clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF HASEN, UPI Sports Writer) (01/18/90)
LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- The 41st NHL All-Star Game will be televised
Sunday by a network that once used an animated hockey instructor named
Peter Puck.
``It's a start, and it's great that the game is back on network
television,'' said Marv Albert, who works the 1:30 p.m. EST game with
former goaltender John Davidson and Mike Emrick. ``But it's impossible
to say if this will mean hockey will return on a regular basis. I don't
know how they're going to measure it.''
NBC's coverage of the game from Pittsburgh will be the first
network telecast of the weak-rated NHL since 1980. NBC last showed the
1975 Stanley Cup finals.
``It's up against two NBA games (on CBS) -- the Knicks against
Chicago and Detroit and the Lakers,'' Albert said. ``You can't expect to
get a real strong audience.
``There are still the same problems. Hockey is not big in cities in
the South and Southwest. That takes a chunk out of the ratings. It would
be nice if it got a decent number.''
Albert, the radio voice of the New York Rangers for a
quarter-century, said there will be little instruction offered by the
NBC announce team.
``My view is if we're doing a series, we'd have to do a little
educating,'' he said. ``On a Ranger broadcast, we might explain an
offside or two-line pass. But I don't think we can really dwell on the
rules here. The rules of hockey are fairly simple.
``This game will be watched by the fanatics, those in NHL cities
who watch on a regular basis. There will be no Peter Puck this time.''
SportsChannel America, the NHL's cable home, will offer the
``heroes of hockey'' and skills competition Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The rest of the weekend sports fare (All Times EST):
_S_a_t_u_r_d_a_y
_B_a_s_k_e_t_b_a_l_l
College (12:00-2:00 p.m., ESPN), Duke at Wake Forest.
College (12:00-2:00 p.m., CBS), Seton Hall at Pittsburgh.
College (1:00-3:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), LaSalle at Holy Cross.
College (2:00-4:00 p.m., CBS), Oklahoma at Arizona.
College (2:30-4:30 p.m., NBC), North Carolina at North Carolina
State.
College (4:00-6:00 p.m., CBS), Notre Dame at Louisiana State.
College (8:00-10:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), Texas at Tennessee women's
game.
_B_o_w_l_i_n_g
Pro Bowlers Tour (3:00-4:30 p.m., ABC), coverage of the Showboat
Invitational from Las Vegas, Nev.
_F_o_o_t_b_a_l_l
College (2:30-5:30 p.m., ESPN), coverage of Senior Bowl from
Mobile, Ala.
_G_o_l_f
PGA (4:30-6:30 p.m., NBC), coverage of fourth round of the Bob Hope
Classic from La Quinta, Calif.
_G_e_n_e_r_a_l
ABC's ``Wide World of Sports'' (4:30-6:00 p.m.), same-day coverage
of men's World Cup downhill skiing from Kitzbuhel, Austria; taped
coverage of World Gymnastics championships from Stuggart, West Germany.
_S_u_n_d_a_y
_B_a_s_k_e_t_b_a_l_l
NBA (12:00-2:30 p.m., CBS), LA Lakers at Detroit.
NBA (2:30-5:00 p.m., CBS), New York at Chicago.
College (3:00-5:00 p.m., ESPN), Georgia Tech at Virginia.
College (4:30-6:30 p.m., SPTSCHNL), Penn State at Rutgers.
College (5:00-7:00 p.m., ESPN), Louisiana State at Alabama.
_F_o_o_t_b_a_l_l
NFL (11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., ESPN), ``GameDay'' preview of Super
Bowl from New Orleans.
College (2:30-6:00 p.m., ABC), coverage of East-West Shrine
all-star game from Palo Alto, Calif.
_G_o_l_f
LPGA (1:00-3:00 p.m., ESPN), coverage of final round of Jamaica
Classic from Montego Bay.
PGA (4:30-6:30 p.m., NBC), coverage of final round of Bob Hope
Classic from La Quinta, Calif.
_T_e_n_n_i_s
Men's and women's (7:30-11:00 p.m., ESPN), same-day coverage of
early round of Australian Open from Melbourne.
_G_e_n_e_r_a_l
CBS ``Sports Sunday'' (5:00-6:00 p.m.), the naming of the fifth
annual ``All-Madden'' NFL team.
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to reward@clarinet.com. clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF HASEN, UPI Sports Writer) (02/01/90)
LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Ken Venturi likens the Pebble Beach Golf Links
to Candlestick Park for its rotten weather and persistent complaints
from players.
``It's like they say, `Certain horses for certain courses,''' said
Venturi, the 1960 Crosby winner and CBS analyst for this weekend's
event, which has been renamed the AT&T National Pro-Am. ``I think the
people who play well here truly like the courses.
