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Kfanarmy
01-10-2014, 10:42 AM
Anyone else watch UCLA-Arizona last night. Really good game, as UCLA came back from down 13 to lead by one with around 2 minutes left. Arizona pulled it out, but UCLA showed a lot of grit. Great game to watch, but ugghh, the commentary by Bill Walton I found very annoying. He seemed arrogant, overly critical of the Bruins, and so full of himself that I muted the TV. That's the first time I think I've ever heard him do a game and I hope I never hear it again.

Bluedog
01-10-2014, 10:44 AM
I didn't see the game last night unfortunately, but I agree that Bill Walton's commentary during games is typically difficult to listen to...He has a unique style that can come off the wrong way for sure and be over the top.

Lid
01-10-2014, 10:49 AM
I watched part of it -- his interplay with Dave Pasch can be extremely uncomfortable. Definitely don't get the feeling those two are having beers after the game.

And on that note, the last game I watched that Walton called, we were wondering if perhaps Walton's failure to wait until after the game to partake might have contributed a bit to his, um, analysis of the action. Last night he didn't seem to be imbalanced in quite the same way, and it was a bit more grating and less entertaining. There are definitely a lot of, "Does he *know* he's talking out loud?" moments with him. That being said, I'd be such a disaster as a commentator, I really shouldn't be throwing stones. (And yet, LOB!)

BigWayne
01-10-2014, 10:59 AM
Anyone else watch UCLA-Arizona last night. Really good game, as UCLA came back from down 13 to lead by one with around 2 minutes left. Arizona pulled it out, but UCLA showed a lot of grit. Great game to watch, but ugghh, the commentary by Bill Walton I found very annoying. He seemed arrogant, overly critical of the Bruins, and so full of himself that I muted the TV. That's the first time I think I've ever heard him do a game and I hope I never hear it again.

Count yourself lucky that's the first time you watched a game he did. He is one of the reasons I rarely watch PAC12 games despite being on the west coast.

Clay Feet POF
01-10-2014, 11:01 AM
It was a typical Bill Walton commentary, not afraid to hammer anyone. At one point his partner stopped him short when he started to call Digger a devil when they were talking about ND stopping UCLA long winning Streak.

Atlanta Duke
01-10-2014, 11:03 AM
Did not watch the UCLA-Zona game - did Walton take any more digs at Ben Howland?

As noted previously, Walton and Pasch do not appear to be BFFs based on this recent exchange in the UCLA-Alabama broadcast

"Couple of veiled Ben Howland references just four minutes into the game," noted Walton's television partner, Dave Pasch, and the broadcast just sort of took off from there.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24395551/its-time-for-bill-walton-to-stop-slamming-ben-howland

Walton was an extraordinary player until his knees and feet gave out but has always seemed to me to be an insufferable egomaniac

Kfanarmy
01-10-2014, 11:05 AM
It was a typical Bill Walton commentary, not afraid to hammer anyone. At one point his partner stopped him short when he started to call Digger a devil when they were talking about ND stopping UCLA long winning Streak. I did catch that unfortunately. I'm not a fan of Digger Phelps analysis, but that was unprofessional.

flyingdutchdevil
01-10-2014, 11:24 AM
1) Blame refs (regardless of who wins or losses)

2) Provide a breakdown of players' minutes

3) Receive a lesson in spelling, punctuation, and grammar

4) Dislike and denounce every commentator as long as he isn't Coach K's mentor

sagegrouse
01-10-2014, 11:24 AM
Did not watch the UCLA-Zona game - did Walton take any more digs at Ben Howland?

As noted previously, Walton and Pasch do not appear to be BFFs based on this recent exchange in the UCLA-Alabama broadcast

"Couple of veiled Ben Howland references just four minutes into the game," noted Walton's television partner, Dave Pasch, and the broadcast just sort of took off from there.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24395551/its-time-for-bill-walton-to-stop-slamming-ben-howland

Walton was an extraordinary player until his knees and feet gave out but has always seemed to me to be an insufferable egomaniac

I'll tell you what I noticed about the game: UCLA is playing a conference game against the #1-ranked team in the US of A, and there were empty seats everywhere. What's that about? Isn't Pauley Pavilion the citadel of NCAA basketball?

Walton doesn't bother me as an announcer, because he is, well, Bill Walton, a guy who was a legend in college and for a while in the NBA, and he used to dance on stage at Grateful Dead concerts. No one will confuse him with Jay Bilas or Bill Raftery, but I value his observations, although sometimes they are a bit occult, which I attribute to his time as a Deadhead.

Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

roywhite
01-10-2014, 11:38 AM
Walton doesn't bother me as an announcer, because he is, well, Bill Walton, a guy who was a legend in college and for a while in the NBA, and he used to dance on stage at Grateful Dead concerts. No one will confuse him with Jay Bilas or Bill Raftery, but I value his observations, although sometimes they are a bit occult, which I attribute to his time as a Deadhead.

Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

Yeah, I like the big redhead/Deadhead.

He appreciates and points out sound, smart basketball, and comes up with interesting observations.

Compare him with another premier college big man of roughly the same era who regularly announces ACC games -- Len Elmore. Walton is waaaay better.

nmduke2001
01-10-2014, 11:40 AM
I'll tell you what I noticed about the game: UCLA is playing a conference game against the #1-ranked team in the US of A, and there were empty seats everywhere. What's that about? Isn't Pauley Pavilion the citadel of NCAA basketball?

Walton doesn't bother me as an announcer, because he is, well, Bill Walton, a guy who was a legend in college and for a while in the NBA, and he used to dance on stage at Grateful Dead concerts. No one will confuse him with Jay Bilas or Bill Raftery, but I value his observations, although sometimes they are a bit occult, which I attribute to his time as a Deadhead.

Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

Not only does he not bother me, he was one of my favorite announcers during his NBA days. I absolutely loved how he would call out players. I'll never forget how he went off on Shaq after Shaq missed something like 5 straight free throws in an important game. Walton basically stated that Shaq was doing himself, basketball and history a disservice by not working on his craft. Walton went on to give examples of guys that improved throughout their careers by working harder than anyone else and challenging Shaq to be the greatest ever. That commentary really opened my eyes because no one else had the guts to say it.

Atlanta Duke
01-10-2014, 11:42 AM
Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

No doubt to rise to the top of any profession you cannot lack for self-confidence. But once you get there you can behave, to use 2 examples, like first ballot Hall of Fame players Peyton Manning or Mariano Rivera (link to those with whom Rivera visited on his farewell visits around the league here http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/mariano-rivera-farewell-tour-proves-one-baseball-class-221459446--mlb.html). I am sure there are many others (as a Steelers fan I place Troy Polamalu in that category while acknowledging Ben Roethlisberger's conduct is about as bad as it gets)

Having a huge ego does not necessarily require being an insufferable boor.

BD80
01-10-2014, 11:49 AM
1) Blame refs (regardless of who wins or losses)

2) Provide a breakdown of players' minutes

3) Receive a lesson in spelling, punctuation, and grammar

4) Dislike and denounce every commentator as long as he isn't Coach K's mentor

You can count on DBR to tolerate (albeit not silently) snark and hyperbole.

wilko
01-10-2014, 11:50 AM
I love Walton...
He isnt afraid to have an opinion and bust someones chops.

He has disdain (feigned or otherwise) for EVERY non-post player..
I can have an odd respect for that POV. Would you want him to pretend to wish he was a guard? Nah - its outside of his experience why fake it?

Dickie V gets static for being a cheerleader of the game.... and Walton gets static for being himself and not looking to kiss anyone's ring. How often does the conversation go into "defections" and work in a historical perspective outside of Basketball. Bobby Knight goes on similar tangents from time to time...

My MOST desired way to watch a game would be to listen to 2 drunks fans trade uncensored insults back and forth.
Hopefully they could be entertaining when the game is not...

My second most desired way to take in a game would be to pair Knight and Walton

weezie
01-10-2014, 12:00 PM
Receive a lesson in spelling, punctuation, and grammar



Well, that's really more of a public service that we provide to others,

rsvman
01-10-2014, 12:01 PM
....Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

Steve Young.

Genuinely great guy.

weezie
01-10-2014, 12:03 PM
My MOST desired way to watch a game would be to listen to 2 drunks fans trade uncensored insults back and forth.
Hopefully they could be entertaining when the game is not...

Sounds like you might want to make a reservation in my brother-in-law's (baby blue, deeply annoying) basement.

jv001
01-10-2014, 12:03 PM
I'll tell you what I noticed about the game: UCLA is playing a conference game against the #1-ranked team in the US of A, and there were empty seats everywhere. What's that about? Isn't Pauley Pavilion the citadel of NCAA basketball?

