Bill Walton

usc4valpo · November 19, 2018, 09:13:03 PM

Is a breath of fresh air. It would great to hear him announce a Valpo game.

vu84v2 · November 19, 2018, 09:34:23 PM

Is high when he does broadcasts. Beyond that, he does no game preparation and would know nothing about Valparaiso or any of its players.

usc4valpo · November 19, 2018, 09:53:55 PM

He is different, that's for sure. He and Todd would work well together.

VUGrad1314 · November 20, 2018, 06:31:21 AM

I can hear it now:
"And those quick feet and sound positioning are what makes Derrik Smits Valpo's defensive anchor"

"Micah Bradford is one of the premier shooters in the MVC if not the entire NCAA"

"Defenders know they can't stop John Kiser on offense They can only hope to contain him"

"Mileek McMillan is such a disciplined defender. He knows just where and how to position himself to avoid unnecessary fouls."

"Valpo is one of the top rebounding and perimeter shooting teams in the country"

Add in a few errant references to Coach Drew (when he means Coach Lottich) and a few mistaken references to our league affiliation (get ready to hear about how we'll surely be a team to be reckoned with in the HL or worse yet the Mid-Con) and you have exactly how that broadcast would go. Awful I have no idea how he's still employed

usc4valpo · November 20, 2018, 08:04:21 AM

Walton has insight and doesn't take the game so seriously. Also, he was probably the greatest college basketball star ever, this he is college basketball royalty. 21-22 shooting against Memphis State in the championship. He can bring up the beauty and grit it took to build the world's largest collegiate chapel. He can thank John Streitelmeier for all his thrilling and wonderful geographical brilliance. Walton is a treasure for college basketball.

vu84v2 · November 20, 2018, 02:32:12 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on November 19, 2018, 09:53:55 PM
He is different, that's for sure. He and Todd would work well together.

Todd is too professional for Walton. I have listened to Todd for years and he focuses on delivering a detailed and articulate description of the game. Walton would drive him nuts!

usc4valpo · November 20, 2018, 04:08:13 PM

I think it would be a good balancing act.

EddieCabot · November 20, 2018, 05:51:35 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on November 20, 2018, 04:08:13 PM
I think it would be a good balancing act.

Also, Todd does radio and Walton does TV ... TV doesn't require that every pass or movement be explained to the listener/watcher as they can see it on the screen.

valpospartan · November 20, 2018, 09:51:18 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on November 20, 2018, 05:51:35 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on November 20, 2018, 04:08:13 PM
I think it would be a good balancing act.

Also, Todd does radio and Walton does TV ... TV doesn't require that every pass or movement be explained to the listener/watcher as they can see it on the screen.

Then why do 99% of the color guys talk non-stop (See dookie V, Dakich, etc, etc.)?

usc4valpo · November 22, 2018, 09:44:52 AM

The thing about Walton is that he goes off topic about bizarre stuff related to the schools and locations where they are playing. I find it interesting and educational. Also, if you dig into the broadcast, he knows the game well. Walton will is also a great representative of the Pac 12 which does not get much love nationwide.

valporun · November 24, 2018, 11:54:55 PM

You could say Bill Walton is the West Coast version of Dickie V. Billy will go bonkers about UCLA and the PAC-12 and West Coast basketball (not the conference, but the coast), while Dick Vitale will continue his poetry about the ACC and Coach K. Both are very knowledgeable about college hoops, but they bleed coastal basketball.

usc4valpo · November 25, 2018, 10:04:51 AM

Dick Vitale is a national basketball treasure also. The worst was Billy Packer. Al McGuire in my opinion was the best.

valpo64 · November 25, 2018, 01:06:51 PM

Once Bill Walton gets over the love he has of himself, he has the potential to be appreciative of college basketball around the whole Country.

usc4valpo · November 25, 2018, 01:52:56 PM

64 - disagree. This man has does a lot of chatty work and was selfless as a player. His asssing skills were unbelievable.

FieldGoodie05 · November 25, 2018, 02:14:46 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on November 25, 2018, 01:52:56 PM
64 - disagree. This man has does a lot of chatty work and was selfless as a player. His asssing skills were unbelievable.

Bill Walton is a weirdo and sadly nothing about his personal life can change how he interacts with the television audience.

I don't consider him "made for TV/broadcasting" for my taste. And I don't believe I'm alone.

Though I'm glad to hear he's a good person, enough rat ______ to go around.

vu84v2 · November 25, 2018, 03:52:51 PM

Walton may have been the greatest college basketball player ever, but that does not make him a good broadcaster. I have watched him do games with teams that are not on the west coast and it was clear he spent about five minutes learning about the teams and their players. If a broadcaster adds color outside of the game I am watching, fine - but their first job is to be prepared to broadcast the game at hand. Walton fails miserably in that respect. Say what you want about Vitale's biases, but he always seems to be well-prepared. Agree that Al McGuire was among the best - but he also prepared (I remember him doing a great job in the 1998 tournament game against Rhode Island).

usc4valpo · November 25, 2018, 05:05:43 PM

"sports is the toy department of life" Howard Cosell

At the end, sports need to be enjoyable, and Walton enables that. Unlike Packer.