Bill Walton
- Thread starter boomer1
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just my 2 cents boomer 
I've been listening to Bill Walton 'analyze' college games for a longg time now..
and I've never thought of it as angry really.. I believe it's more like tongue in cheek righteous indignation lol... I think he comes from a good place
Personally I like him as the color man for the games..
HOWEVER... in games that are intense and close for the entire game, his style may not be the best for those that really just want to stick to the game lol...
Myself, I've seen countless thousands of games I'd guess.. and cookie cutter commentators too.
Walton is definitely from a unique mold lol...
and I think it works great over the course of the season, in matchups that may seem a bit dull or dreary his variety of conversational analysis and interactions with the play by play guy help keep me interested!
I enjoy listening to most of the tangents that his brain veers off on... some of the stories of various musicians or celebrities and encounters inspire memories of my own or make me laugh out loud.
I'm not sure of your age or if you remember how good a player he was, and his teams were, but his talent references and critiques are undeniably legit...
I remember watching Bill play and he was about the most fundamentally sound player I ever saw in 3 yrs of his college play... I'm almost 64.. and grew up watching Ucla w/Alcindor and Walton dominating opponents w/level of skill and teamwork that was unparallelled and may never be seen again..
not sure he'll get any of the rest of the games now that Pac 12 gms are done...
hope he stays well and comes bk again next year
GL on your bets!
I've been listening to Bill Walton 'analyze' college games for a longg time now..
and I've never thought of it as angry really.. I believe it's more like tongue in cheek righteous indignation lol... I think he comes from a good place
Personally I like him as the color man for the games..
HOWEVER... in games that are intense and close for the entire game, his style may not be the best for those that really just want to stick to the game lol...
Myself, I've seen countless thousands of games I'd guess.. and cookie cutter commentators too.
Walton is definitely from a unique mold lol...
and I think it works great over the course of the season, in matchups that may seem a bit dull or dreary his variety of conversational analysis and interactions with the play by play guy help keep me interested!
I enjoy listening to most of the tangents that his brain veers off on... some of the stories of various musicians or celebrities and encounters inspire memories of my own or make me laugh out loud.
I'm not sure of your age or if you remember how good a player he was, and his teams were, but his talent references and critiques are undeniably legit...
I remember watching Bill play and he was about the most fundamentally sound player I ever saw in 3 yrs of his college play... I'm almost 64.. and grew up watching Ucla w/Alcindor and Walton dominating opponents w/level of skill and teamwork that was unparallelled and may never be seen again..
not sure he'll get any of the rest of the games now that Pac 12 gms are done...
hope he stays well and comes bk again next year
GL on your bets!
just my 2 cents boomer
I've been listening to Bill Walton 'analyze' college games for a longg time now..
and I've never thought of it as angry really.. I believe it's more like tongue in cheek righteous indignation lol... I think he comes from a good place
Personally I like him as the color man for the games..
HOWEVER... in games that are intense and close for the entire game, his style may not be the best for those that really just want to stick to the game lol...
Myself, I've seen countless thousands of games I'd guess.. and cookie cutter commentators too.
Walton is definitely from a unique mold lol...
and I think it works great over the course of the season, in matchups that may seem a bit dull or dreary his variety of conversational analysis and interactions with the play by play guy help keep me interested!
I enjoy listening to most of the tangents that his brain veers off on... some of the stories of various musicians or celebrities and encounters inspire memories of my own or make me laugh out loud.
I'm not sure of your age or if you remember how good a player he was, and his teams were, but his talent references and critiques are undeniably legit...
I remember watching Bill play and he was about the most fundamentally sound player I ever saw in 3 yrs of his college play... I'm almost 64.. and grew up watching Ucla w/Alcindor and Walton dominating opponents w/level of skill and teamwork that was unparallelled and may never be seen again..
not sure he'll get any of the rest of the games now that Pac 12 gms are done...
hope he stays well and comes bk again next year
GL on your bets!
