"My Shaquille O'Neal Story"

 On Monday evening’s episode of PTI, in his closing tribute to the recently departed Bill Walton, Michael Wilbon remarked, “Everybody’s got a story.”

I certainly do.

In '91, while still recovering from a major injury after being hit by a car while jogging, I finally made it to Freedom Hall to watch some Cardinal hoops. I was on crutches.

As I struggled down the steps to my seat, Bill Walton, who was covering the game for TV, came walking up the aisle.

He stopped and asked what had happened and how I was doing.

Walton understood surgeries and injuries well. It's reported he had 39 surgeries due to foot problems, leg issues, and a broken back. He knew pain—right until the end, they say. True to his nature, he wanted to offer words of encouragement.

And he did.

It wasn’t a fleeting gesture. He spent several minutes chatting with me before moving on.

Everybody’s got a story.

I can certainly attest to that.

The outpouring of comments following the news of his passing made it clear that Bill Walton was an eminently decent person. Caring, interesting, inquisitive, intelligent. He was always asking others how they were doing.

And, as anyone who watched a game he called, especially with straight man Dave Pasch, knows, Walton seemed like he was from an alternative universe, or at least another planet. Read more