by Walton seemed very unhappy with Joe Lunardi’s treatment of the Pac-12.
1. In a normal case of co-worker-on-coworker crime, there is always some skepticism about how real the heat might be because most co-workers don’t air their dirty laundry in public.
When Bill Walton is involved in the peer-on-peer crime, things get EXTREMELY murky because you just never know where Bill is coming from. And I say that in a positive way.
So I can’t say for sure that Walton’s Thursday night exit on Joe Lunardi, who handles ESPN’s Bracketology coverage, was 100% genuine, but it sure seemed like it.
During the Utah-Arizona game, Walton, who called the game on the Pac-12 Network, addressed the conference and said, “Look, Joe Lunardi is a troll who has no respect or regard for the conference or the champion.”
Walton’s play-by-play partner Roxy Bernstein chimed in and said, “That’s not true.”
“It’s true,” Walton said.
“That’s not true,” Bernstein interjected.
“You’re entitled to your opinion, even when you’re wrong,” Walton clapped back.
In his latest Bracketology, Lunardi had just two Pac-12 teams in the field.
What makes Walton’s verbal haymaker interesting is that he works for ESPN, but he made these comments on the Pac-12 Network, which no one watches. Would Walton have gone after Lunardi during a game he called for ESPN?
I guess Walton and ESPN will chalk this up to “Walton being Walton,” but I don’t know how you can listen to that clip and think Walton was just kidding.
But then again, it’s Bill Walton, so anything is possible.
2. Although I’m a Yankees fan, I always enjoyed Tim McCarver’s work when he was an analyst for the Mets, and his voice is a part of my childhood. And while I’m a Yankees fan and this clip below makes me physically sick, it’s some of McCarver’s best work.
3. Former ESPN president John Skipper said this week that the NFL should make the Super Bowl a pay-per-view event. Skipper has said this before, but people still freaked out over the remarks.
Don’t freak out and don’t even pay attention to what Skipper has to say about NFL and PPV. First, the current NFL TV deals run through 2033. Second, the NFL will never do this.
4. Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith tried to make a basket while dribbling last night, but the best part was the commentary from Shaq and Charles Barkley.
5. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin knockoff, and one of the most boring wrestlers ever, who only had two moves, Goldberg, did not like Rihanna’s halftime show. “I was sickened by it,” Goldberg said on his podcast. “That’s all. Let’s just say it. I thought it was terrible.”
6. This week’s SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast recaps Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVII. The callerBryan Curtis joined me and we covered it all, including Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, Mike Pereira, Terry Bradshaw, Andy Reid’s Weird Media Rule, Radio Row and Michael Irvin.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
7. THE DAY RANDOM VIDEO: Happy 60th birthday to the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
Be sure to catch past issues of Traina Thoughts and check out Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy further Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
