Fred Toucher is the early favorite for worst eulogizer of the year.
The Boston sports talk radio host issued classless remarks while speaking about the late Bill Walton, who died Monday at the age of 71, during his “Toucher & Hardy” show on Tuesday.
Toucher called Walton, a former NBA champion with the Celtics, a “phony hippie” and then joked how “I didn’t kill him.”
It all started when a caller phoned the show asking Toucher “in tribute to Bill Walton” to play a 2010 clip when he hung up on Walton following the Lakers’ triumph over the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
As one of the co-hosts said he was unsure if now was the time to play the clip, being so soon after Walton’s death, Toucher didn’t care.
“Well, I don’t know, why not? It happened,” Toucher said. “He called in and he was acting the fool about his son on the Lakers and his (in a Walton-inspired voice), ‘Oh, first of all, you gotta buy a Jeep Wrangler … But while he was selling cars, make up your mind, you phony hippie.
“Like are you really selling cars or are you all about peace and love?”
As his co-hosts then mentioned that Toucher’s reaction showed why this was not the best time to go down memory lane, Toucher proved he didn’t care if it touched a nerve.
“I did famously hang up on Bill Walton,” Toucher said before being interrupted. “Just go ahead, he’s dead, I didn’t kill him. Go ahead, play it.”
The show then played the clip from 14 years ago when Walton called into the show to discuss his son Luke’s Lakers defeating the Celtics to win the NBA championship and was asked where that Game 7 — an 83-79 Los Angeles win — ranked in the rivalry history.
“Over the years, I’ve learned to never rank coaches, concerts, children, championships or congratulations, just enjoy them all, and as a dad, that’s what I’m about,” Walton said at the time. “Because even though I’m a Celtic and the Celtics gave me my life back 25 years ago, more importantly, I’m a dad. It’s not about me, I want what’s best for my son and to see that…”
“Alright, well you’re rooting for the Lakers. Goodbye,” Toucher said while cutting off Walton. “I’m not going to take a guest who’s celebrating the team that just beat the Celtics. I mean, your kid’s on the team, congratulations.”
Toucher’s eulogy will now have a place among the worst of all-time in sports media history, right up there with Mike Francesa’s, “Oh, who cares?” reaction to Stan Lee’s death.
