Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510230101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
However, for the first time since the Series went to a national audience in 1947, two networks will share the booth. ABC will start and end the Series, if it goes to a maximum seven games. NBC gets Games 2, 3 and 6. To really complete the alphabet soup, the Series will be broadcast by CBS Radio (WFIR 960 AM).
Al Michaels, Tim McCarver and Jim Palmer lead off in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium today (7 p.m., WSET), yielding their chairs to Bob Costas, Bob Uecker and Joe Morgan for NBC's telecasts (Sunday, 7 p.m., WSLS). While it is the network-hopping McCarver's eighth TV Series and sixth in succession, it's the first for Costas, long associated with the national pastime.
Then, he gets a maximum three games, before The Baseball Network takes its final bow and NBC loses the sport again, probably to CBS and the Fox Network.
``I'm just looking forward to doing the games,'' Costas said Thursday on a conference call. ``I'm flattered by the attention [from his baseball connections]. Hopefully, that means people remember our Game of the Week days and thought I did a good job there. My affection for the game is undeniable, but if I only get to do three World Series games in my career, well, that's three more than Ernie Banks got to play.''
Uecker will be working his first Series in the booth. At least, the longtime radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers hopes to be working.
``I don't know if they'll let me in the [Atlanta] stadium,'' Uecker said. ``Considering what I did there as a player, with some of the greatest disasters in history [batting .146 in 62 games in 1967]. I did the Pittsburgh-Baltimore Series [in 1979] downstairs, the postgame stuff. My job was making sure the champagne was cooled.
``As long as I get my per diem, I'll be happy.''
Only six telecasters (Vin Scully, Curt Gowdy, Mel Allen, Tony Kubek, Joe Garagiola and McCarver) have worked more World Series than the seven by Michaels. The shared Series isn't a desirable concept, but it's better than losing baseball again, which it appears ABC will after the Cleveland-Atlanta battle.
``It's pretty agonizing, in a way,'' said Michaels, who will leave Atlanta after Game 1 to call ABC's Monday night NFL game between Buffalo and New England, then return to the Series for the Game 4 call Wednesday at Jacobs Field. ``Our team got back together [last season before the strike on Aug.12], and we're having a great time again, and to have it all yanked away again is pretty depressing.''
McCarver, who is likely to return to CBS or move to Fox with the network contract, said, ``That's one reason last year was so disappointing, because we were just getting back together again.''
Any disappointment on both teams about their apparent lame duck status with the sport won't diminish their work on the Series. For the first time since the 1986 Mets-Red Sox series, baseball has the best teams in its fall classic. Michaels will begin the story line tonight, and the Costas crew will undoubtedly follow those same seams.
``Forget the problems the game has had,'' Costas said. ``The teams that deserved to get to the Series did. If it had been a straight pennant race, no divisions, no wild cards, this is the way it would have been, just as if it were 1964. This is the World Series everyone pointed toward all season.''
It's the Braves, the most successful team of the '90s, trying to grab a title the franchise hasn't won since 1957 in Milwaukee. It's the Indians, who, Michaels said, ``haven't been there in 41 years, and not only haven't they played some of the best baseball in that stretch, they played some of the worst, in a mausoleum of a stadium. Now it's one of the best teams in one of the best parks.
``You never want to overstate what could happen, but the possibility of a very memorable Series is right there.''
Palmer gives a slight edge to the Braves because of their starting rotation. As for the matchups, he liked the Game 1 pitching duel.
``It's Bulldog [Cleveland's Orel Hershiser] against Mad Dog [Greg Maddux of Atlanta],'' he said. ``One guy is 7-0 in postseason in his career. The other guy is only the best pitcher in baseball.''
Then, there's the life imitates art factor. The last time Cleveland won anything, Uecker was behind the mike as fictional broadcaster Harry Doyle in the movie, ``Major League.'' Costas said the real Cleveland players walked up to Uecker around the batting cage during last week's American League playoffs and, quoting Doyle, exclaimed, ``juuuuuust a bit outside,'' or, ''He swings, and crushes one toward South America.''
Perhaps this real World Series will produce more great lines. It has the right teams - four of them - to do that.
by CNB