Walton doesn't bother me as an announcer, because he is, well, Bill Walton, a guy who was a legend in college and for a while in the NBA, and he used to dance on stage at Grateful Dead concerts. No one will confuse him with Jay Bilas or Bill Raftery, but I value his observations, although sometimes they are a bit occult, which I attribute to his time as a Deadhead.

Huge ego, you say. Let's see. There must be a list of sports legends without huge egos. Well, there was Stan Musial, but he died recently. And there is Nolan Ryan, nicest guy you ever wanted to meet. There must be someone else, but I am having trouble coming up with a name.

Great baseball player and even better person. Easy to see how he got the name, Stan The Man. GoRedbirds and GoDuke!

arnie
01-10-2014, 12:12 PM
Yeah, I like the big redhead/Deadhead.

He appreciates and points out sound, smart basketball, and comes up with interesting observations.

Compare him with another premier college big man of roughly the same era who regularly announces ACC games -- Len Elmore. Walton is waaaay better.

Totally agree- he's far superior to the bumbling duo of Patrick/Elmore and I like his commentary. I resented him as a player during UCLA dominance , but enjoy his game commentary.

hurleyfor3
01-10-2014, 12:20 PM
He keeps blathering on about how great California is, but I suspect he is looking into taking up permanent residence in Colorado.

jv001
01-10-2014, 12:24 PM
Totally agree- he's far superior to the bumbling duo of Patrick/Elmore and I like his commentary. I resented him as a player during UCLA dominance , but enjoy his game commentary.

Anyone is better than Elmore. He get's in little jabs at the Blue Devils in every Duke game he does. Mute is the answer! GoDuke!

77devil
01-10-2014, 12:38 PM
Yeah, I like the big redhead/Deadhead.

He appreciates and points out sound, smart basketball, and comes up with interesting observations.

Compare him with another premier college big man of roughly the same era who regularly announces ACC games -- Len Elmore. Walton is waaaay better.

Me too.

I'll take Walton over Elmore, Kellogg, Gottlieb, Patrick, and Vitale just to name a few. No doubt he is a little eccentric. After all he attended more than 600 GD concerts. But he knows basketball, having learned from the Wizard, and his commentary is unvarnished. I admire him too for overcoming a significant stutter that made ordinary conversation extremely difficult and public speaking and broadcasting impossible.

wilko
01-10-2014, 01:04 PM
Sounds like you might want to make a reservation in my brother-in-law's (baby blue, deeply annoying) basement.

Neutral ground pls.... If the Heels season continues as it HAS... then he may throw me out once I give him an earful.

Kfanarmy
01-10-2014, 01:22 PM
Given that some of you enjoy him, I'm going to assume he was On something he shouldn't have been or Off of something he should have been on.

oldnavy
01-10-2014, 01:39 PM
Me too.

I'll take Walton over Elmore, Kellogg, Gottlieb, Patrick, and Vitale just to name a few. No doubt he is a little eccentric. After all he attended more than 600 GD concerts. But he knows basketball, having learned from the Wizard, and his commentary is unvarnished. I admire him too for overcoming a significant stutter that made ordinary conversation extremely difficult and public speaking and broadcasting impossible.

Not a big Walton fan personally, but I dislike MOST announcers. My wife doesn't understand why I mute the games. I tell her that the announcers are more distracting than helpful and I'd rather see the game without the noise than hear them blather on.

Having said that, I do like, Bob Knight, Jay Bilas and Jimmy Dykes is one of my favorites.

Spoke to Jimmy Dykes in Maui a few years back and he is a really nice guy (at least he was in Hawaii).

Dukehky
01-10-2014, 01:51 PM
I just enjoy Bill Walton as a commentator. I don't take him too seriously. He shredded Gilbert Arenas which i thought was inappropriate but a little hilarious. "Gilbert lost his mind. I love Gilbert, he used to wake up on my couch every Saturday morning." I thought that was hilarious.

I haven't heard him call a game since he stopped calling NBA games, but I was pleasantly surprised to see him last night. I thought it was refreshing to hear an announcer show just how much he loved his school. I think J-Will, Bilas, and Gman, who are all really professional go out of there way a lot of time to distance themselves from the program during games, even when the play by play guy gives them openings to go into detail as to what being a Duke player was like and how it was great for them.

I would love to hear Bill Walton to call Duke games, because I bet that he would just slobber all over K in a less annoying way than Dick Vitale. Plus he just doesn't care what people think about what he says.

