I thought it seemed quieter

Marshall Herff Applewhite doppelganger Dick Vitale has finally shouted too much. The ubiquitous 68-year-old basketball commentator had surgery in Boston to treat an ulcer on a vocal cord.

Last night's Kansas-Georgia Tech matchup on ESPN (Rock Chalk!) was apparently the first day of work he'd missed since going to the network nearly 30 years ago.

He'll be back in February, just in time to get warmed up for NaturalBlog's favorite time of year, March Madness.