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Bill Walton in Boulder

Bill Walton is the Stanford band of basketball announcing. If I'm in the mood for something traditional I'll hate that it's on my TV. If I want something so off the wall that I just have to laugh at it, it's perfect. Him playing up every stereotype opposing fans tuning in already had of Boulder and complimenting CU en route to them winning was magic. There were grating moments for sure but at the end of the game I'd say the entire production was very memorable. The game and the schtick.
 
The discussion about Bill Walton bingo and Shap was hilarious. As I rewatch the game just to get the Bill Walton experience.
 
Just a few moments ago he told a chief Niwot story on ESPN during the Cal UCLA. He can't stop gushing about how the skinny small Buffaloes beat the powerful Wilcats of Arizona
 
Just a few moments ago he told a chief Niwot story on ESPN during the Cal UCLA. He can't stop gushing about how the skinny small Buffaloes beat the powerful Wilcats of Arizona
The curse of Chief Niwot. He told settlers that it is so beautiful here more and more settlers will move here until it will take an hour to drive from Aurora to Denver. (I embellished his story a bit.)
 
Often a detractor of Bill, I believe he has buried the hatchet and allowed us into the conference. Laughed hard when I watched the TiVo, post attending. Wondered during game what he was up to..... ;). Fun night!
 
from last night's game...(paraphrasing)

"what a tour this week...boulder, berkeley and.....utah"

(presumably because 'salt lake city' doesn't have quite the same appeal as the other two...)
 
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I wish someone musically inclined would dub the best of Bill Walton's AZ -v- Colorado basketball announcing over the "Dark Side of the Moon" and "American Beauty" soundtracks.
 
Watching the replay. Bill... bill is a weirdo.

He is the Andy Kaufman or Borat of college basketball announcing.

It's easy to not like his diarrhea of the mouth. But to mix shock value metaphors, said diarrhea is basically an 80 minute BJ for CU.

The only person recorded on ESPN with that much enthusiasm for Colorado in the past year was Bill McCartney on his 30 for 30 episode.
 
He is the Andy Kaufman or Borat of college basketball announcing.
Disluke! Andy Kaufman was a comedian (I guess) who knew nothing about comedy. Look up unfunny in the dictionary and you'll see his picture. Walton at least knows basketball. Granted, most of his commentary wasn't about basketball, unless you count, "throw it down, George King!" as basketball commentary, but he knows the game.
 
I have no idea when the switch happened, or perhaps Bill just was acting the part for corporate ESPN1. However, I HATED Walton when he announced the pros. His commentary was just condescending in a haughty tone and didn't really provide a ton of insight either. His hyperboles now work due to being facetious statements from a complete goof that may be (probably?) high, but when doing the NBA with Snapper as a straight-man/basketball legend... ...I found them particularly aggravating...

Now that he does college...he smiles a ton and acts all goofy. I can appreciate that, but I really wouldn't mind having a PAC12 equivalent of Jeff Van Gundy or Hubie Brown.
 
Pasch does a good job of being the straight man to Walton's weirdness. One of my favorite moments of the broadcast was when Walton was going on about something, and then asked Pasch "Were you going to do a promo or something?" and Pasch just said "Nevermind" and continued to call the game. There was also this exchange:

Walton: “Have you ever seen a Wildcat fight a Buffalo?”

Pasch: “Have you?”

Walton: “I was involved.”

Walton probably makes the producers in the truck have to work twice as hard to get in everything that they need to. Love him.
 
Pasch does a good job of being the straight man to Walton's weirdness. One of my favorite moments of the broadcast was when Walton was going on about something, and then asked Pasch "Were you going to do a promo or something?" and Pasch just said "Nevermind" and continued to call the game. There was also this exchange:

Walton: “Have you ever seen a Wildcat fight a Buffalo?”

Pasch: “Have you?”

Walton: “I was involved.”

Walton probably makes the producers in the truck have to work twice as hard to get in everything that they need to. Love him.
Ha ha, I forgot about that one.
 
I began to wonder during the game, how much of it is an act that those two work on.
Basically 100% of it. They've developed a schtick that makes them more popular and thus makes them more money, it's impressive. Walton is quirky off the court but he turns it up a whole bunch when the cameras go on. Pasch does a great job of acting perturbed and surprised by Walton's antics.

I listened to the call last night, thought he was great. Anytime I'm watching a game on TV live I tune out the announcers, so it was nice to be able to actually focus in on what he was saying. My favorite was when Gabe York walked into a shot and then bricked it badly, "He was just so shocked that they didn't call a travel." More sarcasm in announcing, please.
 
Watch Cal/USC last night until it was time for the women's game. Should have stayed with Walton. He was still carrying on about Boulder.
 
I wonder if he gets a "smoking allowed" room at whatever hotel he stays in? Do hotels even have smoking rooms anymore?
 
I hope the good folks at CU Video put together a montage of Bill Walton's Colorado friendly stylings and highlights.

When I have a rough day in 2025 and need to be cheered up, it would be great to pull up the 2/24/16 game and re-live that moment when Josh Scott and Bill Walton were together at the CEC at the highest of their powers, on display together with rare career defining moments.
 
I wonder if he gets a "smoking allowed" room at whatever hotel he stays in? Do hotels even have smoking rooms anymore?
I stayed at a hotel near Flatiron Crossing in October and they had flyers on the table that reminded guests that No Smoking meant no smoking of anything. Said something to effect of, "if you came here for the Rocky Mountain high experience, take it outside". Don't remember if it was addressed to Bill Walton by name or not.
 
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