NBC and the 49ers Seem to Be Engaged in a Tug of Walsh

Although it may be futile, Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports, will try to persuade Bill Walsh to stay with the network.

The San Francisco 49ers want their former coach back as an administrator. Walsh would work on the draft and possible trades, with General Manager John McVay continuing to be in charge of player personnel and detail work.

“We should know what Bill is going to do before 6 o’clock Saturday,” Ebersol said while in Los Angeles.

Walsh, reached at his office in Palo Alto, said he is still undecided.

“I enjoy the television work very much, and I have another year left on my (NBC) contract,” he said. “And I love working with Dick Enberg.”

But he seemed to be leaning toward the 49er offer. He cited less travel as one factor.

Ebersol realizes that convincing Walsh to stay will be difficult. “I’m realistic about it,” he said.

There were reports, including one by Prime Ticket’s Randi Hall, that NBC, in an effort to keep Bill Parcells, would move him into Walsh’s spot as the network’s No. 1 pro football commentator, with Walsh dropping to No. 2 and remaining on Notre Dame football.

Walsh, who has heard the reports, tried to play them down. “I’m not really into who is No. 1 or No. 2,” he said. “That’s not important to me. I just enjoy doing games. I love doing Notre Dame.”

Still, the demotion rumor doubtless did little to endear NBC to Walsh.

Ebersol said that if Walsh stays, he will keep his No. 1 spot. Ebersol hopes to meet with Walsh in Buffalo, site of Sunday’s AFC championship game. Walsh flew to Denver Thursday to watch the Broncos practice.

If Walsh leaves, Parcells wouldn’t automatically move into his place. “You can’t assume that,” Ebersol said. “There are too many other possibilities.”

Parcells signed with NBC for only one year, accepting a salary of only $250,000, so he would be free to leave after the season.

“Sometime after the Super Bowl, we’ll sit down and talk about a new deal with Parcells,” Ebersol said. “What we end up with is hard to say.”

After the runaround Parcells has given NBC, even lying on the air about meeting with Tampa Bay Buccaneer owner Hugh Culverhouse, NBC should show Parcells the door. For one thing, his credibility is shot.

It has been a real circus. Parcells was going to Tampa Bay, then he wasn’t, then he was, then he wasn’t.

By the way, Prime Ticket’s Hall was the first to report that, contrary to what the Chicago Tribune was saying, Parcells was not going to Tampa Bay.

If Walsh does leave NBC, he will be missed. He has shown steady improvement during the past three seasons and has a way of growing on you.

He still has some flaws, such as occasionally being unable to identify players. He blames that, in part, on his eyesight. Walsh wears contacts and is colorblind.

Some viewers complain that Walsh doesn’t provide enough insight. “You just don’t have time to get too technical, and I don’t know how much of that people really want,” he said.

What’s appealing about Walsh, besides his strong, candid opinions, is a relaxed, uncontrived style. He comes across as genuine, without an ounce of phoniness, and that counts for a lot.

Walsh, a pleasant man both on and off the air, is someone you would like to invite into your living room to watch a game.

The same can’t be said about Parcells.

Asked about a rumor that NBC was at one time close to hiring Magic Johnson as a basketball commentator, Ebersol said it was true.

“We had serious discussions with Lon Rosen (Johnson’s agent) from mid-November until Christmastime,” Ebersol said. “We had hoped to have him signed in time to work on the Laker-Clipper telecast on Christmas Day.”

Johnson would have worked as a second commentator on the Marv Albert-Mike Fratello team on that telecast, but details were never worked out because Johnson turned down the offer.

Rosen said it was simply a case of scheduling. “His doctors gave him clearance to do it, but Magic is spending a lot of time--an awful lot of time--on his autobiography and a lot of time working on the (Magic Johnson) Foundation,” Rosen said. “He felt, with all his commitments, he just didn’t have the time to work all the games, including playoffs, that NBC wanted him to.”

NBC has a 22-game regular- season schedule, which gets into full swing Jan. 26, Super Bowl Sunday, with Detroit at Boston.

It came as a surprise to CBS when Merlin Olsen, on the final Sunday of the regular season, announced that he was retiring after 15 years as a football commentator--13 with NBC and two with CBS. He made the announcement at the end of the Dallas-Atlanta telecast.

“I know there is a tendency to wonder, ‘Why is he quitting this great job?’ ” Olsen said. “I want to emphasize that I view this as a very positive thing in my life. After 15 years, I was ready to move on. Now I can devote more time to other things.”

Olsen said he has some acting projects in the works, and that he also wants to be able to watch his son play at Stanford next season. Nathan Olsen was a 6-foot-3, 235-pound freshman defensive lineman on this year’s team.

John Robinson is a candidate to replace Olsen at CBS.

TV-Radio Notes

Channel 4 this week televised a feature on the apparently estranged father of Erik Kramer, the Detroit Lions’ quarterback. Karl Kramer is unemployed and living in a garage in Reseda. Potentially, there seems to be a story here, but the station’s report had holes. There was no comment from Erik Kramer or anyone representing him. Only Karl Kramer and a friend were interviewed. It was tabloid television at its worst, something you would expect to see on “Hard Copy” or “Geraldo,” not a respectable network-owned station. . . . Here’s another name to throw into the hat as a possible new sportscaster at Channel 2: Pat Haden. No question, he would be tremendous. The catch is, Haden said he is interested in a part-time position because of his law practice. . . . Haden, who has become one of the best football commentators, will work the AFC championship game on CBS radio Sunday with Howard David. Jack Buck and Hank Stram will work the NFC title game. . . . Buck may not have cut it as CBS-TV’s main man on baseball, but he and Stram are still a joy to hear on football radio broadcasts. Buck is one play-by-play man who will give you all the basics--score, time remaining, down, yards to go, etc. . . . Haden’s first game of the season for TNT was Detroit-Washington. The Redskins won, 45-0. Said Haden: “I know I’ll see Val Pinchbeck (the NFL’s director of broadcasting) in Buffalo this weekend and he’ll say, ‘See, that game wasn’t so bad. It was a preview to the NFC championship.’ ”

Chris Schenkel begins his 50th year in broadcasting and his 40th as a network sportscaster Saturday when he announces ABC’s tape-delayed coverage of the AC Delco bowling tournament at Gable House Bowl in Torrance. This event also marks Schenkel’s 30th anniversary on ABC’s “Pro Bowlers Tour.” Schenkel, 68, joins an elite club in the living/active 50-plus club. Others include Mel Allen, Red Barber, Jack Brickhouse, Don Dunphy, Marty Glickman, Ernie Harwell and Bob Wolff. Schenkel got his first broadcasting job at radio station WLBC in Muncie, Ind., in 1942. . . . Bob Elder starts a weeknight 10-to-11 sports talk show on radio station KORG (1190) Monday.

ABC, with its new golf announcing team of Brent Musburger, Steve Melnyk and on-course commentator Mark Rolfing, opens a 22-tournament schedule with final-round, delayed coverage Sunday of the Infiniti Tournament of Champions at La Costa. ESPN is televising the earlier rounds. . . . Channel 2 has added Sunday’s USC-Arizona State basketball game to its schedule. The game will be shown on a one-hour delay at 4 p.m., after the NFC championship game. . . . NBC did a beautifully produced recap of last weekend’s Denver-Houston game on its “NFL Live” program Sunday. Among other things, it showed that the game was a shining moment for hard-working, sometimes forgotten announcer Charlie Jones. His call of the winning drive was perfect.