Dec 1, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pac-12 Network analyst Bill Walton attends the NCAA basketball game between the UCLA Bruins and the Colorado Buffaloes at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
College BasketballESPNBy Arthur Weinstein on

Every time Bill Walton works a game, the broadcast has the potential to go off the rails on a long, strange trip (apologies to the Grateful Dead).

The noted Deadhead worked as an analyst on ESPN2’s broadcast of the UCLA-Maryland game Friday night in the Bruins’ Pauley Pavilion. Walton starred in that arena as a three-time national player of the year with UCLA back in the day, but Friday, he was scoring with one-liners left and right during the broadcast.

Of course, with the Bruins facing the Terrapins, Walton easily worked in a reference to Terrapin Station, the Dead’s classic 1977 release.

Some of his other references were far more bizarre. At one point, he asked play-by-play commentator Dave Pasch if he’d ever been to the DMV area, which is comprised of Washington, D.C. and adjacent areas in Maryland and Virginia. Only Walton botched the geography.

“Have you ever been to the DMV there? Washington, Virginia and Delaware,” he asked.

Speaking of the nation’s capitol, Walton worked in another D.C. reference, coining a new nickname for Maryland guard DeShawn Harris-Smith: “Department of Homeland Security.”

Somehow, Walton also managed to mention Iceland’s recent volcanic activity. After the Terrapins ran to a 43-28 halftime lead, he said the team had come across the country to show “what it means to explode.”

Former ESPN announcer Jason Benetti, who relished working with the Hall of Famer, told the Awful Announcing podcast recently that working a game with Walton was like solving a crossword puzzle, with no clues.

Fans had plenty of fun trying to solve Walton’s puzzles Friday night, as the broadcaster was, as the late, great Jerry Garcia would say, “Truckin.'”

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About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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