After Years of Riding Cosell, Meredith Now Prefers Riding Horses

What Don Meredith did best on “Monday Night Football” was banter with Howard Cosell. After one of Cosell’s pearls, Meredith would say something like: “That’s right, Howard. You repeated that perfectly, just like they just told us from the truck.”

It was the perfect match--Cosell, the narcissistic, self-serving, bombastic New Yorker, and Meredith, the swashbuckling, never-take- yourself-or-anything-too-seriously Texan.

But when Cosell left the show before last season, Meredith was suddenly a character without a role. He tried picking on O.J. Simpson, kidding him about those nonexistent speech classes at USC, etc. But Simpson, who unlike Cosell, is well liked by the public in general, did not make a good target.

Meredith is not an X’s and O’s guy. He didn’t spend much time poring over statistics and game plans. He would show up and wing it.

That worked well with Cosell around. No need to bone up on numbers when working with Cosell, who Meredith once said was “a plethora of insignificant trivia.”

Meredith, without Cosell, was like Laurel without Hardy or Abbott without Costello.

ABC did not fire Meredith before hiring Joe Namath this week. The network just sort of cooled on Meredith and let his contract expire, letting the word out that he had bad work habits. Meredith never was one to worry about being on time for production meetings and bowing to the right people, and once his value to the network decreased, his work habits became important.

Apparently, though, the cooling was mutual. A former associate of Meredith said: “He’s probably off on horseback in New Mexico and not caring about much of anything.”

Salary cut: In 1965, Namath signed for a then unheard-of $400,000 as the quarterback of the New York Jets. In 1985, as a commentator for ABC, he’ll reportedly make $350,000.

A New York source said Namath’s salary will go up to $450,000 in 1986, provided things work out.

The source said that ABC’s first offer to Namath was $200,000, which Namath and his agent rejected.

Some friend: In his new book, “I Never Played the Game,” Cosell calls Frank Gifford a friend. According to USA Today, he also calls Gifford, “a Teflon man; no matter how many mistakes he makes . . . nothing sticks.” He refers to Gifford as an “apologist,” saying he is “not a natural performer. Never was, never will be.”

Responding, Gifford told USA Today: “I’ve done more ‘Monday Night’ games than Howard has, so maybe that says something. I can’t believe I’ve fooled that many people. Howard can say what he wants to say. I don’t have to agree with it. . . . As far as I’m concerned, he’s still a friend of mine.”

Add Cosell: Bob Uecker was in town with the Milwaukee Brewers this week. Uecker is the Brewers’ radio announcer.

During an interview at Anaheim Stadium, Cosell’s name came up.

“He used to give me that crap about ex-jocks working in the broadcast booth, but I’d never let him get away with it,” Uecker said.

“I remember once we were both on ‘The Tonight Show.’ The host was Joey Bishop, and Howard was on after me. Joey says, ‘I’m sure you’re familiar with our next guest.’

“I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been listening to Howard for, gee, two or three weeks now. And I think he’s a fine basketball announcer.’

“Howard comes out, and I say, ‘Howard, I’m being serious now. I thought you were great in that movie.’

“Howard thought I was being serious and said, ‘What movie?’

“I said, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame.’ ”

Add Uecker: His acting career is really starting to take off. He plays the role of George Owens on a new sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.” Owens is a sports columnist, of all things.

The show was a summer replacement on ABC, televised Friday nights at 8:30, and did so well it was picked up by the network for the fall season after three weeks of a seven-week run.

Shooting for the fall will start Aug. 12 and continue for 22 straight weeks. So Uecker’s baseball season will end early. He did get a clause in his contract that he would get time off from shooting if the Brewers made it to the playoffs and World Series.

“I don’t think we really need to bother with that,” Uecker said. The Brewers are in sixth place in the American League East.

About his role as a sports columnist, Uecker said: “I have no problem playing the part, just don’t ask me to write anything.”

About working on a TV show, Uecker said: “I love it. It’s sort of like playing on a baseball team. Everyone on the show becomes a family. And, hey, I’m working with some real pros, people like Christopher Hewett, Illene Graff, Rob Stone, Tracy Wells and Brice Beckham. If you’re going to write anything about the show, do me a favor. Don’t mention me without mentioning the rest of the cast.”

Hewett plays Mr. Belvedere, an urbane and worldly wise housekeeper for the Owens family. Uecker plays the head of the household, Graff plays his wife, and Stone, Wells and Beckham are their children.

Last add Uecker: Should this career .200 hitter be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Viewers will get a chance to vote yes or no during a one-hour special, “A Comedy Salute to Baseball,” on NBC Monday night at 8. Viewers will be invited to call a special 900 number during the show, which is a Don Ohlmeyer production with Billy Crystal as host.

The result will be announced the next night, before the All-Star game on NBC.

“I know I’m going to be voted in,” Uecker said. “Then I’ll just have to turn it down.”

Notes During its coverage of next Tuesday’s All-Star game, NBC will use a Skycam, a computer-operated camera that runs along cables. It will be the first time NBC has used it on baseball. NBC previously used one on an exhibition football game, a World Cup soccer qualifying match at St. Louis last fall and last January’s Orange Bowl. . . . NBC’s pregame coverage will begin at 5 p.m., with the game starting about a half-hour later. . . . The announcers will be Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola, with Bob Costas host of the pregame show. . . . CBS is offering radio coverage of the All-Star game, with Brent Musburger handling the play-by-play and Johnny Bench and Jerry Coleman as commentators. CBS’ coverage, via KNX in Los Angeles, will begin at 5:20 p.m.

The Dodgers’ game at Chicago Saturday will be televised on NBC, and the Dodgers and Cubs will be back on NBC Friday night, July 26, when they play a 5:20 game at Dodger Stadium. Saturday’s appearance will be the Dodgers’ sixth, and NBC, as specified in its agreement with baseball, is permitted only two more. The Friday night game is a special prime-time appearance and does not count toward the eight-game quota. . . . The Angels have already made four appearances and are scheduled for three more--Aug. 10 at Minnesota, Aug. 24 against Detroit at Anaheim, and Aug. 31 at New York. . . . One reader complains that although she likes the Dodgers and Angels, she’d rather see more of other teams on the networks. “We get plenty of Dodger and Angel games on Channel 11 and Channel 5,” she said.

NBC announced Thursday that Dr. Ferdie Pacheco will no longer be both the network’s boxing commentator and consultant. He has given up the job of consultant. Some critics said holding both positions was a conflict of interest, since Pacheco was commenting on fights he had touted as worthy of national television. An NBC spokesman said Pacheco’s outside interests as an artist and actor also were factors in the move. . . . Cal State Fullerton announced that 5,000-watt radio station KWOW, 1600, in Pomona will carry its football and basketball games. Packager Wayne Welk will handle the football play-by-play. . . . Attention Canadian football fans: The Financial News Network is offering taped coverage of Canadian Football League games on Sunday nights at 6. This Sunday’s game is Hamilton at Winnipeg.