk to Justin Upton before the game. They are excited about the playoffs!

I had another great weekend in South Bend, IN for the Notre Dame/Michigan State game. I enjoyed the weekend with my daughter, Terri, and her husband Chris (both class of ’94 alums) and my two grandkids, Sydney and Ryan. It was a gorgeous weekend for football and as always, we took in all the campus festivities, including the quarterback luncheon, pep rally, tail-gating, etc. While on campus I had a book signing at the Eck Campus Bookstore for my children’s book, Dick Vitale’s ABC’s and 123′s. I had a blast talking with all the football fans. The Irish played a great game against the Spartans.

Here’s some photos of the entire weekend! What a great time!

My wife and I had a blast in Las Vegas. I was in town speaking at luncheon for Safeguard. While in Vegas, we were able to enjoy performances by Garth Brooks and Rod Stewart. Two of my favorite entertainers. Las Vegas is always a lot of fun and full of excitement. I can’t thank the kind people at Safeguard for allowing me to be a part of their event.

I am so proud to be part of the UnitedHealthCare luncheon series which is put on for the benefit of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  I can’t thank UnitedHealthCare and Sherri Zerkel, of Make-A-Wish Foundation enough for making it possible for me to be part of their efforts.  I am making two appearances, one in Kansas City and one in Omaha on behalf of Make-A-Wish.  It is such a pleasure meeting the youngsters at the hospital and helping to bring a smile and some laughter to their day.  It is truly a rewarding and memorable time for me.

I always enjoy the start of college football and all the spirit that goes along with it. My wife and I brought along good friends from Sarasota, (Craig Mettile and his wife and daughter, and Father Greg and his dad) with us to South Bend for the Notre Dame season opener. The Irish squared off against South Florida. USF is coached by former ND assistant and player, Skip Holtz. Obviously, the Holtz family name has very strong ties to the University of Notre Dame, so it was a passion filled weekend. The campus was electric with the start of the 2011 football season. As always, we took in the Quarterback Luncheon, the Pep Rally, and walked the beautiful campus. The game was delayed by hours at half time due to a lightning storm. The Irish were never able to gain a lead, and were hurt all game by turnovers and penalties. Skip Holtz and USF walked away from South Bend with the “W”. I am sure the Irish, under Brian Kelly, will bounce back. But regardless of the outcome, it was another special and exciting weekend in South Bend.