WOULD FOX WANT M'S-CARDINALS? OR YANKS-METS? TAKE A GUESS!

          Fox's coverage of Sunday's Yankees-A's ALDS Game Five
     averaged an 8.2/13 preliminary Nielsen rating, up 23% from
     the comparable game on Fox in '99, according to Michele
     Greppi of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.  Fox also earned its
     "best-ever" MLB overnight rating, a 6.5/13, for Saturday's
     Giants-Mets 13-inning NLDS Game Three, which was up 29% from
     the comparable game last year. ESPN's five playoff games
     through Thursday are averaging a 2.9 cable rating, down 3%
     from '99 (HOLLY. REPORTER, 10/10).  USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke
     notes that through seven AL/NL divisional playoff games, Fox
     and NBC are averaging a 6.5 overnight rating, down 17% from
     last year's 7.8 for eight games (USA TODAY, 10/10).  
          NFL THE BOSS IN BAY AREA: Sunday's Raiders-49ers game
     on KPIX-CBS earned a 25.3 local rating, which likely "more
     than tripled" the simulcast for Sunday's Giants-Mets Game
     Four.  While ESPN's rating are not yet available, Game Four
     earned a 7.8 on KTVU-Fox (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/10).