Plus, check out these pictures, just fantastic http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1211/nba-bill-walton-classic-photos/content.1.html

Just fantastic, the big Dead Head.

brevity
01-10-2014, 01:58 PM
It was a typical Bill Walton commentary, not afraid to hammer anyone. At one point his partner stopped him short when he started to call Digger a devil when they were talking about ND stopping UCLA long winning Streak.


I did catch that unfortunately. I'm not a fan of Digger Phelps analysis, but that was unprofessional.

In Mr. Walton's defense, you may have missed the broadcast where Digger Phelps had a red highlighter to match his horns.

MChambers
01-10-2014, 02:23 PM
I would love to hear Bill Walton to call Duke games, because I bet that he would just slobber all over K in a less annoying way than Dick Vitale. Plus he just doesn't care what people think about what he says.
In the post-game show for the 2001 NCAA Finals, Walton waxed eloquent about the brilliance of Duke and Coach K. (And one of his kids played for Arizona.)

I've had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since then.

As far as the sobriety is concerned, I've never heard him sound anything other than enthusiastic. Having said that, he apparently lives in a lot of pain as a result of sports injuries. It's possible he's on a pain medication, prescribed or otherwise.

AtlDuke72
01-10-2014, 02:26 PM
I just enjoy Bill Walton as a commentator. I would love to hear Bill Walton to call Duke games, because I bet that he would just slobber all over K in a less annoying way than Dick Vitale. Plus he just doesn't care what people think about what he says.

Hard to believe that you are serious. If Walton starts doing the Duke games I would have to stop watching.

jv001
01-10-2014, 02:38 PM
I just enjoy Bill Walton as a commentator. I would love to hear Bill Walton to call Duke games, because I bet that he would just slobber all over K in a less annoying way than Dick Vitale. Plus he just doesn't care what people think about what he says.

Hard to believe that you are serious. If Walton starts doing the Duke games I would have to stop watching.

Pick one(can't hit mute): Walton or Elmore! :cool:GoDuke!

MChambers
01-10-2014, 02:53 PM
Pick one(can't hit mute): Walton or Elmore! :cool:GoDuke!

Walton. No question in my mind.

77devil
01-10-2014, 03:02 PM
In the post-game show for the 2001 NCAA Finals, Walton waxed eloquent about the brilliance of Duke and Coach K. (And one of his kids played for Arizona.)

I've had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since then.

As far as the sobriety is concerned, I've never heard him sound anything other than enthusiastic. Having said that, he apparently lives in a lot of pain as a result of sports injuries. It's possible he's on a pain medication, prescribed or otherwise.

Check out the pictures linked above where his knees are visible. No doubt he has to deal with chronic pain.

Dukehky
01-10-2014, 03:39 PM
Pick one(can't hit mute): Walton or Elmore! :cool:GoDuke!

I'd rather listen to Bill Walton and rusty nails scraping a chalk board as the play by play than hear Len Elmore.

DBFAN
01-10-2014, 04:29 PM
In the post-game show for the 2001 NCAA Finals, Walton waxed eloquent about the brilliance of Duke and Coach K. (And one of his kids played for Arizona.)

I've had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since then.

As far as the sobriety is concerned, I've never heard him sound anything other than enthusiastic. Having said that, he apparently lives in a lot of pain as a result of sports injuries. It's possible he's on a pain medication, prescribed or otherwise.

I remember him doing that as well, but I figured CBS made him do that because several times during the game he made some not so subtle remarks about Duke getting all the calls. He def had a hard time being non-biased with his son playing for AZ...lol

Bob Green
01-10-2014, 04:50 PM
I remember him doing that as well, but I figured CBS made him do that because several times during the game he made some not so subtle remarks about Duke getting all the calls. He def had a hard time being non-biased with his son playing for AZ...lol

I remember Billy Packer as the color commentator, during the 2001 National Championship Game, saying the things you are attributing to Walton. I do not remember Walton.

As far as Walton as a commentator in general, he receives a mixed review from me as he obviously knows the game and I appreciate his pointed observations; however, like the majority of commentators, he has diarrhea of the mouth. Simply stated, he talks too much.

duke4ever19
01-10-2014, 05:05 PM
Mute is the answer!

As a brief aside from the topic...

I have come to really appreciate the mute button for all sports, especially college basketball. In fact, I found that I notice to a much greater degree the technical aspects of the game (player positioning, blown assignments, good vs. bad defensive/offensive schemes, individual player effort) without the aid of Vitale's rabbit trails or the incessant repetition of the same factoids about a player game after game. Some of you are much more seasoned basketball watchers than myself and don't see the commentary as a distraction, but with the exception of Bobby Knight (who provides good insight) and a couple others, I think the mute button has enabled me to zero in on some of the nuances of the game that many of you more experienced basketball fans pick up on readily.

