Sixers Cult Classics: Todd MacCulloch

Soft hands. Pinball champion. White guy. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Big Red. Canada. The deadpanniest color commentary this side of a snoring Eric Snow. Who am I talking about? It's Todd MacCulloch AKA Big-Mac AKA T-Mac AKA Todd the Bod AKA Toddy the Body, a Sixers fan favorite whose memory is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. See? You're smiling.

The SB Nation NBA team is running a segment on cult players, which are either players who were in a cult or guys who weren't very good but became beloved by the fans for various eccentricities. I didn't want to go too far back and Dong wasn't here long enough to merit a spot over the unique T-Mac. Likewise, Tyrone Hill was unavailable.

Most will remember him for his legendary pinball game, but is there anyone in the world that looks like less a basketball player than this guy? The Manitoba native managed to fool the geneticists into letting him grow to 7-feet tall, a height at which the basketball overlords confine you to a life of post ups and box outs. Todd was world-renowned for his kitteny soft hands and tendency to say hilarious things.

He had a .199 WS/48 (!) backing up Theo Ratliff then Mutombo on the 2000-01 team that lost to Kobe and Shaq in the Finals. Sadly his career was cut short in 2003 by a neurological condition and a foot disease that affects feeling in his arms and legs. He handled the whole thing beautifully, telling everyone not to feel sorry for him, before going on to rock the pinball world for all time.

From a February edition of "Remember this Guy", Dave shared some gems.

He played games on his TI-83 calculator. He loved biology, but hated chemistry. He bought every one of Weird Al’s CDs.

"He has really matured as an artist."

Extracurricular Activities

Color Guard: 9^th Grade.

Movie Club: 10^th Grade.

Yearbook Quote: "Uh."

The weirdest thing about Toddy the Body wasn't his facial hair or his Kenny Frease-like hunch or the fact that he's considered a professional pinball player or how he spells his name. It's that HE ONLY PLAYED 223 PROFESSIONAL NBA GAMES (161 with the Sixers in two stints) WHEN IT FEELS LIKE HE WAS HERE FOR AT LEAST A DECADE. I watched so much Todd MacCulloch growing up, it felt like he had partial custody over me. That he played less than two full seasons in Philly is absolutely mind-boggling.

Leaving Tom McGinnis alone in the radio broadcast booth is reportedly the hardest thing he's ever had to do. And that's from a guy who has been to two consecutive NBA Finals and plays pinball professionally with a 7-foot body.

He's still only 36, so I think the time is ripe for a comeback. Get well soon, Tom.