HOW RIGHT HE WAS: The Red Wings completed a sweep of
the Capitals last night, marking the fourth straight Stanley
Cup series that resulted in a four-game sweep. Before the
series started, NHL Senior VP/CEO Steve Solomon told the
Newark Star-Ledger: "The only thing worse than three sweeps
in a row would be four" (THE DAILY). USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke reports that ratings for ESPN's first two Stanley
Cup games slipped 37% to a 2.7 average (USA TODAY, 6/17).
Bruins President/GM Harry Sinden said the lengthy NHL
playoff schedule was one reason for the low numbers: "It's
pretty late in the season to play hockey. I think we can
cut it back some. We were up against Michael Jordan, and
that's very difficult to overcome" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17). In
Philadelphia, Bill Fleischman compares ABC's 4.4 preliminary
overnight rating for the U.S. soccer team's debut on Monday
afternoon, to the 3.3 rating that Fox earned for Game One of
the Stanley Cup: "Could there be more interest in soccer
than hockey in the United States?" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS,
6/17). ESPN's World Cup ratings are off 58% to a 0.8
average, compared to '94's 1.9 (USA TODAY, 6/17).
OTHER NOTES: In Boston, Jim Baker reviewed NBC's NBA
Finals Game Six coverage: "[A]s well as the Peacock covered
the high drama ... there were major irritations," including
Bob Costas' "incessant babbling" (BOSTON HERALD, 6/16).
...CNN/SI Senior Correspondent Nick Charles will team with
CBS boxing announcer Gil Clancy on TBS's boxing coverage
during the Goodwill Games (TBS)....In addition to serving as
a studio analyst for ESPN's World Cup coverage, Julie Foudy
has re-signed as a Contributing Editor of Conde Nast's
Women's Sports & Fitness magazine (Stars & Strategies).