Walton Prepares For Magical Tour
TV/Radio
From mecca to mansion, Bill Walton’s basketball and broadcasting career makes all the big stops this weekend.
“I go from closing Boston Garden and the end of an era Friday night to the new era of Jerry Colangelo, Charles Barkley and that magnificent new arena they have in Phoenix on Sunday,” Walton said.
Quickly following an emotional Final Four title for his alma mater, UCLA, Walton will help close the building in which his NBA career ended when the Celtics play their last game in Boston Garden.
“Boston Garden is a magical place, a temple, a religious shrine for all the people who love basketball,” Walton said. “There have been so many special moments in the building; I’m privileged to have been part of it.
“I’d like to get down and kiss the floor goodbye, but I’m afraid I’d never be able to get back up.”
The Boston Garden farewell will take place at halftime of the Knicks-Celtics game Friday night. Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach will be present, as will past Celtics greats.
“After we’re introduced, we’ll all take our assigned places on the court, then a ceremonial ball will be handed to Red and we’ll pass it around,” Walton said.
Saturday, he’ll team with NBC’s Tom Hammond for
Charlotte at Chicago, his first chance to analyze Michael Jordan on national TV. And Sunday, he’ll work NBC’s final game of the season, Seattle at Phoenix, with Greg Gumbel and Steve Jones. Gumbel will make the threeannouncer format easy.
“Greg is the point guard who throws the lob passes to the basket for me, and spots up Steve for the jumper,” Walton said.
ESPN2 boosts auto coverage
The new ESPN2 network will dramatically increase its auto racing coverage. Plans include a 60-90-minute Sunday evening recap program, beginning this fall and featuring highlights from a variety of auto racing circuits, including NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, IMSA, IHRA, NHRA and SCCA.
In February 1996, ESPN2 will create the first daily program devoted strictly to motorsports.
Steve Bornstein, president and chief executive officer of ESPN, said the new all-sports cable network will also introduce a motorsports viewer call-in program and a weekly NASCAR Today show on Sundays, previewing each of the races in the stock car series, as well as increasing its presence at major auto racing events including the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.
Local watch
KXLY Newstalk (920 AM), in conjunction with KXLY-Extra! TV, plans to expand its local sports coverage with “SportsTalk with Dennis Patchin”, a live call-in talk-radio program.
The show will debut Sunday from 7-8 p.m., and will be simulcast on both stations. Patchin will serve as host, but other hosts will likely include KXLY sports anchors Rick Lukens and Todd Lewis.
NFL Films to be honored
The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema will hold a salute to NFL Films on May 8, recognizing its 30 years of capturing sports on film. The salute will include a world premiere of “NFL Films: The Stylists & The Storytellers,” a film created specially for the salute.
NFL Films is responsible for many innovations in television sports coverage, such as hand-held, slowmotion photography, miking players during games, the use of graphics to analyze strategy and the first blooper film.