DA DA DA: ESPN's Chris Berman, Dan Patrick and Bob Ley
will host the 90-minute, 20,000th edition of "SportsCenter,"
Sunday at 11:00pm ET (THE DAILY). In Hartford, Dom Amore
writes that the 20,000th show "smacks of self-congratulatory
journalism," but "we must cut 'SportsCenter' some slack,
even as ESPN's hype machine grinds into overdrive. The Big
Show is that big, that good, and we owe it that much"
(HARTFORD COURANT, 4/15). In St. Petersburg, Ernest Hooper
writes that life without "SportsCenter" "is almost
unimaginable" (ST. PETE TIMES, 5/15). The AP's Josh Dubow
notes that ratings for "SportsCenter" are down 17% for the
first quarter of '98, which can be "partially attributed" to
competition from FSN and CNN (AP/DETROIT NEWS, 5/15).
NOTES: Turner Sports has reached an agreement with NBC
Sports to televise cable-exclusive early round coverage of
The Presidents Cup golf tournaments in 2000, 2002, 2004 and
2006 (Turner Sports)....ABC will not use the Jockey Cam
during its Preakness coverage. ABC Sports Producer Curt
Gowdy: "The majority of trainers and owners have not
supported our efforts to use it" (USA TODAY, 5/15)....In
Chicago, Jim O'Donnell writes that the "[p]ros and cons of a
major investigative book on the ways and means of Jerry
Reinsdorf are being discussed by one extremely capable
Chicago-based writer" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/15)....GOLF
WORLD reports that The Golf Channel "has decided to slightly
reduce the responsibilities of its most visible face, Peter
Kessler," saying that it "hopes to develop other talent and
ease his heavy workload" (GOLF WORLD, 5/15)....TSN VP/
Programming Phil King, on why TSN picked up an ESPN feed of
the U.S. National Spelling Bee Finals: "Is it a sport, no,
but it is a competition" (TORONTO SUN, 5/15)....SFX
Entertainment's PACE Motor Sports, an event producer, and
Petersen Cos. are join to produce auto/motorcycle special
events plus other co-partnership opportunities (AD AGE,
5/12)....Univision signed Oscar de la Hoya as its "prime
communicator to the Hispanic community," and he will appear
in Univision programming, promos and PSAs (VARIETY, 5/11).
