The CBC has won the contract to be host broadcaster for
hockey and curling at the '98 Winter Games in Nagano. The CBC,
which owns Canadian TV rights to the Games, will provide
production facilities for TV companies from other countries for
those events (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/26)....Minor League Baseball has
gone online. The NAPBL has established a Web site at
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com, with info from Howe
Sportsdata Int'l and merchandise from New Era Cap's HeadQuarters
(NAPBL)....EPSNET SportsZone reports 680,000 users and "a record"
35 million hits Friday through Monday, April 19-22, during the
NFL Draft (ESPNET)....In New York, Phil Mushnick recommends CBS
re-establish golf analyst Ben Wright (N.Y. POST, 4/26)....L.A.
Times Sports Editor Bill Dwyre is the recipient of the '95 Red
Smith Award, annually given by the Associated Press Sports
Editors for "major contributions to the field of sports
journalism" (L.A. TIMES, 4/26)....In New York, Richard Sandomir
profiles media coach Andrea Kirby and the work she did with
Lawrence Phillips before and during the NFL Draft. Kirby: "My
philosophy is Lawrence needs to talk as much as possible. People
have lots of questions, and he has a responsibility to answer
them" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/26).... ESPN's Keith Olbermann, on the
ultimate goal of the "This is SportsCenter" promos: "World
domination" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/26)....Yankees ratings
are up on WPIX this year (4.6, up 35% from last season's 3.4),
while the Mets on WWOR are slightly down (3.4, down 6% from last
year's 3.6) (NEWSDAY, 4/26)....In Orlando, Jerry Greene reports
the NFL schedule yields no Central FL blackouts in which the
Dolphins are not shown because of Jaguars games. Greene: "Give
credit to NBC, especially to the NFL's Val Pinchbeck. He said he
would try to make sure it didn't happen this year -- and it
didn't happen" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/26).