I can respect that LOB, we like who like. I may be the only person in Alabama that liked Gary and Vern. Lol.. It was the tangents that got in the way of the game to me. One time he yelled, WHY ARE THE BUFFALOS MISSING THEIR FREE THROWS!! and his partner said Bill I don?t think they are missing on purpose! AKA calm down. Have a big day
Boom
Lord you couldn't of said it better.. I like him and he's right so many times buts he's nuts on somethings he says. I can live with him because the positive out weighs the bad.. I have friends that hate him so much.. think you take the good with the bad. But as a player he was what a post player should be. His rebounding,passing and outlet pass is one of the very best ever in sports. Only Wes Unseld had a better out let pass
He makes you want to watch games that you wouldn?t normally watch, very informative, a very fundamentally sound player, and very off the wall with his stories:0002
opcorn2.....he?s so out of the box that people either love him or hate him....I think he?s great and good for the game...:0002I remember I was listening to an ESPN radio show recently and he was a guest and the host intentionally ask him only one guestion...what was ...what was the meaning of life?? Bill went on for 20 minutes rambling and the only thing the host said in the interview was that time is up we have to go:mj07::0002:0074
Bill Walton grew up with a seriously bad stutter...
It's been said by some that since he was "cured" of that issue, he hasn't shut up since! :142smilie
I'll also say, he does his homework.. re: the Pac 12, he knows the coaches, players, ADs, and many of their families, and goes out of his way to mention their names (which ppl love to hear their family names on tv right?)
GL everyone!
It's been said by some that since he was "cured" of that issue, he hasn't shut up since! :142smilie
I'll also say, he does his homework.. re: the Pac 12, he knows the coaches, players, ADs, and many of their families, and goes out of his way to mention their names (which ppl love to hear their family names on tv right?)
GL everyone!
any of you guys ever have some younger person SAY TO YOU "I CAN'T STAND BILL WALTON. JUST HOW GOOD WAS HE ANYWAYS?" :mj07:
I won't keep the channel on long once I hear his voice.
I'm just thankful he covers teams I don't give a shit about.
I'm just thankful he covers teams I don't give a shit about.
I'm 46 (just to put reference to it) and I LOVE him. I've had this conversation many times before and I know that some love him and many hate him.
I remember him playing with the Celtics back in the mid-80's. Most of what I know before that is how he was damn good but battled injuries and when he was healthy won a title with Portland in '77. You guys are right about him knowing the game and fundamentals. And look at his coaches...John Wooden at UCLA and Dr Jack Ramsey with Portland. Then a good one at Boston with KC Jones and playing with Bird and McHale and all of those greats. He was talented and surrounded by talent both in coaches and players.
His humor is unbelievably dry and witty...which I love and appreciate and I use a lot of it too. Some people don't like it and/or don't appreciate it and even don't recognize it. I loved it when he did NBA games back in the mid to late 90's including some NBA Finals. He got paired up with Marv Albert every so often which was great. He'd also get paired up with Steve "Snapper" Jones and Matt Goukas. Those 2 would gang up on him but Bill didn't care.
He used to give some players such grief. A guy would miss 2 layups and Bill would be all over him. Cedric Ceballos, make a shot pleeease. Or Kobe would drive past a guy and he'd go, Kobe Bryant is right handed and PROMISES to be for the remainder of the contest. Then he'd give praise to guys like Greg Ostertag....Greg Ostertag is the best shot blocker in the history of western civilization.
And of course he'd go off about the Grateful Dead. He saw ZZ Top in the stands and in mid sentence he goes, NIIICE BEEEAAARDDS. And through it all he'd add in so many fundamentals. A guy would do something and Bill would immediately call him on it. "Never dribble the basketball one time". "Guard the man with the ball, he's the one who is capable of scoring."
I've seen him do some Pac 12 games over the last several years and it's a treat. He loves to give praise to both UCLA and of course the "conference of champions". There are times he's paired up with Dave Pasch and it seems like Pasch is miserable the whole time. It's hard to tell if Pasch is just playing along or truly irritated but it makes it all the better.
