ESPN yesterday announced that college basketball analyst Dick Vitale has agreed to a contract extension through '17. Vitale will call games primarily on ESPN and ESPN2, as well as the men's Final Four for ESPN Int'l. Meanwhile, ESPN today announced it has extended Jay Bilas' contract through '23. He will replace Vitale as the analyst for ESPN's Saturday primetime broadcast while maintaining his regular game and studio presence. He also will return to the net's "College GameDay" cast (THE DAILY). USA TODAY's Reid Cherner noted Vitale had called the Saturday primetime game since '05, but he "doesn't plan on cutting back" his workload at all. He said that he is "happier to do 'the best game that is out there on Saturday afternoon' because 'I get home a lot earlier.'" Vitale: "Traveling gets tough as you get older, it really does." He added, "I feel like I have the energy of a 25-year-old. I'll match my energy, my passion, my love for game with anybody. I still have it and I hope to have [it] for a number of years" (USATODAY.com, 10/1).
