ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610210112
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: ON THE AIR
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
The World Series returns to Yankee Stadium after a 15-year absence, but clearly, there's a difference from those days when Mel Allen's ``How 'bout that!'' from the telecast booth was part of what seemed an October tradition.
The Fox Network is the fourth different network to air the Series in four years, and these baseball rookies have to love what they've seen so far this month. Fox got a seven-game National League Championship Series, helping its revenue stream and Nielsen ratings. Now, it gets the first of three World Series it will air through 2000, the main reason the network is paying $575 million for five years of the national pastime.
It also has a budding rookie in the booth in play-by-play man Joe Buck. With Game 1 tonight (7:30 p.m., WJPR/WFXR) or Sunday, if an expected dousing postpones the opener, Buck will become the youngest in an ever-lengthening line of World Series voices.
When the Yankees last played in the Series, Buck was 12. One of his co-analysts, Tim McCarver, called the World Series with Buck's dad, Jack, in 1990 and '91, before the St.Louis-based Hall of Fame broadcaster was dumped from the CBS baseball lead chair.
The younger Buck began calling pro baseball at the Class AAA level during his years as a student at Indiana University, where he graduated in 1991. He would commute to Louisville, Ky., to work the Redbirds' games. Yes, his father got him the job, but he didn't get him to the top of the baseball telecasting world by age 27.
``You can tell that Joe is Jack's son,'' McCarver said in a telephone conference call with writers Thursday. ``Their looks, their voices, and there's something similar in their styles. Yes, Joe got his foot in the door because of his genes, but it's his talent that got his body into the room.''
McCarver is calling his seventh consecutive World Series and ninth overall in 11 years. Buck, McCarver and another Series rookie, Bob Brenly, had a solid NLCS. They have meshed quickly as a three-man team. Fox's only weakness is a pregame trio that doesn't offer much insight.
Certainly, Buck, McCarver and Brenly offer more good chemistry than the TV team the last time the Yankees played in the World Series. In 1981, ABC had Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Al Michaels in the booth.
Whoa, Nellie!
BIG DAY: Next Sunday's schedule (Oct.27) shows why Fox was so anxious to get a piece of the major sports telecast packages. The network has been getting its best Nielsen ratings in history with the NLCS.
Fox potentially has its biggest sports profile to date next Sunday. The network has the NFL regional double-header weekend, although the most-anticipated game of the league's first-half season is a national telecast at 4 p.m. - Dallas going to Miami to visit the Dolphins and former Cowboys' coach Jimmy Johnson. Then, it could follow with Game 7 of the World Series, if necessary.
The fourth-rated network won't have another day like this until its biggest, Jan.26, when it airs its first Super Bowl telecast.
FAST LANE: Viewers will get an uncommon look at the private side of a NASCAR driver Tuesday at 8 p.m., when The Nashville Network airs ``Jeff Gordon: Wide Open,'' a one-hour special on the defending Winston Cup champion and current points leader.
``It's kind of weird having a TV show done about you,'' Gordon said. ``The TNN production team followed me as closely as [Dale] Earnhardt does each week on the track. They've captured some very incredible moments from this season of highs and lows.''
KICKING: The first Major League Soccer season ends Sunday on ABC (3:30 p.m., WSET) when D.C. United meets the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS Cup '96 at Foxboro Stadium. Soccer may still be trying to lure an audience in this country, but don't expect any unusual fireworks on the only live major network telecast of the MLS inaugural season.
``I'm not certain I'm worried about the ratings a whole lot,'' said D.C. coach Bruce Arena, the former University of Virginia coach. ``I'm trying to win a championship. Whether you label it attractive or not is in the eye of the beholder. Certainly, we're very excited about the final being on network TV. It's a showcase game for the league. But it's important for us that at the end of all this that we walk away as champions.''
ON ICE: The Roanoke Express' fourth ECHL season began Thursday night with new play-by-play voice Mitch Peacock and three radio network affiliates, one fewer than last year. The games are no longer broadcast in Lynchburg.
The flagship station remains Roanoke's WFIR (960 AM), which is scheduled to air 61 of the 70 regular-season games. When WFIR cannot air a game live, it will be broadcast on WWWR (910 AM) locally. The two other affiliates are WRAD (1460 AM) in the New River Valley and WXCF (103.9 FM) in the Alleghany Highlands.
AROUND THE DIAL: If The World Series is pushed back by weather and Game 2 is moved to Monday, expect a 7 p.m. start on Fox, to create a two-hour head start on the Oakland-San Diego game on ABC's ``Monday Night Football.'' There is no NFL ``Name the Game'' vote through Wednesday on WSLS (Channel 10). The station will air the Indianapolis-Washington game next Sunday at 1 p.m. It's the Redskins' only NBC appearance this season. CBS, waiting until this time next year when it can bid to return to NFL telecasts, goes with the next sure ratings grabber starting again Tuesday night - figure skating. The three-hour ``World Team Skating Championship'' (8 p.m., WDBJ) was taped Sept.13 in Milwaukee. It's the first of 13 figure skating shows on the network through January. The fledgling women's American Basketball League began play Friday night. The league, which includes a Richmond franchise, will have Sunday night telecasts on Prime Network cable affiliates, including Home Team Sports. Sunday's telecast opener is Seattle-San Jose, at 7 p.m. Ted Turner's TBS will air the Nov.23 race of Winston Cup stars in Suzuka City, Japan, at 10 p.m. It's the first stock car race in Japan, and TBS has a three-year contract. Local viewers will see only the last 2 1/2 hours of the 4 1/2-hour Breeders Cup show from Toronto next Saturday from NBC. WSLS will pre-empt the racing until 3:30 p.m. for the Pitt-Virginia Tech football telecast that begins at noon.
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Buckby CNB