Voice of the Indy 500 Black-Flagged

Paul Sunderland and Paul Page have something in common besides first names. Both are victims of sagging ratings.

Sunderland was dropped by the Lakers after their dismal season, and ABC has replaced Page as the voice of the Indianapolis 500 after a three-year ratings decline.

Todd Harris, hired by ABC in 1999 as a college football sideline reporter, will call Sunday’s race. Harris, who got his first taste of motorsports last year while working motocross events, became ABC’s Indy Racing League announcer this year.

Harris is a solid, versatile announcer, but Page is generally recognized as one of the all-time best auto racing announcers. Harris has big shoes to fill.

Last year’s rain-delayed Indy 500 drew only a 4.1 national rating. The rating in 2001 was a 5.8.

“Paul did nothing wrong,” ABC vice president Mark Mandel said. “But we’re always looking to improve what we do on the air.”

Not that the change in the announcing booth will have any effect on the ratings, but Sunday’s race should be a ratings winner.

For one thing, the race is starting an hour later than usual -- at 10 a.m. PDT after one hour of pre-race coverage.

For another, the weather forecast calls for clear skies.

And then there is the presence of Danica Patrick, who will start in the No. 4 spot and is given a chance to become the first woman to win the Indy 500.

ABC pit reporter Jack Arute, calling the 23-year-old, 5-foot-2 rookie from Roscoe, Ill., the “real deal,” said, “Danica is as feisty and focused and as tough of a competitor that I’ve been around in close to 30 years of being part of this Indy 500.”

The Lure of Hollywood

TNT’s Kenny Smith moved from Houston to Valencia about 1 1/2 years ago to be closer to his children, Kayla, 12, and K.J., 8. They had moved to Valencia with their mother, Smith’s ex-wife, Dawn, about six months earlier to pursue acting.

Smith, who found a home about three miles from where his children live, subsequently was attracted to the entertainment business himself. He is now the creator and co-executive producer of an animated show, “Ball Kidz,” set to debut on Nickelodeon this year. His partner is animator Bruce Smith, the creator of a Disney Channel show, “The Proud Family.”

Smith is also developing a show for Spike TV with Jamie Foxx.

Another project for Smith is staging a basketball tournament for boys and girls age 7-14 at various locations in the Santa Clarita Valley from June 10-12.

“Kids in suburban areas need more things to do,” Smith said. “There are more programs for kids in urban areas.”

Short Waves

ABC and ESPN analyst Steve Jones apparently suffered a ruptured appendix on May 19 but continued to work through the weekend before having emergency surgery Monday in New York. He will miss at least Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals. ... ESPN is airing a six-part, behind-the-scenes look at what daily life is like for Shaquille O’Neal. The third part will be shown Saturday about 5 p.m., before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, with other episodes coming Monday, June 3 and June 9.

The highly acclaimed “Cinderella Man,” starring Russell Crowe as boxer James Braddock, opens June 3. In the meantime, on Tuesday at 4 p.m., ESPN will air a one-hour documentary on Braddock, based on a book by ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap. The movie is not based on Schaap’s book. ... Another example of what the addition of ESPNU has meant to college sports is that the network will cover the best-of-three Georgia-UCLA regional softball playoff series, beginning tonight at 6. Beth Mowins and former Bruin Stacey Nuveman will be the announcers.

Coverage of the recent Mark and Brian Lexus Celebrity golf tournament at Industry Hills will be televised on FSN West 2 on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on FSN West on Sunday at 4 p.m. Taping the event was Fourteenth Colony Productions, run by the father-son team of Al and Adam Gottfried. The company recently made a deal to produce coverage of the seventh Jim Murray Alumni Challenge Invitational at SilverRock in La Quinta in December. It will be shown in January on FSN West. ... Lt. Keith Gulla, 48, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, who carries a plus-one handicap in golf and aspires to play on the Champions Tour when he turns 50, will be featured on the USA Network’s “PGA Tour Sunday” show Sunday at 9 a.m.

NBC’s Preakness coverage drew a 5.1 national rating, down from 6.1 last year. In L.A., the rating dropped from 5.4 to 4.3..

Ross Porter will fill in for vacationing Fred Roggin on 1540 today at 2 p.m. Porter’s guests will be Mike Scioscia the first hour and Vin Scully the second. ... CBS’ Lesley Visser will receive an achievement award from Pop Warner youth football at a banquet in Anaheim on Saturday.

In Closing

FSN West has lost another good person with the departure of public relations coordinator Brook Hefner, the daughter of Jim Hefner, former USC basketball assistant coach and current radio commentator. Hefner’s departure follows that of popular public relations director Dennis Johnson in March.