A lot of people didn't like Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football. I loved him as he brought something unique but in a good way. I wouldn't want to listen to Walton every game but I love watching the games he does. Guys like him and Bill Raftery (who I also love) and the late Al McGuire and so many more bring a unique flair to the game in addition to everything else. I could talk Bill Walton for hours. I love so many of his quotes.
I remember him playing with the Celtics back in the mid-80's. Most of what I know before that is how he was damn good but battled injuries and when he was healthy won a title with Portland in '77. You guys are right about him knowing the game and fundamentals. And look at his coaches...John Wooden at UCLA and Dr Jack Ramsey with Portland. Then a good one at Boston with KC Jones and playing with Bird and McHale and all of those greats. He was talented and surrounded by talent both in coaches and players.
His humor is unbelievably dry and witty...which I love and appreciate and I use a lot of it too. Some people don't like it and/or don't appreciate it and even don't recognize it. I loved it when he did NBA games back in the mid to late 90's including some NBA Finals. He got paired up with Marv Albert every so often which was great. He'd also get paired up with Steve "Snapper" Jones and Matt Goukas. Those 2 would gang up on him but Bill didn't care.
He used to give some players such grief. A guy would miss 2 layups and Bill would be all over him. Cedric Ceballos, make a shot pleeease. Or Kobe would drive past a guy and he'd go, Kobe Bryant is right handed and PROMISES to be for the remainder of the contest. Then he'd give praise to guys like Greg Ostertag....Greg Ostertag is the best shot blocker in the history of western civilization.
And of course he'd go off about the Grateful Dead. He saw ZZ Top in the stands and in mid sentence he goes, NIIICE BEEEAAARDDS. And through it all he'd add in so many fundamentals. A guy would do something and Bill would immediately call him on it. "Never dribble the basketball one time". "Guard the man with the ball, he's the one who is capable of scoring."
I've seen him do some Pac 12 games over the last several years and it's a treat. He loves to give praise to both UCLA and of course the "conference of champions". There are times he's paired up with Dave Pasch and it seems like Pasch is miserable the whole time. It's hard to tell if Pasch is just playing along or truly irritated but it makes it all the better.
A lot of people didn't like Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football. I loved him as he brought something unique but in a good way. I wouldn't want to listen to Walton every game but I love watching the games he does. Guys like him and Bill Raftery (who I also love) and the late Al McGuire and so many more bring a unique flair to the game in addition to everything else. I could talk Bill Walton for hours. I love so many of his quotes.
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I totally forgot about him saying conference of champions 1000 times😂. And I?m 51 so I?m aware of how good of a player he was. I?m in Alabama and I don?t hear him call games often. So you can understand not knowing that going off on mistakes was his nitch. Like I said I loved Vern and Gary who many can?t stand. We like who we like .I didn?t realize a quick comment would spark such a conversation. Hope everyone is doing well and good luck in the tourney!
Boom
just my 2 cents boomer
I've been listening to Bill Walton 'analyze' college games for a longg time now..
and I've never thought of it as angry really.. I believe it's more like tongue in cheek righteous indignation lol... I think he comes from a good place
Personally I like him as the color man for the games..
HOWEVER... in games that are intense and close for the entire game, his style may not be the best for those that really just want to stick to the game lol...
Myself, I've seen countless thousands of games I'd guess.. and cookie cutter commentators too.
Walton is definitely from a unique mold lol...
and I think it works great over the course of the season, in matchups that may seem a bit dull or dreary his variety of conversational analysis and interactions with the play by play guy help keep me interested!
I enjoy listening to most of the tangents that his brain veers off on... some of the stories of various musicians or celebrities and encounters inspire memories of my own or make me laugh out loud.
I'm not sure of your age or if you remember how good a player he was, and his teams were, but his talent references and critiques are undeniably legit...