``(Mickey) Mantle used to say Candlestick Park was the toughest
place to play. (Willie) Mays thought it was fine.''
The Pro-Am is played on three courses -- Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill
and Cypress Point. Sunday's final will be at Pebble Beach, a picturesque
Northern California layout overlooking the Pacific.
``It's special because of the territory,'' Venturi said. ``It
probably has the two most famous courses in the world (Pebble Beach and
Spyglass Hill) and four of the most famous holes in the world. The 18th
at Pebble Beach is the most famous finishing hole in all of golf.
``The scenery is great when the weather is great, with the blimps
shots showing the beauty of the area.''
Venturi has firsthand knowledge of the problems caused by rain and
brisk winds.
``In 1960, I had a two-shot lead entering the last round, shot a 77
and won by three (shots),'' he said.
The CBS analyst believes the modern player complains more than his
predecessor.
``When they played in the olden days, they played through all kinds
of weather,'' Venturi said. ``I think they've (PGA Tour officials)
called it off a little too soon at times. We played in more adverse
conditions than they do today.''
CBS will televise two hours of the third round beginning Saturday
at 4:00 p.m. EST. Much of the final round will be shown Sunday during a
2 1/2-hour telecast beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The rest of the weekend sports fare (All times EST):
_S_a_t_u_r_d_a_y
_B_a_s_k_e_t_b_a_l_l
College (12:00-2:00 p.m., CBS), Georgetown at St. John's.
College (2:00-4:00 p.m., NBC), North Carolina State at Nevada-Las
Vegas.
College (2:00-4:00 p.m., CBS), Loyola-Marymount at Louisiana State.
College (2:00-4:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), Loyola (Chicago) at Butler.
College (4:00-6:00 p.m., NBC), DePaul at UCLA.
College (4:00-6:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), Auburn at Tennessee women's
game.
College (11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m., ESPN), Wyoming at Colorado State.
_B_o_w_l_i_n_g
Pro Bowlers Tour (3:00-4:30 p.m., ABC), coverage of the Quaker
State Open from Grand Praire, Texas.
_H_o_c_k_e_y
NHL (8:00-11:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), Pittsburgh at Toronto.
NHL (11:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m., SPTSCHNL), Calgary at Los Angeles.
_T_e_n_n_i_s
Davis Cup (3:30-6:00 p.m., ESPN), coverage of doubles competition
between United States and Mexico from Carlsbad, Calif.
_T_r_a_c_k_ _a_n_d_ _f_i_e_l_d
Indoor (1:00-2:00 p.m., NBC), taped coverage of Millrose Games from
New York.
_G_e_n_e_r_a_l
ABC's ``Wide World of Sports'' (4:30-6:00 p.m.), coverage of
scheduled 12-round World Boxing Association middleweight title bout
between champion Mike McCallum and Steve Collins from Boston; coverage
of jockey Bill Shoemaker's final ride from Arcadia, Calif; taped
coverage of George Foreman-Gerry Cooney heavyweight fight from Atlantic
City, N.J.; taped coverage of men's and women's figure skating
competition from Moscow.
_S_u_n_d_a_y
_B_a_s_k_e_t_b_a_l_l
NBA (1:00-3:30 p.m., CBS), Utah at Detroit.
College (2:00-4:00 p.m., ABC), Arkansas at Texas or Louisville at
Ohio State.
College (4:00-6:00 p.m., ABC), Indiana at Illinois.
College (4:00-6:00 p.m., NBC), Notre Dame at Duke.
College (4:30-4:30 p.m., SPTSCHNL), West Virginia at Rutgers.
_H_o_c_k_e_y
NHL (7:00-10:00 p.m., SPTSCHNL), New York Islanders at Buffalo.
_T_e_n_n_i_s
Davis Cup (3:00-6:00 p.m., ESPN), coverage of singles competition
between United States and Mexico from Carlsbad, Calif.
_T_r_a_c_k_ _a_n_d_ _f_i_e_l_d
Indoor (1:00-3:00 p.m., ESPN), coverage of Mobil 1 Invitational
from Fairfax, Va.
_F_o_o_t_b_a_l_l
NFL (8:00-11:00 p.m., ESPN), coverage of Pro Bowl from Honolulu.
_G_e_n_e_r_a_l
NBC's ``SportsWorld'' (1:00-4:00 p.m.), coverage of scheduled
12-round International Boxing Federation featherweight title bout
between champion Jorge Paez and Troy Dorsey from Las Vegas, Nev.;
coverage of All-Star Softball Classic from Orlando, Fla.