TV MONITOR: Last night's 10:00pm ET edition of FSN's
"Fox Sports News" led with reactions to Yankees DH Darryl
Strawberry's reported failed drug test, followed by Raptors-
Knicks. FSN reported on the NHL's suspension of Bruins D
Marty McSorley at 5:56 into the broadcast. Last night's
11:00pm ET edition of CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" led with
Strawberry, followed by McSorley's suspension. The 11:00pm
ET edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" led with Lakers-Cavs,
followed by Pacers-Pistons. ESPN reported on Strawberry at
8:47 and McSorley's suspension at 12:15 (THE DAILY).
COMPETITION ON THE BEAT: In Pittsburgh, Chuck Finder
notes the increasing competition to break news on the Web.
CBS SportsLine NFL columnist Len Pasquarelli "put out the
news first" of the Steelers hiring of Dir of Football
Operations Kevin Colbert. Pasquarelli: "What I was hired to
do was break news. It's pretty tough ... but we're getting
our share of stories, I think. I'll modestly put it that
way." CNN/SI's Peter King, on Pasquarelli: "Lenny is one of
the most formidable guys I've ever competed against. When
CBS SportsLine put a guy on 24 hours a day to cover the NFL,
it upped the ante for every news organization." ESPN's John
Clayton: "There is a definite escalation ... because
[Pasquarelli's] so damn good. And it's going to get bigger.
Bring it on. It's great" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE,
2/24)....BRILL'S CONTENT lists N.Y. Times NBA columnist Mike
Wise under its "Stuff We Like" category. BRILL'S CONTENT's
Nicolle Yaron: "Wise is not afraid to take anyone to task.
... [His] stories remind us that the magic of basketball
lies in ordinary people's rising above their limitations and
achieving greatness" (BRILL'S CONTENT, 3/00 issue).
BROTHERLY LOVE TOWARD THE 76ERS: In Philadelphia,
Ashley McGeachy writes that the 76ers received a "franchise-
record" 16.1 local rating for their nationally televised
loss to the Lakers Sunday (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/24).
NOTES: In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes, "It is
puzzling why CBS-TV didn't promote its last Daytona 500 with
more energy and more urgency. That seems petty and
unprofessional" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/24)....In San
Diego, Jay Posner reported that ABC Sports will allow San
Diego affil KGTV to carry Saturday's semifinals of the
Andersen Consulting World Golf Championship live. The
event, which is being held in Carlsbad, CA, was scheduled to
air on a three hour delay (UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/23)....In
Boston, Jim Baker reports that WFXT-Fox and Sean McDonough
"formalized their long-expected three-year deal," which will
see McDonough call Red Sox games, "matching the length of
the new Red Sox flagship's contract" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/24).
A FAMILY AFFAIR: During Fox Sports Net's broadcast of
the Wofford-GA Southern men's college basketball game on
Tuesday night, TV analyst Larry Conley worked along with his
oldest son, Chris, who produced the game and his younger
son, Ryan, who was the telecast's Associate Dir (THE DAILY).
