Throw It Down, Big Man: Padres Announce Bill Walton Basketball Festival At Petco

The Padres and Basketball HOFer Bill Walton yesterday announced the creation of the Bill Walton Basketball Festival at Petco Park from Nov. 30-Dec. 5. The week-long festival of basketball activities, which will include youth clinics and high school games, will conclude with the San Diego State-Univ. of San Diego men's basketball game at Petco (Padres). In San Diego, Dennis Lin notes the festival will "utilize the outdoor court that will be built on Petco Park's infield." The court will "run length-wise between third base and home plate, with bleacher seating erected around the open sides of the court." Total capacity for the SDSU-USD game is 18,000. Padres President & CEO Mike Dee: "The thought was 'Why not take something that's already great and make it bigger and longer and invite the community to enjoy basketball at Petco Park?' When you say basketball in San Diego, the first name that comes to mind is Bill Walton" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/23). MLB.com's Beth Maiman noted the event's logo is "unsurprisingly tie-dye, as Dee pointed out that it certainly fits" Walton's personality. Walton said, "We are going to involve the community on every level. ... This is going to be a true festival of life" (MLB.com, 9/22). He added, "There’s just going to be constant, non-stop action around the sport, the business of basketball, all the lessons of life here. ... The whole idea is the cultural exchange and bringing the whole community together. I love that sports is the ultimate front porch in life where you sit there and everybody comes together, you put your differences aside. You just come, you play the game, you try your best to win and then everyone just has a grand time. What better place to do that than here at Petco Park?” (“Giants-Padres,” FS San Diego, 9/22).