I remember watching Bill play and he was about the most fundamentally sound player I ever saw in 3 yrs of his college play... I'm almost 64.. and grew up watching Ucla w/Alcindor and Walton dominating opponents w/level of skill and teamwork that was unparallelled and may never be seen again..
not sure he'll get any of the rest of the games now that Pac 12 gms are done...
hope he stays well and comes bk again next year
GL on your bets!
I concur with your take on brother Bill. Especially for marginal games that I don't really care about his style gives me a chuckle or two when there are so many mundane announcers. Many don't don't like his style but I have been watching this stuff for a long time and appreciate the music/celebrity/non b-ball stuff. For those you didn't get to watch him play, I remember his days at UCLA and mostly Portland....so fundamentally sound and one of the best passing big men to ever lace em up!!
he`s out there.....i hope it`s just his schtick....his persona is "annoying contrarian" and after years of listening i actually enjoy it(once in a while)..he makes me laugh....
.he`s manic.....you get the feeling they keep him in a big trunk and wake him up at gametime like "the gimp".....
.he`s manic.....you get the feeling they keep him in a big trunk and wake him up at gametime like "the gimp".....
I like Vern and Gary too. Gary can get a little repetitive sometimes. Or maybe predictable. You see a situation and he starts talking and you know exactly what and how he's gonna say it but it's gonna take him forever to get it out. But I do like both of them and even though it hasn't been long, I do miss Vern (retirement).
I also remember Vern doing basketball games with Raftery. "And, Vern Lundquist, the Tar Heels start out the game....MANTOMAN!!"
Announcers are such a big part of the game and sometimes we don't really appreciate them until late in their careers. I miss Keith Jackson dearly. I was fairly neutral on Brent Musburger until late in his career. I liked him way back on NFL Today and then sort of got tired of him but late in his career, esp when paired with Herbstreit who I really like...it was fun to see him announce and he'd always hint around at the point spread. We'd always talk about how "we know Brent has chalk, Brent loves him some chalk" lol
I also remember Vern doing basketball games with Raftery. "And, Vern Lundquist, the Tar Heels start out the game....MANTOMAN!!"
Announcers are such a big part of the game and sometimes we don't really appreciate them until late in their careers. I miss Keith Jackson dearly. I was fairly neutral on Brent Musburger until late in his career. I liked him way back on NFL Today and then sort of got tired of him but late in his career, esp when paired with Herbstreit who I really like...it was fun to see him announce and he'd always hint around at the point spread. We'd always talk about how "we know Brent has chalk, Brent loves him some chalk" lol
TDJ, even is i wasn?t gonna watch the game I?d always watch the tip of one of Ralf?s game to hear his ?MANTOMAN? to open. I think he said it even if they were opening in a zone🤣🤣
Yep! It's amazing how such little things...who would think someone would have a catchphrase as simple as "man-to-man" but I'm sure it just happened and he went with it.
Syracuse of course has played that 2-3 zone for about the last 40 years but I've heard Raff go....Syracuse comes out...in a 2-3 zone...with MANTOMAN principles!!
He's got so many other things too and is just so colorful. "Pick up the lingerie"...."ONIONS"....and let's not forget "Send it in Jerome!!" and so many more. Most of what he says is just really interesting and/or funny. I can't remember what the exact set up was but I guess it was either them talking about a player's speed or maybe someone went into the locker room real fast...whatever it was, Bill didn't miss a beat and he quickly said to the other announcer....reminds me of you when the waitress put the check down on our table last night.
Good stuff indeed!!
Syracuse of course has played that 2-3 zone for about the last 40 years but I've heard Raff go....Syracuse comes out...in a 2-3 zone...with MANTOMAN principles!!
He's got so many other things too and is just so colorful. "Pick up the lingerie"...."ONIONS"....and let's not forget "Send it in Jerome!!" and so many more. Most of what he says is just really interesting and/or funny. I can't remember what the exact set up was but I guess it was either them talking about a player's speed or maybe someone went into the locker room real fast...whatever it was, Bill didn't miss a beat and he quickly said to the other announcer....reminds me of you when the waitress put the check down on our table last night.
Good stuff indeed!!
