I thought the conventional wisdom at the time was the “flu” but more attribtible to a of night drinking and cards
I know MJ is a pretty indulgent guy, but it would really surprise me if he spent the night before game 5 drinking. I suppose its not out of the realm of possibilities. Maybe I just need to learn more about Jordan.
I do know that Dennis Rodman was partying with Billy Corgan during the finals. Apparently Rodman spent a good amount of the series in Vegas, and Phil Jackson hated Billy Corgan.
Merely part of the hearsay, inuendo and congecture at the time.
Last time I ate an entire Pizza Hut Pizza at 11pm it unleashed a severe double dragon. It happens.
What the pizza guy did wrong was insist on going along with the driver to make the delivery and then try to pry inside to say hello. I’m sure it came across as very weird. MJ was probably thinking “how did the pizza guys know this was my pizza?” as he was suffering from the inevitable post Pizza Hut hangover and it escalated from there.
If the delivery guy had simply dropped off the pizza, MJ would have just had the routine unpleasant bathroom visit at 2am and thought nothing of it and flu game doesn’t exist.
I’ve enjoyed a lot of Waltonisms over time, but the last few years I wonder what the calculus is to having him return. Some people like him, some detest him, but he seems to be getting even crazier.
When the play by play guy goads into talking about magic mushrooms - “All mushrooms are magical…some are more magical than others” - I think it might be Bill’s last season.
And then he’s back the next season.
Pasch is the only serious sportscaster who has a chance of handling Bill - can you imagine Doris Burks and Walton together? lol - and I think Pasch figured out you just need to get a word in edgewise here and there about the game, and the rest of it doesn’t really matter. Ride the wave, or whatever it is.
I can’t believe Walton is still cogent and has amazing recall at his age, for all the drugs he’s done. He must have found a pretty damn good formula.
Bill Walton is a 3 time All-America College Player and winner of the Sullivan Award for the United States Best Amateur Athlete. UCLA Walton was a scholar-athlete who also earned Academic All-America honors three years in a row. He graduated with honors with a B.A. in history. Walton also attended Stanford University Graduate School of Law in the early 1980’s.
He is eclectic; an excellent musician, dancer, artist and exceptionally well read.
He may be excentric, but he is not brain addelled.
I’m sure that is all true. I just about tore my hair out listening to him call the U/UK game last December. Every now and then he says something interesting, but I don’t get all the Walton love.
He may also be acused of being self absorbed and borish. But he’s not an idiot…
“When I think of the Bachinski brothers, I think of cycling in Capitol Reef National Park”
“And the Utes push the Buffaloes off a cliff!”
I think Luke Walton put it best, when asked by a reporter about something regarding his dad: “Well… he’s his own man” and just smiled.
Well played
I plead nolo contendere
I actually think the other guy actually does better. Who is the other guy? With Pasch/Walton, it becomes all about Pasch/Walton. With the other guy, it’s still about the sports but with some crazy on the side. Plus, Pasch gets annoyed too easily.
Roxy Bernstein? - he does PAC games, I think Pasch is ESPN only.
At first I thought Pasch and Walton were having legitimate arguments on the broadcast, which was a funky little wrinkle off a Walton broadcast. Maybe they were, hard to know.
Now I think it’s all part of the schtick, and later in the broadcast they’ll talk about upcoming parties at Bill’s house, etc. I think the producers sat Pasch down and explained that Walton’s got a following, and to just go with it, while trying to get basketball in the conversation as much as you can.
I’ve heard Pasch call other games with more “conventional” color commentators, and in the banter it’s revealed that Pasch has a game coming up with Walton, and it’s not exactly hidden that it’s considered “rough duty”.
I think Dave has figured out how to ride with it, and the way Walton pulls in basketball hall-of-famers to talk during the broadcast, maybe Pasch is thinking “I’ll have a lot of stories to tell my kids and grandkids.”
If Pasch does a game with Doris, it’s far more actual basketball commentary, where when Bill’s on the broadcast, Pasch has to concentrate on the game - so he can say something about what’s actually happening - and pay attention to Bill, who commands attention with all the BS he questions Pasch about, stuff Dave probably has never heard of.
I’ve come to seriously appreciate Pasch for how he does broadcasts, and how he deals with Bill.
Yeah, I get the schtick. It’s just that Walton/Pasch is all about the schtick. I prefer Walton with others.
Walton wasn’t getting openly baked before announcing games back then, either.
Now he is the Harry Doyle of the PAC 12.