Wander
01-10-2014, 05:07 PM
Bottom line is he's good as long as it's not a UCLA game.

DUKIE V(A)
01-10-2014, 05:22 PM
I am in the minority here, but I am huge Walton fan (even though I rooted against his teams throughout his playing career). Unlike many who would like to mute Walton, I will actually stop flipping channels to watch games I have no interest in just to listen to his hyperbole and sarcasm. Walton seems like a genuinely good guy and displays a great sense of passion for the game (and the relationships he developed because of it). I find his stories entertaining. As MChambers pointed out, I thought his positive protrayal of Caoch K and the Duke program after the 2001 Final was a classy moment. I recall being particularly impressed that his nice words came only moments after Duke had bested his son Luke's talented Arizona squad.

roywhite
01-10-2014, 06:17 PM
I remember Billy Packer as the color commentator, during the 2001 National Championship Game, saying the things you are attributing to Walton. I do not remember Walton.



Bob, thanks so much for reminding me that another basketball season is here without Billy Packer. Yeah, Billy knew hoops, but the same stories and same takes year after year were tiresome.

Indoor66
01-10-2014, 06:27 PM
I remember Billy Packer as the color commentator, during the 2001 National Championship Game, saying the things you are attributing to Walton. I do not remember Walton.

As far as Walton as a commentator in general, he receives a mixed review from me as he obviously knows the game and I appreciate his pointed observations; however, like the majority of commentators, he has diarrhea of the mouth. Simply stated, he talks too much.

But isn't like them being hammers and everything looking like a nail? They just gotta hit it.

BD80
01-10-2014, 06:28 PM
Pick one(can't hit mute): Walton or Elmore! :cool:GoDuke!

That's an old joke, you shoot the lawyer twice.

Cameron
01-10-2014, 09:04 PM
Bill Walton is excellent. His brand of playfully-cutting, hyperbolic and often controversial commentating has made him one of the most beloved and compelling color analysts in basketball over the past two decades. He's as entertaining a personality as there is in the profession. Unlike a guy like Bob Costas, Walton is not an egotistical, pretentious, big-mouthed maniac; he just plays one on TV. That's his character, and he has crafted it to perfection. Walton is actually quite clever and quite brilliant, a talking encyclopedia of basketball and world knowledge and he incorporates highly-fascinating insights into both into every broadcast, always with a humorous slant.

With regard to Walton's relationship with fellow announcer Dave Pasch, I think some of you are mistaking banter with discord. Like his one-time partnership in the NBA booth with Steve "Snapper" Jones, Walton has developed a very effective repartee with Pasch rooted in a point-counterpoint banter that almost resembles the work of a great comedy duo, with Walton serving as the the funny man and Pasch the sarcastic foil. It works really well, and I'd bet the two are actually good friends outside of the game and do share the occasional beer together.

To briefly touch on the hyperbole that has made Walton so famous, here's one of my personal favorites: "Eric Piatkowski makes perhaps the greatest defensive play in Clipper history. If [he]keeps playing at this level, he's going to replace Jerry West as the NBA logo."

That was Bill Walton, after the Clippers' Piatkowski, a little-played and normally-terrible reserve, intercepted a ball in which a member of the opposing team was trying to save from going out-of-bounds, a gift-wrapped steal.

He's legendary.

BD80
01-10-2014, 11:41 PM
... To briefly touch on the hyperbole that has made Walton so famous, here's one of my personal favorites: "Eric Piatkowski makes perhaps the greatest defensive play in Clipper history. ...

At that point in time it might have been the ONLY defensive play in Clippers history.

dukelifer
01-11-2014, 07:40 AM
Bill Walton is excellent. His brand of playfully-cutting, hyperbolic and often controversial commentating has made him one of the most beloved and compelling color analysts in basketball over the past two decades. He's as entertaining a personality as there is in the profession. Unlike a guy like Bob Costas, Walton is not an egotistical, pretentious, big-mouthed maniac; he just plays one on TV. That's his character, and he has crafted it to perfection. Walton is actually quite clever and quite brilliant, a talking encyclopedia of basketball and world knowledge and he incorporates highly-fascinating insights into both into every broadcast, always with a humorous slant.

