Message Is Clear: ABC Won’t Overpay Underexperienced

Sports television has been out of wack for years. Now, it may be joining the real world. At least ABC appears to be.

Whatever ABC was paying Joe Namath, $350,000 a year, as some said, or $1 million a year, as Namath himself said, it was way too much.

Think about it for a second. Namath got an expense-paid trip every week to see an NFL game, got to appear on national television, talk a little about the game, and collect a ridiculous salary as well.

On top of that, he didn’t do a very good job of talking about the game.

Namath as a football quarterback was worth a lot of money. He had a unique skill that generated income.

As a football commentator, he wasn’t much. He should have paid for the privilege.

ABC has come to it senses. This week it fired Namath. It also got rid of two overpaid college football commentators--Frank Broyles and Lee Crosscup.

It’ll be tough, but you’ll probably be able to survive without Broyles’ pearls of wisdom, such as: “Keith, we’ve got two sensational teams here coached by two sensational coaches; it’s a sensational day and we’re in store for a sensational game.”

O.J. Simpson is being offered Broyles’ job on college football, and will work with Keith Jackson if he accepts it, while the No. 2 team on college football reportedly will be Hal Trautwig and Tim Brant, two moderately paid professional broadcasters.

Simpson has talked to both NBC and CBS about job possibilities. According to NBC sources, that network isn’t interested, but CBS may have a spot for Simpson on “NFL Today.” Simpson’s agent, Ed Hookstratten, said CBS has not made a offer.

The ABC plan is for Frank Gifford to move from play- by-play announcer on “Monday Night Football” to commentator, with Al Michaels handling the play-by-play.

But if Roone Arledge, former ABC Sports president, has his way, Gifford will remain on play-by-play.

Reportedly, Gifford was devasted by the news and Arledge, a close friend, is backing him.

“Frank has been ill-served,” Arledge told the New York Daily News. “He is one of the people who stood very tall in some difficult times, particularly last year. After 15 years he deserves a lot better and it’s worth reconsidering the move.

“Frank has done nothing but bring distinction and honor to this network. Over the years, he has had the single toughest role in all of sports--especially when Howard Cosell and Don Meredith were on ‘Monday Night Football’ and it was a three-ring circus--with Howard pointing out every mistake Frank made.”

Arledge recently turned over the daily operation of ABC Sports to Dennis Swanson but is supposed to still oversee the department in his new position as president, ABC Broadcast Group.

It will be interesting to see if he overrules Swanson on this decision, or even has the power to do so.

Now that ABC is cutting the fat, will the other networks follow suit? For example, CBS could do without bumbling Ara Parshegian.

Hookstatten, whose clients include many of the nation’s top sportscasters, said: “I think you’re top talent will still command seven-figure salaries. But there may be a fallout on the second tier. That’s where there’ll be a vaccuum. You won’t see people like Joe Namath coming in and instantly getting the big bucks.”

Someone the caliber of Vin Scully generates income. Scully, probably more than anyone else, has helped make the Dodgers one of the most successful franchises in sports and, working with Joe Garagiola, he has helped boost NBC’s baseball ratings.

But Namath was not the reason the ratings on “Monday Night Football” were up last season. It was because of games like Chicago vs. Miami.

To a degree, Howard Cosell is right when he complains about jockocracy. Usually, you can’t take an ex-coach or an ex-athlete, give him a major sportscasting job and expect him to star immediately. There aren’t many John Maddens or Hank Strams.

Vigorous Vitale: Dick Vitale’s schtick on ESPN isn’t an act. He’s the same way in person.

The college basketball commentator was in town this week to tape a TV show, “Sports Look,” and had lunch with a couple of sports TV writers.

You don’t interview Vitale, you just listen.

“I know I talk too much,” he said. “But that’s me. I’m a firey Italian with lots of opinions. I sit on airplanes just thinking of ‘em.”

A few of them:

On the state of college basketball: “Coaching in the college ranks is now insanity. No contracts are firm. Coaches are fired left and right. There’s too much pressure because of the financial bonanza caused by TV rights. I don’t think the NCAA should reward schools so much financially. You go to the Final Four, and that’s means $800,000 for your school.”

On Michigan State’s Scott Skiles: “I said on the air that Skiles shouldn’t be playing this year. He’s been busted twice for drunk driving and once for possession of marijuana. And he’s been found guilty. He’s going to jail. He wouldn’t be playing if he weren’t the best point guard in the country.”

On the USC coaching situation: “I think George Raveling would be the ideal coach. He’s flamboyant. He’d fit right into Hollywood. He’d be great for USC, and L.A. would be great for him.”

On UCLA: “There’s a new trend there. The Bruins used to go after NCAA titles. Now they just try to make the NIT.”

On John Wooden: “The greatest coach in the history of all sports. It’s been a soap opera at UCLA ever since he left. Luke and Laura. Denny Crum is the guy who should have replaced Wooden.”

On Billy Packer: “He’s vanilla.”

On Al McGuire: “He’s wacky like me.”

On getting 26% of the votes, by far the most, in a recent fans’ poll in Sport magazine as the basketball announcer who they’d like to see be given the boot: “At least they’re out there reacting to me. I know I’m doing my job as long as I’m getting reaction. Anyone can rip me for my style. I’m sensitive and it hurts, but I know you can’t please everybody. But you can’t rip me for not being prepared and knowing my stuff. I know I do a good job.”

Notes

KMPC’s Jim Healy has been ripping KIIS-fm’s Charleye Wright for running a horse-racing tout service, and rightfully so. It’s not something a real journalist does. Anyway, Wright sent Healy two bumper stickers promoting his service and a note that said: “One is for you, the other is for all your friends.” Said Healy: “Talk about amateurish. That’s got to be a 55-year-old joke.” . . . The March 10 Marvin Hagler-John (The Beast) Mugabi fight will be shown on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” Saturday. A Mike Tyson-James (Quick) Tillis fight was supposed to be on the same show, but it was postponed until May 3 because, reportedly, Tyson has an ear infection. . . . Mike Weaver and James (Bonecrusher) Smith fight on CBS a week from Saturday. . . . “Wide World of Sports” on Sunday is a good one, showing highlights of the Western States Endurance run. It’s a 100-mile footrace from Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif.

ESPN will have an all-women announcing team, Leandra Reilly and Mimi Griffin, working the women’s Final Four semifinals tonight. Reilly is a free-lance play-by-play announcer who lives in Atlanta and Griffin is a former point guard at Pittsburgh. Griffin will also work CBS’s coverage of the championship game Sunday at 10 a.m. Gary Bender will handle the play-by-play. . . . The Angels have a new Spanish-language station, XPRS 1090. The station’s first broadcast will be next Tuesday, when the Angels play San Diego at Anaheim Stadium. . . . The San Diego Chicken will be featured on “Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports” on Channel 4 Saturday at 4 p.m.