ONIONS! - Bill Raftery on Game Preparation

[BandAid]

He's a little over-enthusiastic sometimes, huh?

In that regard, he's like Dick Vitale, if you took all of the "suck" out of Dick Vitale. (Vitale's enthusiasm about college basketball is really the only thing I like about him. It's clear he really loves the sport, even as he suckles at the teat of everyone and everything famous)

I would say contextual over-excitement. In the tourney and big games I enjoy listening to him, but run-of-the-mill games not so much. Maybe it's cause my outlook towards games such as...say @Charlotte is a more workman-like mentality, which doesn't jive with trademarked Raftery exclamations.

but that's just me.

[Blue Blooded-05]

Kansas St. game or was the Gus Johnson?

The last one I remember off the top of my head was definitely the West Virginia game in the tourney.

The KSU game was definately Gus Johnson... "INSTANT CLASSIC ON THE CORNER OF JOHN STOCKTON AND KARL MALONE DRIVE!!" ... (I still have that on DVR... never watched past that point though). The best part is when Clemente takes the inbound bass the other way you can see Gus standing in a blue shirt with his hands behind his head.

Gus and Ellmore also called the BYU game and OSU heartbreaker and the Louisville and Mississippi State games back in 2004. They also did the Gonzaga game in 2006.

Raftery and Lunquist did the WV game... "ONIONS... DOUBLE ORDER!!".... Then UCLA as well as the Texas and Duke games in 2004 in the Georgia Dome (Atlanta 2004: I spent about a month down there that weekend... Good times).

[xudash]

Kansas St. game or was the Gus Johnson?

The last one I remember off the top of my head was definitely the West Virginia game in the tourney.

Gus Johnson had the K-State game.

You're right: Onions had the WVU game, and he loved Raymond's three as much as he loved Stan's inbound pass.

Q, I know you know what you're talking about here. The Xavier basketball experience in the 70's was not exactly exceptional, but, through the 3.2 keg beer, we got to see Dickie V, Digger, and Al McGuire come to Schmidt. Of course, we were fodder for them then, but it was interesting.

I have to imagine the guy has a warm place in his heart for Xavier, given where he came from, etc.

[X-band '01]

The last game Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery did for Xavier was the Sweet 16 game against Pitt. Not the instant classic that the K-State was, but still a good game that Levance Fields wouldn't let Pitt lose.