With regard to Walton's relationship with fellow announcer Dave Pasch, I think some of you are mistaking banter with discord. Like his one-time partnership in the NBA booth with Steve "Snapper" Jones, Walton has developed a very effective repartee with Pasch rooted in a point-counterpoint banter that almost resembles the work of a great comedy duo, with Walton serving as the the funny man and Pasch the sarcastic foil. It works really well, and I'd bet the two are actually good friends outside of the game and do share the occasional beer together.

To briefly touch on the hyperbole that has made Walton so famous, here's one of my personal favorites: "Eric Piatkowski makes perhaps the greatest defensive play in Clipper history. If [he]keeps playing at this level, he's going to replace Jerry West as the NBA logo."

That was Bill Walton, after the Clippers' Piatkowski, a little-played and normally-terrible reserve, intercepted a ball in which a member of the opposing team was trying to save from going out-of-bounds, a gift-wrapped steal.

He's legendary.

Walton is unique. I have mostly seen him do UCLA games and he is usually hypercritical of the Bruins- relating the current crop to his time with Wooden. That is just Walton. But he does like to go over the top a lot. For entertainment - he is fine. If he was doing a Duke game - I might feel differently.

miramar
01-11-2014, 10:06 AM
he has improved tremendously since he started doing color for UCLA games in the eighties. Back then he had a speech impediment that made him slur his words, but it seems that once he solved his problem he simply couldn't stop talking. But then again most color men would do better if they spoke less.

BTW, I kind of like Lenny.

DUKIE V(A)
01-11-2014, 10:15 AM
Bill Walton is excellent. His brand of playfully-cutting, hyperbolic and often controversial commentating has made him one of the most beloved and compelling color analysts in basketball over the past two decades. He's as entertaining a personality as there is in the profession. Unlike a guy like Bob Costas, Walton is not an egotistical, pretentious, big-mouthed maniac; he just plays one on TV. That's his character, and he has crafted it to perfection. Walton is actually quite clever and quite brilliant, a talking encyclopedia of basketball and world knowledge and he incorporates highly-fascinating insights into both into every broadcast, always with a humorous slant.

With regard to Walton's relationship with fellow announcer Dave Pasch, I think some of you are mistaking banter with discord. Like his one-time partnership in the NBA booth with Steve "Snapper" Jones, Walton has developed a very effective repartee with Pasch rooted in a point-counterpoint banter that almost resembles the work of a great comedy duo, with Walton serving as the the funny man and Pasch the sarcastic foil. It works really well, and I'd bet the two are actually good friends outside of the game and do share the occasional beer together.

To briefly touch on the hyperbole that has made Walton so famous, here's one of my personal favorites: "Eric Piatkowski makes perhaps the greatest defensive play in Clipper history. If [he]keeps playing at this level, he's going to replace Jerry West as the NBA logo."

That was Bill Walton, after the Clippers' Piatkowski, a little-played and normally-terrible reserve, intercepted a ball in which a member of the opposing team was trying to save from going out-of-bounds, a gift-wrapped steal.

He's legendary.

One of my favorites. Walton on Boris Diaw

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6KkrccHEAqg

OldPhiKap
01-11-2014, 10:18 AM
3791

Bill Walton, backstage with the Grateful Dead.

So there's that.

killerleft
01-11-2014, 11:03 AM
Pick one(can't hit mute): Walton or Elmore! :cool:GoDuke!

Differences between Walton and Elmore? Walton speaks without thinking, makes mean-spirited comments, occasionally is insightful, and has become a caricature of his former self. Elmore is more insightful, occasionally speaks without thinking, is rarely mean-spirited, and is the same person we've always known.

I don't need a medicated curmudgeon to analyze games. Len is the easy winner for me. But we're gonna get the one they put on the air, so just hit moot!

Clay Feet POF
01-11-2014, 11:24 AM
Differences between Walton and Elmore? Walton speaks without thinking, makes mean-spirited comments, occasionally is insightful, and has become a caricature of his former self. Elmore is more insightful, occasionally speaks without thinking, is rarely mean-spirited, and is the same person we've always known.

I don't need a medicated curmudgeon to analyze games. Len is the easy winner for me. But we're gonna get the one they put on the air, so just hit moot!

OK, if you had to choose OUR full season home team announcer, Walton or Elmore? I couldn’t take Walton as a steady diet. Maybe one game would be my limit.

hurleyfor3
01-11-2014, 12:07 PM
Walton seems to enjoy life more.