ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605280099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: ON THE AIR
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
There's so much auto racing on the tube Sunday, you might not have time to wash the car.
Just call it the Memorial Day Weekend 850, and those laps don't even include the NASCAR races on the Grand National and Truck series, aired live today on cable's TBS (1:05 p.m.) and ESPN (5 p.m.).
Starting with the Indianapolis 500 on ABC (11 a.m., WSET), three races provide 10-plus live hours of airtime Sunday. Indy takes the green flag at noon, two hours before its new Indy car competition, the U.S. 500, starts at Brooklyn, Mich., on ESPN. The Coca Cola 600 begins its 400 trips around Charlotte Motor Speedway about 5:15 p.m. on TBS.
At 3:30 p.m., TBS also has a 90-minute special, ``America's Greatest Day of Racing,'' preceding NASCAR's longest race.
``It's kind of like a Sunday during the NFL season,'' said ESPN racing commentator John Kernan, a former Roanoke sportscaster. ``There's a game early, then a second game, then a night game. The schedule's similar, although there is some overlap. I have my VCR set already.''
Kernan, who hosts ``RPM2Night'' weeknights on ESPN2 and does Winston Cup pit reporting for the network, will be at his new home base, Charlotte, for the Winston Cup event. His network, ESPN, has the new U.S. 500, a race that, if it runs more than one year, Kernan sees moving to a different date away from the Indy 500.
``The feud is real,`` Kernan said of the war between CART and the Indianapolis-based Indy Racing League. ``What I think you're going to see in the next couple of months is attempts to compromise between CART and Tony George [the IRL founder and Indianapolis Motor Speedway operator].
``There's no question the CART drivers want to run at Indy. They miss being there. For them to come together though, someone is going to have to move because Indy has announced the engine changes [no turbochargers] for next year to slow down speeds at the Brickyard. Would the CART teams be willing to get those Indy chassis for about $300,000 apiece?''
At least for one year, though, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has more people running in ovals than usual.
``For the racing fan, it's like having three NFL playoff games in the same day,'' Kernan said. ``That doesn't happen.''
VMI GETS TV: VMI's basketball success last season and the decision of coach Bart Bellairs to play some big-time programs will result in TV time for the Keydets next season on ESPN2.
The first live national cable telecast from Cameron Hall is scheduled Jan. 12 when Tennessee-Chattanooga visits VMI for a Sunday afternoon date. The game is a product of a postponed date VMI was to have next season with last season's Big Ten runner-up, Penn State.
The Nittany Lions had a signed contract to play at VMI on Dec. 1. Then, ESPN wanted Penn State that date for the second annual Jimmy V Classic. So, to sweeten the pot in addition to fulfilling the contract by returning last year's game to VMI in 1997-98, Penn State threw in $20,000 and got the network to give the Keydets a spot.
It will be VMI's first national cable date since 1988, in the Southern Conference tournament final on ESPN. VMI also was in the '85 SC title game on USA Network.
WILL IT: Former Virginia Tech quarterback Will Furrer continues to get transcontinental airtime on the fX coverage of World League football. fX has three games on this weekend, and Furrer leads the Amsterdam Admirals against London on Monday's holiday 10 a.m. kickoff.
Furrer told fX's Bill McDonald his middle name is ``Boo'' in Houston, where Furrer is a backup for the Oilers. Barcelona coach Al Luginbill said Furrer ``is an NFL quarterback. I just know there aren't 60 QBs out there better than Will Furrer, and somewhere along the line he'll fit in wherever it may be, whatever system it may be.''
SALEM PITCH: The second NCAA Division III baseball championship game played in Salem is scheduled Tuesday at Memorial Stadium. Like last year, the game will air on tape-delay, with the telecast on cable's Home Team Sports June 2 at 3 p.m. Creative Productions of Huntington, W.Va., is handling the telecast.
FUZZY BALLS: The French Open begins television's tennis summer on Monday. USA Network and NBC have the coverage from Paris. The cable network has three live hours (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) Monday through Friday of next week, then 17 hours during the second week at Roland Garros. Those shows are part of 116 hours of live Grand Slam tennis on USA this year.
NBC has weekend coverage wrapped among its NBA playoff coverage, capped by live shows for the women's and men's singles championships on June 8-9.
NBC's French Open coverage could also feature some intriguing debate. Analyst Mary Carillo will substitute for the pregnant Chris Evert on the French Open, and will share that role with John McEnroe. Considering some of McEnroe's past remarks on women's tennis, their views are hardly in the same TV planetary system.
As always, the French Open serves as as TV appetizer for Wimbledon, which begins its fortnight June 24.
FORE: The Golf Channel subscriber count has eclipsed 2.5 million homes, but it is listed only 13th among emerging networks most likely to be added by cable systems within the next 12 months, according to a recent poll in Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
However, the 24-hour single-sport network will continue to grow if it can find more viewers like musician Glenn Frey, whose history with ``The Eagles'' has nothing to do with golf.
On Wednesday night's ``Conversations with Ann Liguori'' on the network, Frey said The Golf Channel ``is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. We literally keep it on 24 hours a day. We never move the satellite. The Golf Channel Academy ... I get up at 7 in the morning to see the Nike tour, LPGA or a European tournament that might not be on the [other] networks. I'm thankful it's here.''
LISTINGS: At the NBC affiliates meeting Tuesday in Phoenix, NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol was rewarded with an eight-year contract, through 2004, the longest deal in the history of the network or parent company General Electric. The deal, however, does not take Ebersol through the 2006 or 2008 Olympics that he has grabbed for the network. ... In a recent issue of The Hockey News, the publication's readers chose longtime ESPN analyst Bill Clement as the sport's top TV authority. Fox NHL analyst John Davidson was second with ESPN studio ``coach'' Barry Melrose third. ... The Stanley Cup Finals will begin on the Fox Network, either next Saturday night or June 4 in prime time. The NHL finals will move up to the earlier date if both of the conference finals series end in less than seven games. Fox will have at least three games, possibly four, of the best-of-seven finals, with the others on ESPN. ... The earliest the NBA Finals could begin on NBC is Friday night. ... Former NFL coach Sam Wyche will be on NBC's No. 2 game-calling team with Marv Albert, whose former partner, Cris Collinsworth, replaces Joe Montana in the studio. ... ESPN will air the NCAA Division I lacrosse final live Monday at 11 a.m.
LENGTH: Long : 121 linesby CNB