When Dick Vitale heard prior to Thanksgiving that Mariano Rivera was headed for vocal cord surgery, he attempted to reach out to baseball’s all-time closer.
Having undergone surgery on his vocal cord in 2007, the college basketball television announcer and Yankees fan wanted to recommend the doctor that operated on him.
“I had Dr. Steven Zeitels in Boston,’’ Vitale told The Post. “He did mine, Steven Tyler, Adele and James Taylor. He is the Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter of his profession.’’
Rivera, who was operated on Friday in New York, and Vitale had different deals, but Vitale offered post-surgery advice for Rivera.
“I would tell him to stay on top of it,’’ said Vitale, who had pre-cancerous ulcers and lesions removed that fortunately turned out not to be cancer.
“Go for the evaluation,” Vitale said. “I go a couple of times a year.’’
Vitale knows enough about Rivera to understand the pitcher doesn’t talk anywhere the amount or at the decibel level he does, but Vitale found out something about how to talk following surgery.
“Not being a singer, we don’t use our diaphragms when we talk,’’ Vitale said. “They taught me to do exercises and try to learn that you don’t have to scream and yell on the phone. I have learned that the day of the game I have to be low key.
“Of course, I make my living with talking. Mariano makes his living with his arm.”