Bill Walton died over the weekend. He was one of the best college basketball players I ever saw; his professional career was marred by injuries to his feet and ankles such that over the first 8 seasons of his NBA career, he never appeared in more than 65 games, and he missed two full seasons of action. Bill Walton was a transformative player; in addition to scoring and rebounding excellently, he was a center whose passing skills resembled a point guard. The 1973 NCAA championship game saw Walton give a performance that has not been approached since then. He shot 21 of 22 from the field, scored a total of 44 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, handed off two assists and blocked a shot. Not a bad night’s work … Walton said that Coach John Wooden told him that night, “I thought you were a good player – – until you missed that shot.”
After his retirement, Walton was a color commentator and an ambassador of the sport and of the PAC-12 Conference. With his stentorian voice and his penchant for hyperbole, I could identify Walton as the color guy on a telecast two rooms away from the TV. Reports say that he died after a long-term battle with cancer; I was unaware of that illness until now.
Rest in peace, Bill Walton.
Moving on … The Atlanta Braves got some bad news recently. Ronald Acuna, Jr. had an MRI which confirmed a total tear of his ACL requiring surgery that will keep Acuna out of action for the rest of this season and potentially into the start of next season. Acuna is one of baseball’s most exciting players; the Braves would need a miraculous intervention to find a replacement with equal skill levels. To a lesser extent, this is a loss for MLB itself; Acuna is a positive advertisement for baseball itself and MLB needs more easily relatable stars not less.
I believe that MLB got a bit of good news over the weekend to – – sort of – – counterbalance the bad news about Ronald Acuna, Jr.
- Angel Hernandez has retired as an umpire.
As annoying as the “strike zone box” is on your garden-variety MLB telecasts, it was downright infuriating when Hernandez was behind the plate. Not only did his strike zone make a mockery of the one described in the MLB Rule Book, it seemed to wander around from inning to inning. Hernandez sued MLB alleging discrimination against him because he is of Cuban extraction; MLB won that case in 2021 and his appeal was not successful at the appellate level. Reports say that Hernandez and MLB reached a “financial settlement resolution” that included Hernandez retiring from MLB umpiring ranks.
I, for one, shall not miss Angel Hernandez behind the plate for future MLB games. I have no basis for animus toward him as a person and I hope he has a fulfilling retirement time in his life – – outside MLB.
There is a report this morning at CBSSports.com that the NFLPA is preparing to present a proposal to the owners that would revamp the workout schedule in the spring and summer. Off-season activities for players are spelled out in the existing CBA between the union and the league, so the existence and the consideration of that sort of a proposal by the union will necessarily involve negotiation with the owners. The outline of the proposal can be found here.
I think the closing paragraph of the report is interesting. The NFL has a clear and obvious desire to expand the regular season from 17 games to 18 games; more games to sell to TV outlets means more money to the owners and that is all the appeal that is necessary. The union and many players worry about the added wear and tear on the bodies of the players in that “extra game”. If the union opens the door to “changing the schedule” for league activities in the off-season, I would not be shocked to learn that the owners would want to “change the schedule” for the regular season at the same time.
Purely from a fan perspective, I would support the union’s off-season changes plus a reduction in the number of meaningless Exhibition Season games along with an extended regular season schedule. So let it be written; so let it be done …
I had someone ask me over the weekend and I have received several emails that fall into the category:
- So, what do you think about the NCAA paying players?
The answer is that I don’t know what I think about this yet because I cannot find any compelling logic that leads me to what might replace the current system that “regulates” collegiate athletics. Everyone here knows that I am not a fan of the NCAA and its implementation of “governance”, but I am not naïve enough to believe that the situation could not be made worse. I need some time to think upon this issue and will refrain from “premature exposition” on the subject.
Finally, let me close today with words from Bill Walton:
“I had the only beard in the Western Hemisphere that made Bob Dylan’s look good.”
And …
“I’ve had 36 orthopedic operations, have two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don’t work, I now have a fused spine, other than that, everything is great.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
And let’s not forget the brilliant David Halberstam, who wrote 1981’s “The Breaks of the Game.”
There are only so many dollars to go around. I fear that the NCAA pay for play scheme will cause many institutions to curtail and likely eliminate non-revenue sports. That would be a shame. The AD at Florida has admitted there is no money in his budget to pay players. I’m sure most schools are in the same boat.
The NCAA seems to hope that Congress will impose limitations on NIL. They see pay for play as a necessary predicate for congressional action I don’t see that happening. So your friends at NCAA will still be stuck with that mess AND have to pay stipends to athletes. And the money will come new TV deals? Boosters? Sounds like the administrative version of a “Hail Mary” to me.
Walton was one of the three greatest basketball Bills, the others being Bradley and Russell. Each transcended their game, and proved that roundball is ‘a thinking man’s game’, to abuse the old adage.