‘Monday Night Football’ Still a Force

The Philadelphia Eagles, somewhat surprisingly, lost to the Dallas Cowboys by only six points, 23-17, Monday night.

By this season’s standards, it was a real nail-biter.

Here are just a few of the Monday night scores:

--Pittsburgh 45, Atlanta 17.

--Buffalo 35, Houston 7.

--Pittsburgh 23, Buffalo 0.

--San Francisco 42, New Orleans 7.

--San Diego 31, Indianapolis 0.

The average margin of victory on Monday nights has been 16.14 points. The NFL average for games not including Monday nights has been 11.13.

Amazingly, though, ABC’s “Monday Night Football” is holding its own in the ratings, despite getting only a 12.9--one of the worst ratings ever--for San Diego-Indianapolis.

So far, “Monday Night Football” is averaging a 16.8, the average at the end of the last two seasons.

And the ratings should get a boost with the matchup this Monday--Pittsburgh at Miami.

The highest average rating for “Monday Night Football” was a 21.8 for the 1981 season. That year the series ranked 12th among 108 prime-time series, but it currently ranks eighth among 112 prime-time shows.

The general perception is that “Monday Night Football” did a lot better in the days of Cosell and Dandy Don. But considering that network ratings overall have dropped as cable has grown, the series, despite all this season’s blowouts, is as strong as ever.

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Baltimore, anyone? A sign of the Rams’ popularity in Los Angeles is their 6.5 L.A. rating on Channel 2 for their debacle at Phoenix last Sunday. Denver-San Diego, which was on opposite the Rams on Channel 4, got a 12.9.

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Move over, Barbara Walters: The Fox network is considering using Magic Johnson as host of periodic specials in which he would interview three or four celebrities.

Word is that Fox also will make a serious pitch for a piece of the new NFL television contract next season.

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Recommended viewing: Hollywood has had a love affair with football for decades, and an excellent one-hour special entitled “Touchdown: Football Goes to the Movies,” which examines that relationship, will be on ESPN next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The special, produced by Ellen M. Krass and Janet Turner, covers the full range of football-related movies--from the silent film “Strongheart” to the recent hit “Rudy.”

Among those interviewed are USC Coach John Robinson and Times columnist Jim Murray.

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Add recommended viewing: ESPN’s outstanding series, “Outside the Lines,” takes a look at winning and losing today at 4:30 p.m.

A particularly good feature focuses on World Series hero Joe Carter and goat Mitch Williams.

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Gerry Gross, 73, a legendary figure in sports television who created and produced “Sports Challenge” and “The Way It Was,” both award-winning and popular series in the 1970s, died Wednesday after a long battle with emphysema.

“Sports Challenge” gave Dick Enberg his first national exposure. Curt Gowdy was the host of “The Way It Was,” a PBS series.

Dan Merrin, who helped Gross produce “Sports Challenge” and “The Way It Was,” said there are plans to bring back those two shows on videocassette.

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Good timing: Prime Ticket already had plenty of footage in the can on Monday when the news broke that Oscar De La Hoya had pulled out of his fight scheduled for Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

Prime Ticket, which sent a crew to the De La Hoya training camp in Big Bear last week, planned to televise a two-part series Tuesday and Wednesday on De La Hoya’s problems with his managers, but instead went with an in-depth, five-minute report by Alan Massengale on “Press Box” Monday night.

Prime Ticket wasn’t simply in the right place at the right time, but also produced an excellent, timely piece that did a good job of sorting out the different factions in De La Hoya’s camp.

Channel 11 also showed hustle, getting one of the ousted co-managers, Bob Mittleman, to do a live interview Monday night and sending Gary Apple to the De La Hoyas’ home Tuesday night.

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Preps in prime time: Channel 13 will televise tonight’s Southern Section Division I championship game between Santa Ana Mater Dei and Rialto Eisenhower at Anaheim Stadium live at 7:30.

The crew includes play-by-play announcer Randy Rosenbloom, commentator Ron Glazer, sideline reporters Steve Jahnke and Artie Ojeda and host Tony Hernandez.

Channel 13 televised last season’s CIF/Reebok Bowl, in which Southern Section champion Bishop Amat defeated City champion Sylmar, 31-10, and got an impressive 5.0 rating.

Tonight’s game will also be broadcast on KMPC, with Scott Galetti and Warren Williamson reporting. KMEN in San Bernardino will also carry the game.

TV-Radio Notes

Latest rumor on the sale of KMPC to Cap Cities is that the deal is next to done. . . . ESPN will devote 90 minutes to covering the World Cup draw on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas. Besides the announcement of the pairings for the 1994 World Cup, the special will also include performances by Barry Manilow, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Vanessa Williams. . . . The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on NBC Saturday, but a number of other college football awards will be presented on the “Subway College Football Awards Show” on ESPN today at 5:30 p.m.

With the Division I college football regular season concluded, NFL football moves to both Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday games this weekend are the New York Jets at Washington on NBC at 9:30 a.m. followed by San Francisco at Atlanta at 1 p.m. on CBS. . . . Following the NBC game will be the Heisman show on NBC, then taped coverage of the Ironman Triathlon.

TBS will televise the Stars on Ice tour from Lake Placid, N.Y., Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The tour will make 30 stops before and after the Winter Olympics. Headliners include Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Paul Wylie, Brian Orser, Rosalyn Sumners, and Kitty and Peter Carruthers. . . . Roberto Duran, 42, reaches a rare boxing milestone when he fights his 100th professional bout next Tuesday night. He faces once-beaten Tony Menefee at Bay St. Louis, Miss., on the USA network. . . . Anthony Munoz, the former USC All-American who went on to star as an offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, will audition this month with CBS for a job as a commentator.

Attention soccer fans: La Cadena Deportiva, Prime Ticket’s new Spanish-language channel, has signed an exclusive contract to televise 25 “Best of World Cup” final and semifinal matches from 1966 to 1990. This agreement comes on the heels of exclusive commitments for La Cadena to carry 384 games from soccer leagues in Spain, Argentina and Mexico.

Attention golf fans: “PGA Today’s” excellent year-in-review show, will be repeated on Prime Ticket next Wednesday at 1 p.m. and again Dec. 26 at 3:30 p.m. . . . Attention horse racing fans: A profile of popular race caller Trevor Denman was part of a “Thoroughbred World” show that was on Prime Ticket Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. It will be repeated next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Attention football widows: NFL Films has put out an excellent video, “A Women’s View of Pro Football.” It was produced by Blair Sabol, sister of NFL Films president Steve Sabol, Denine Moser, Louis Schmidt and Michele Klein. Dozens of women are interviewed, including Joan Rivers, Christie Brinkley, Suzanne Somers, Teri Garr, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ivana Trump, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Times sportswriter Julie Cart. . . . Some other good videos out for the Christmas season: “NFL’s 15 Greatest Comebacks” and “The Joe Montana Story,” both produced by NFL Films; the 1993 World Series video and “Catch the Fever: Baseball’s Hottest Stars,” both produced by Major League Baseball Productions, and “The Albert Achievement Awards,” produced by NBC Sports Video and distributed by CBS/Fox Video.