NBC Adds Denman, but in Wrong Role

Finally, NBC is giving its Breeders’ Cup coverage a little western flavor.

Santa Anita race caller Trevor Denman will be a member of the on-air crew working the 4 1/2-hour telecast Saturday from Florida’s Gulfstream Park.

Denman will serve as an analyst focusing on the West Coast horses, and at least that’s a stride in the right direction.

But Denman should be calling the races. That’s what he does best.

However, NBC insists on using Tom Durkin, the race caller at two East Coast tracks--the Meadowlands in New Jersey and Hialeah in Florida.

Even when the Breeders’ Cup, now in its sixth year, was held at Santa Anita in 1986, Durkin was the race caller instead of Denman.

That didn’t set too well with the Santa Anita regulars, who like Denman because of his insightful, colorful and accurate calls.

KMPC’s Jim Healy, who follows horse racing with a hypercritical view, says: “Trevor Denman is not only the best race caller in the country, he is 10 times better than whoever is second.”

About his role on Saturday’s telecast, Denman said: “Sure, I look at this as a good opportunity for me, but if I had my choice, I’d prefer calling the race. What I am is a race caller.

“The way I look at this assignment is that it’s great for California, not just great for Trevor Denman. We have some pretty good horses racing here, and now we’re finally being represented.”

Denman, a South African, first came to the United States to call an international race in 1980 at Aqueduct in New York. He returned in the fall of 1983 to call another race at Bay Meadows in San Mateo.

That race was on a Wednesday, and the next day he paid a visit to Santa Anita. He had written ahead to Race Director Frank E. (Jimmy) Kilroe, who invited Denman to sit in and call the ninth race.

Denman returned to the track the next day and was invited to call another race. He then returned to South Africa.

Two weeks later, Alan Balch, then Santa Anita senior vice president in charge of marketing, called Denman in South Africa to offer him a job working the Oak Tree meeting after Alan Buchdahl left for Hollywood Park.

Denman packed up and moved to California.

Two years later, when Dave Johnson, the race caller during Santa Anita’s main winter-spring meeting, left over a contract dispute, Denman got that job, as well.

Dick Enberg and Tom Hammond will again be the hosts of NBC’s Breeders’ Cup coverage; Sharon Smith will return as an analyst, and Jenny Ornsteen, a newcomer, will be a roving reporter. Ornsteen is the co-host of a racing show in Philadelphia.

Denman essentially replaces Harvey Pack, an East Coast handicapper who is the director of promotions for the New York Racing Assn.

NBC’s first five Breeders’ Cup telecasts were four hours in length. Saturday’s will be 4 1/2. It begins at 10:30 a.m., PST, with the first race, the Sprint, scheduled for about 10:55.

NBC says the extra time will give the telecast some breathing room, allowing more features.

These will include a tribute to Bill Shoemaker and a look at the career of Secretariat.

Racetracks throughout the country, including Santa Anita, will carry NBC’s coverage and wrap it around live races.

NBC should set up Nielsen meters at the racetracks because the home viewing audience doesn’t figure to be impressive.

The Breeders’ Cup once again has the misfortune of falling on one of the best college football Saturdays of the year, highlighted by No. 2-ranked Colorado vs. No. 3 Nebraska at 11:30 a.m., PST, on CBS.

“No question, it’s the game of the year,” said commentator Pat Haden, who will work the game with Jim Nantz. “Call it Game of the Century, Part 27.”

In all, there will be 13 college games on television Saturday.

SportsChannel has a couple of attractive ones.

At 9 a.m., it will be Notre Dame against Navy. It may not be much of a game, but it’s still Notre Dame, which probably will win its 21st in a row.

At 6 p.m., SportsChannel offers what should be a much better matchup--the Big West showdown between Fresno State, currently on a 15-game winning streak, and San Jose State. This one, with Fresno State announcers Randy Rosenbloom and Mike Shumann reporting, could be the second-best game of the day.

TV-Radio Notes

Today and Sunday, SportsChannel America, as part of the Breeders’ Cup weekend, will televise races from Gulfstream Park, beginning at noon, PST, both days. SportsChannel will also preview and review Saturday’s big races. . . . Showtime will televise Saturday night’s Evander Holyfield-Alex Stewart fight at Atlantic City, N.J. The announcers will be Steve Albert, Marv’s brother, and Ferdie Pacheco. The telecast begins at 7, PST, the fight about 7:15. . . . Rick Kulis of Choice Entertainment reports that sales for the Dec. 7 Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard fight at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas are going briskly. Most Southland cable companies are asking $39.95 but will charge $44.95 the day of the fight. The San Diego Cable Sports Network is offering a bargain price of $30 that will go to $35 on Dec. 4 and $40 the day of the fight.

Pro football on Sunday: The Rams at Minnesota on CBS at 10 a.m., PST, with Pat Summerall and John Madden; Pittsburgh at Denver on NBC at 1 p.m., with Marv Albert and Bob Trumpy, and Dallas at Washington on ESPN in the cable network’s midseason opener at 5 p.m., with Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann. . . . It was good to hear the Summerall-Madden team on last Sunday’s Ram-Chicago game. They’re still the best in the business.

CBS, responding to pressure from fans and major league baseball, announced Thursday it will televise 16 regular-season baseball games next season, four more than originally planned. . . . The Florida-based Senior Professional Baseball Assn., a league featuring recently retired players, will make its debut on Prime Ticket tonight, delayed at 7:30. . . . Good news for Century Cable subscribers: The Los Angeles cable company added the TNT network just in time for the NBA season. . . . Channel 7’s Jim Hill will emcee a motivational symposium featuring Pat Riley, Tom Lasorda and John Wooden at the Irvine Hilton Monday from noon to 4 p.m.