TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET edition of CNN/SI's
"Sports Tonight" led with Michael Johnson's record-breaking
effort in the 400-meter event at the track and field World
Championships and followed with Marion Jones withdrawing
from the competition due to injury. ESPN's "SportsCenter"
led with Reds-Expos, highlighting Expos RF Vladimir Guerrero
extending his hitting streak to 31 games, and followed with
Giants-Cubs. FSN's "Primetime" (Fox Sports Net Cincinnati)
led with D'Backs-Marlins, highlighting D'Backs P Randy
Johnson striking out his 300th batter of the season, and
followed with Giants-Cubs (THE DAILY).
NAMES AND FACES: Fox Sports Net New England and
longtime Celtics announcer Bob Cousy "signed a three-year
deal" yesterday which "includes some game analysis."
However, the deal involves Cousy working "only six or seven
'key' games, mostly in late-season." In Boston, Jim Baker:
"The conclusion here is viewers are the losers" (BOSTON
HERALD, 8/27). But Howard Manly reports that Cousy will
work "as many as" 10 games next season and will also work as
a marketing rep in the Celtics' front office (BOSTON GLOBE,
8/27)....In DC, Leonard Shapiro notes Redskins coach Norv
Turner's lack of a local coach's show and reports that
Turner "will appear with sports anchor George Michael" on
WRC-NBC's 5:00pm ET show. However, "his fee will be a
fraction of his earnings" from last year's show on WLJA-ABC,
which earned him $150,000. Turner "also will not be doing a
regular coach's show" on WJFK-AM, a "gig that earned him
about $75,000 last season" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/27)....CTV
SportsNet has signed former NHL coach Mike Keenan to a one-
year contract to provide studio analysis for the net's 32
national telecasts (TORONTO SUN, 8/27).
NOTES: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that NBC Sports
and Turner "are expected to team in upcoming bidding in the
new NASCAR deals, likely focusing on the latter part of the
racing year when other networks have the NFL" (USA TODAY,
8/27)....In K.C., Jeffrey Flanagan writes that Time Warner's
Metro Sports "may face a hurdle in its bid to snatch the
Royals" TV rights from present holder Fox Sports Net Midwest
(FSM). The contract between the team and FSM is "rumored"
to have a "matching clause" in it, giving FSM the right to
match any Metro Sports offer (K.C. STAR, 8/27)....News Corp.
"has ended its talks about a deal" with Pax, while NBC's
"interest is apparently heating up" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER,
8/27)....In Long Beach, Bob Keisser reports that the NFL "is
relaxing its rules on sideline reporters," as they will now
be "free to roam the entire sideline (but behind the players
benches)." The nets will also "be allowed to put a
microphone on a player" and a camera in the lockerroom "for
one game each week" (PRESS-TELEGRAM, 8/27).
