CBS' Kevin Harlan had a "magical moment" yesterday as he called the Chiefs-Chargers and Dolphins-Patriots games at the same time "during a pivotal moment in the fourth quarter of both games," according to Andy Nesbitt of USA TODAY. Harlan was in K.C. covering the Chiefs-Chargers, but with playoff seeding on the line, he gave a play-by-play of the Dolphins scoring a late fourth quarter touchdown against the Patriots. Harlan's "enthusiasm was too good" (USA TODAY, 12/30). Harlan said, "I think I'm breaking every FCC rule in the book" (K.C. STAR, 12/30). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal writes Harlan's double call was a "bravura performance" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/30).
BEAR OF A BROADCAST: The TRIBUNE's Rosenthal notes the Bears' win over the Vikings yesterday was "seen in just 7% of the country." Some Bears fans, who now know Fox' Dick Stockton and Mark Schlereth "far better than they would have preferred, found fault with mispronunciations, misidentifications and other mistakes." Rosenthal writes Fox' SkyCam operator was a "loser" this week, as twice during Bears-Vikings viewers "couldn't see the ball go through the uprights on field goals because the remote-controlled camera hanging above the stadium zoomed in on the officials below without tilting up." The "minimum the audience expects is to see what's happening when tuning into a game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/30).
