Walton’s Absences Put Him on the Firing Line

There has been a lot of demand for Bill Walton’s broadcasting services. Maybe too much.

CBS ended up using Walton more than expected during the NCAA tournament, creating unanticipated scheduling conflicts.

The result was that Walton lost his job as a Clipper commentator for Channel 13.

Rick Feldman, Channel 13’s station manager, said Walton’s agent, Martin Mandel of San Francisco, told him that Walton would miss one Clipper telecast, then called back the next day to say he would miss another.

That didn’t sit well with Feldman.

“We were put in a difficult and unfair position,” Feldman said. “We had little choice but to release Bill from his contract.

“If we had been given more advance notice, it might have been different.”

With Mike Fratello, Channel 13’s other Clipper commentator, obligated to NBC on weekends, the station had to do some scrambling.

Dan Issel worked one telecast, Marques Johnson another, and Hubie Brown did last Sunday’s game at Milwaukee.

Fratello worked Thursday’s home game against Portland, and he will also work a road game next Friday against Golden State.

Brown is scheduled to work the regular-season finale against the Lakers at the Forum Sunday, April 19.

Said Walton: “I am very sad about what happened with the Clippers. I am sick about it.”

Walton said he hopes to mend fences.

Although it’s understandable that Feldman would be upset, he might have overreacted.

Walton is also a commentator for the Dallas Mavericks, and his expanded role with CBS caused problems there, too. He missed the first nine minutes of one telecast because of a plane delay, then asked out of another telecast.

The Mavericks obviously were not thrilled, but Walton wasn’t fired. Walton worked Wednesday night’s game at Golden State.

Walton’s departure from the Clippers breaks up an outstanding broadcasting team. He and Fratello are two of the best basketball commentators in the business, and they worked well together with play-by-play man Ralph Lawler.

Walton also switched agents this week, although what happened with the Clippers and Mavericks had nothing to do with the change.

Walton dropped Mandel, whose stable includes NBC’s Charlie Jones, and signed with New York agent Art Kaminsky, who handles many of the top names in sports broadcasting.

“This is sensitive and personal, and I don’t want to say much about it,” Walton said. “But I do want to say Martin Mandel made me a better person and a better broadcaster. I will always value his friendship and be grateful to him for the professional services he provided.”

The Clippers have another winning broadcasting team in Joel Meyers and Jerry Tarkanian, who have clicked on the SportsChannel telecasts. Meyers’ rapid-fire style is complemented by Tarkanian’s low-key delivery.

They will work two more regular-season games--Saturday night when the Denver Nuggets visit the Sports Arena and Tuesday night when the Sacramento Kings are in town.

Considering Tarkanian’s lack of experience, he has been a pleasant surprise.

During a game at Detroit, Tarkanian once called the Clippers “we.” But he had enough broadcasting savvy, and felt comfortable enough, to admit he shouldn’t do that.

Those who think Tarkanian doesn’t have a sense of humor, think again.

He recently taped a show in Chicago with Oklahoma Coach Billy Tubbs in which the two did a takeoff on “Wayne’s World.” It was called “Tark’s World.”

While holding an electric guitar, Tarkanian said: “I am your most excellent host, and this is my co-host, Billy Tubbs.”

Said Tubbs: “Party on, Tark.”

Tarkanian: “Party on, Billy.”

Tarkanian then said: “I’m really excited now that I have my own TV show.”

Tubbs: “No way!”

Tarkanian: “Way!”

Tubbs: “No way!”

Tarkanian: “Way!”

Tubbs: “Hey, I’ve heard you’ve taken a job with the NCAA. Not!”

Corny, but at least the effort was there.

KMPC program director Len Weiner announced Thursday that Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell will fill in on at least 14 Angel broadcasts this season.

In an unpopular move, Harwell, 73, was fired last season by the Detroit Tigers. He recently was hired by CBS Radio.

In other KMPC news, Weiner announced that Fred Wallin, former KABC radio talk-show host, will be the host of a midnight-to-5 a.m. call-in show when KMPC switches to its all-sports format April 27.

Another acquisition is KFWB sports reporter Michael Kaufman, who will be part of a 6 p.m.-to-midnight show. The host has yet to be named, although Todd Christensen is a possibility.

Although nothing else is set, it appears that Joe McDonnell will be used more as a field reporter under the new format, and will also fill in for Jim Lampley in the afternoon when Lampley is on assignment for NBC or HBO.

Veteran Los Angeles radio sportscaster Larry Kahn might be brought in and paired with Doug Krikorian on a mid-day show.

Scott St. James appears headed for the Robert W. Morgan morning show.

Also, note the name Nancy Donnellan. She’s a Seattle sportscaster who may be headed to KMPC.

Bill Walton said he’d also like to throw his name into the hat.

TV-Radio Notes

This is the first weekend of the baseball season, but don’t look for any baseball on CBS. Sure, the network is busy with the Masters, but there still is time for a morning baseball telecast. Instead, CBS is giving us week-old professional figure skating. . . . The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is Sunday, and ABC is televising it. But Los Angeles won’t get it until the following Saturday. All that does is hurt the national rating. Surely, a live telecast would have only a minimal effect on attendance. . . . Saturday’s pro-celebrity race will be televised April 25 on ESPN as a half-hour special.

CBS’ Pat Summerall is celebrating his 25th consecutive year on the Masters. When first assigned in 1968, the tournament chairman, the late Cliff Roberts, objected. His concern was that Summerall’s sport was football, not golf. But after Summerall told Roberts that he played to an eight handicap, Roberts said, “The best we ever had was Chris Schenkel, who was an 18, so I guess you’ll be OK.”

There are two good boxing shows this weekend. On Showtime tonight at 10, a delay of three hours, is a Mexico City card featuring Julio Cesar Chavez against Angel Hernandez, and Edwin Rosario against Akinobu Hiranaka. On HBO Saturday night at 6:30 is the George Foreman-Alex Stewart fight. James Toney fights Glen Wolfe in a supporting bout. . . . Promoter Dan Goossen said that although last Friday’s Greg Haugen-Ray Mancini pay-per-view fight at Reno got only a .4% buy rate, the promotion made money.

Two callers into radio station XTRA on Monday night claimed that UCLA Coach Jim Harrick called talk-show host Chet Forte a convicted felon on KMPC. Forte, who has been critical of Harrick’s coaching, was found guilty of fraud and tax evasion, problems stemming from a longtime compulsive gambling habit. Harrick claimed he simply said Forte isn’t someone who should be criticizing anyone. Harrick called Forte at XTRA on Wednesday, but Forte says he doesn’t want to speak with Harrick until he hears a tape.

The whole thing got blown out of proportion after Forte’s broadcasting partner, Steve Hartman, reported that Harrick was going to Villanova. Forte said Jim Harrick Jr., an assistant coach at San Diego State, planted the story. KMPC’s Joe McDonnell in turn criticized what he calls the Baja sports station, a reference to XTRA’s transmitter being in Tijuana, for bad reporting.

XTRA’s sports director, Lee Hamilton, who in an on-air commentary criticized Harrick for his alleged comment about Forte, said he and morning-show host Brad Cesmat learned through other sources that Harrick had talked with an intermediary for Villanova, and that they stand by that. It’s all been a little ridiculous.