Bill Walton to serve as color analyst for upcoming White Sox game

Bill Walton is a treasure, the best the sports world has to offer when it comes to far-out, eccentric, charismatic oddballs. Now, the Grateful Dead-loving commentator will be given an opportunity to let his broadcast talents shine on the MLB stage when he serves as color analyst for an upcoming Chicago White Sox game.
Walton will be part of NBC Sports Chicago’s coverage of the White Sox’s Aug. 16 game against the Los Angeles Angels. Making Walton’s appearance on the telecast that much better is how he will be reunited with Jason Benetti.
The duo were behind some truly remarkable broadcast theater while covering college basketball’s Maui Invitational last November. For those who missed it, Twitter took notice, for obvious reasons.
Aloha. pic.twitter.com/sBVSMabifr
— Jason Benetti (@jasonbenetti) November 20, 2018
Bill Walton: “wait what was your name again?
— Pros and Joes (@ProsAndJoesPod) November 22, 2018
Broadcaster: “nice to meet you I’m Jason”
Bill Walton: “I thought you said your name was Justin?”
In case you were watching basketball to learn about the breeding habits of both whales and @BillWalton pic.twitter.com/dnNljozQdE
— 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕥 𝔻𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 (@KCRoyalFan) November 20, 2018
“There is nothing more entertaining than working with the neural fiesta that is Bill Walton,” Benetti previously said of working with Walton. “I’m over the moon about it. When he said yes, there was a fist pump.
“I think it’s amazing. I left Maui having done six games in three days with Bill, and it was a rapturous experience. My mind fired in ways that I never could have imagined simply from being next to him and following the conversation and thinking, ‘Should we do the game right now, or should I follow up with the thing that he just said?’ It was all over the map in the most entertaining way.”
There’s a good chance that the Walton-Benetti reunion will make for arguably the most surreal baseball telecast in recent memory.
It also merits noting that Walton just recently made his trademark unique impact upon Major League Baseball when throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday’s San Diego Padres-Colorado Rockies game at Petco Park.
Bill & Baseball’s Excellent Adventure pic.twitter.com/40wl6gG0Ne
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 9, 2019
Tonight‘s game will not start on time, almost entirely due to the fact that after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch, Bill Walton joined in the exchange of lineup cards — and proceeded to talk for three full minutes without interruption. It was an awesome sight. pic.twitter.com/dvzIcOYcFE
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 9, 2019
Shine on, you crazy diamond.