The Huntsville Times
A feud between Huntsville Phantoms owner Vinnie Vitale and a local sports television personality hit Defcon 2 on Friday.
At issue: the whereabouts of TV host Mandy Anderson’s late-model Mercedes coupe, which was towed from in front of the Phantoms’ ballpark on Thursday by a crew employed by Vitale’s South Side Towing company.
“I was told my car was taken to South Side’s impound lot, which is a couple of miles from the stadium,” said Anderson, who hosts the Phantoms Tonight program on CBS 19. “So, I called an Uber – but when I arrived at the lot, I was told my car wasn’t there.”
So where was it?
Anderson said she was told her car was taken to an overflow lot because Southside’s main lot was full when her vehicle arrived.
“Mind you, I was there within an hour of it being towed, and as the guy in the office is telling me this, we’re both looking out at a half-full lot,” Anderson said.
Mandy Anderson
“So, I said, OK. Where is this overflow lot? And he tells me, ‘Dolton.’ And I tell him I’m not familiar with that street. He says, ‘Oh no, it’s not a street. It’s a town.’ And now I’m really confused because I don’t know of a Dolton, Alabama. So I asked, ‘You mean Dothan?’
“Then he says, ‘No, not Dothan. Dolton. It’s in Illinois, right next to Calumet City.’”
Anderson said she lost her temper and screamed at the office employee, who called company security to have her escorted off the premises.
A spokesman for Vitale confirmed Friday that Anderson’s car had been towed some 562 miles up I-65 to Dolton, a Chicago suburb.
“Our contract with the City of Huntsville says that when our impound lot is full, we can take vehicles to another certified impound facility in the city, or to one of our own overflow lots,” said Vittorio Mancini, a spokesman for Vitale.
“So, we took Ms. Anderson’s vehicle to our closest overflow lot, which happens to be in Dolton. We have other lots in Calumet City and Elmhurst, Illinois, but Dolton is the closest to Huntsville.”
A check by The Times confirmed that this is true – the Dolton lot is 3 miles closer to Huntsville than the Calumet City lot, and 17 miles closer than the one in Elmhurst.
Southside is headquartered in Calumet City, but has been operating around the Phantoms’ ballpark, under contract with the City of Huntsville, since Vitale bought the team last November.
Phantoms owner Vitale: Secure your hairpiece, Vinnie!
Mancini declined to explain why Anderson’s car was towed to the Chicago area rather than to another lot in Huntsville.
“Last I looked, you don’t pay my salary, pal,” he said. “We acted within our contract, and that’s all you need to know.”
Anderson and Vitale have been at odds since the Phantoms owner announced he would be moving the team to Chicago at the conclusion of the season. She has been openly critical of that decision, and earlier this week ran a computer simulation that showed 87-year-old Alabama coaching legend Nick Saban roughing up Vitale.
The next day, Anderson visited the team’s offices to conduct an interview, and found her car had been towed while she was inside. Phantoms officials maintain her parking meter had expired and that her car was illegally parked.
Now, Anderson is faced with the necessity of traveling to Chicago this week to reclaim her car.
“They told me I couldn’t have anyone from the station claim it, because they can only release it to the registered owner – in person – with a government-issued biometric ID card, like a driver’s license,” she said.
“So, I’m going to go get my car. And then next week, I’ll premier my new feature: a holographic simulation of Nick Saban’s wife, Terry, ripping that ridiculous toupe off Vitale’s head.”
Defcon 1 can’t be far behind.
