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What: “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel”

When: Tonight, 10 p.m., HBO

With Wimbledon beginning next Monday and HBO providing weekday coverage, there are two tennis features in this latest edition of “Real Sports.”

The show opens with a segment on John McEnroe and--after a look at major league umpires and their stormy relationship with baseball’s brass--comes a segment on Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena.

HBO takes fairly objective looks at McEnroe and Williams, who probably wouldn’t win any popularity contests in the tennis world. But both come out pretty much unscathed. You may even end up liking them more.

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HBO chronicles McEnroe’s tantrums and bad-boy behavior, but his wife, Patti Smyth, former lead singer for the ‘80s rock group Scandal, says that is not really him. Naturally, she says he is a good guy and points out that she was bed-ridden for four months when pregnant with their second child, born in April, and he took care of all five of his children.

In 1996, McEnroe was named father of the year by the National Father Council. “I paid quite a bit for that honor, under the table,” McEnroe quips.

McEnroe, who was interviewed by HBO’s Jim Lampley at his New York art studio, talks briefly about his rift with Jimmy Connors, but has a lot to say about the state of men’s tennis.

McEnroe: “The ATP is pretty much the only surviving Communist regime that we still have.”

Lampley: “What does that mean? Do you mean that it favors lesser players?”

McEnroe: “Yeah.”

Lampley: “To the disadvantage of the greater players?”

McEnroe: “To the disadvantage of the game. . . I think one of the things they need is someone to look them in the eye and sort of be a liaison perhaps. Commissioner McEnroe is available.”

While the segment on the Williams family is well-produced and reporter Derek McGinty seems to develop a good relationship with Richard, there’s not much new information.

The segment on umpires is more provocative. It explores the division between the umpires and the sport that employs them. Combative union leader Richie Phillips adds plenty of fuel to the fire.

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The fourth segment deals with sexual harassment in college athletics and focuses on two cases. One involves former Syracuse tennis coach Jesse Dwire, accused by former players of improper touching, and the other is on a suit filed by Ohio State distance runner Denise Klemencic against her coach, Ed Crawford. Klemencic claims Crawford asked her out; Crawford denies it.

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