The Big Redhead Makes a Big Statement

I read Diane Pucin’s article on Bill Walton turning 50 in The Times [Jan. 18] with interest ... only to be disappointed. The headline of the article was, “Walton Can Talk About Anything.” True enough. He is a well-read, well-informed individual who is articulate and captivating as a speaker. He is also a stutterer.

I point to this with the utmost admiration. Certainly, sports figures are role models for the young, but Mr. Walton is a (former) stutterer who now earns his living through speaking engagements and sportscasting.

To stutterers that is beyond inspirational. Driving through a court full of opposing team members is admirable. Overcoming a debilitating handicap is absolutely heroic.

There are many effective programs that help reduce and in some cases, eliminate stuttering. This is a message that needs to be conveyed to the millions who suffer from the condition. It may be at least as important as knowing that Mr. Walton has a tepee in his backyard.

Barry Shapiro

Los Angeles

*

Bill Walton’s world of skeletons is as surreal as the ridiculous comments he utters. When he is broadcasting an NBA game, I go into my own figurative tepee and mute the sound.

Walton may be talking, but a lot of us aren’t listening. Be wise, big man, and cut the hyperbole: We are not impressed, and you distract from the game.

Judy Bramley

Torrance