THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702070129
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 81 lines
HERE THEY COME - 66 dachshunds, 51 Chinese Shar-peis, 48 Australian shepherds, 42 Rhodesian Ridgebacks and 150 other breeds of well-groomed, well-behaved, well-bred canines.
Starting at 8 Monday night, they'll march into your living room on the USA cable network - whippets and Shih Tzus, samoyeds and pugs, corgis and schnauzers.
It's time for the Super Bowl of dogdom.
It's time for more than 2,500 dogs from 47 states, including Virginia, to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. (To make room for the dog show on its Monday night schedule, USA is moving ``La Femme Nikita'' to Sunday at 10 p.m. for one week only.)
Last year, the Westminster show gave USA its highest ratings ever - a 4.0 in the Nielsens, which is tall cotton for a cable network. The only things with higher ratings on cable are National Football League games and ``Rugrats.''
Joe Garagiola, who will co-host the USA telecast with David Frei, said he's astounded by the popularity of the Westminster show, which has been around for 121 years. ``In my time, I've played major-league baseball, been in a World Series, appeared on the `Today' and `Tonight' shows on television, hosted a TV game show, and did the baseball game of the week on NBC. I never get asked about those things. Today, all people want to talk about is the dog show.''
They ask what this former catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940s knows about dogs. ``I'm quick to say I know nothing about dogs except that I like 'em, and all they ask is that you give them a chance to love you.''
He leaves it to Frei, co-owner of Afghan hound kennels and a licensed American Kennel Club judge, to do the expert commentary on USA. During last year's telecast, Garagiola wondered about the dog that looks like an overgrown mop with legs - the komondor.
``I expressed doubts the dog could see where he's going,'' said Garagiola.
Frei reassured him. ``The dog sees just fine.''
Then the camera caught the komondor wandering into a large flower pot. Clunk!
``I had it right,'' said Garagiola. ``On the telecast, I'm speaking for the ordinary guy who doesn't know a retriever from a Rottweiler.''
Garagiola prefers lap dogs - miniature or toy poodles and Yorkshire terriers. ``Some people expect me to have a bull mastiff or some other large dog. Not me. I want a dog I can handle when it jumps up in my lap.''
His last dog was a Yorkie. It's buried in an Arizona pet cemetery with a headstone and all. That makes him a certified dog lover.
``I plead guilty,'' said Garagiola. ``I know that losing a pet dog can be like losing a member of the family. If you ever loved a pet, you know what I'm talking about.''
He hasn't been on TV a whole lot lately except for the Friday morning not long ago when he showed up on the ``Today'' show to wish Bryant Gumbel well when Gumbel left NBC.
Garagiola put in six years as co-host, commentator, book reviewer and reporter at large on ``Today.'' He speaks highly of Gumbel, who for more than a decade was the heart and soul of that morning show.
``I wonder if the viewers realize the pressure he faced when he took the `Today' show. It was enormous. Bryant was the first black broadcaster with such a high profile on any network. There was plenty of hate mail. There was a built-in resistance to him. But he overcame that. He never complained or was withered by criticism.''
With less time on camera, Garagiola these days has more time to devote to causes close to his heart - B.A.T., an organization that helps former baseball players and umpires experiencing hard times, and NSTEP. That's a program he started to discourage young people from taking up chewing tobacco, which was common in dugouts when Garagiola broke into baseball.
``The dead-ball era,'' said Joe. In fact, it was later than that. It was 1946, when Garagiola hit .316 in the World Series. Eight years later, his baseball career was over. That's when he first picked up a microphone.
This year marks his 50th in broadcasting. ``What a time to go to the dogs,'' he said.
USA will also carry the second-day competition at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Tuesday night at 8, including the best-in-show-award. It repeats Wednesday at 10 a.m. ILLUSTRATION: Color USA Network photo
The Westminster Kennel Club Show airs Monday and Tuesday.
File photo by ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joe Garagiola is USA's co-host for dog show coverage.