This ‘Heidi’ Ending Made in Hollywood

Remember the “Heidi” game?

How can we forget?

In 1968, NBC switched away from the end of an NFL game between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders with 65 seconds left, just so the movie “Heidi” could start on time.

The Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final minute to win, and NBC switchboards lit up.

Well, Showtime is preparing a television movie called “The Heidi Bowl,” billed as a fictitious look at what might have happened to some characters involved in the infamous incident.

Eugene Levy plays the network control room supervisor.

There is no word yet on who is playing Jet quarterback Joe Namath, but we understand the way things are going, Martin Short may soon become available.

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Trivia time: Who is Real Sports magazine’s sportswoman of the millennium?

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Try smaller portions: Sam Cassell of the Milwaukee Bucks gained more than 20 pounds last season when he sat out most of the year because of an ankle injury.

Said Cassell: “I couldn’t believe how big I was getting.”

Memo to Sam: This is where mirrors and scales come in handy.

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Bad news: From a Newsday report about the New York Giants’ long memories from losing to the Washington Redskins on Sept. 19: “Any reporter with a question about that game can stroll the locker room like a toddler carrying a trick-or-treat bag, certain every player who is asked will deposit a tasty nugget into his or her notebook.”

Somebody must have missed the memo about no Halloween leads, especially in November about a game played in September.

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Age will be served: Manny Herskowitz, 82, is a “ballboy” at this week’s Chase Championships of the WTA Tour at Madison Square Garden.

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Or the submarine ride: From Jon Heyman in the Sporting News on the Angels’ problems: “Disney’s foray into baseball has been much like the steepest drop on the Matterhorn roller coaster.”

Sorry, marginal analogy. Wouldn’t the “Temple of Doom” ride would be a better reference?

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Not much punch: For what it’s worth, the Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield fight had about 850,000 hits on pay per view, according to TVKO, and does not rank among the top 10 fights in the 1990s in pay-per-view sales.

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Sort of: In a USA Today story about Los Angeles sports, David Leon Moore said the two best teams in the city are a hockey team (the Kings) and a soccer team (the Galaxy) “and people in L.A. promise to get real excited about both of them just as soon as they learn the rules.”

Please, this is such a trite rip job and a complete exaggeration about L.A. fans’ knowledge of the ins and outs of hockey and soccer rules.

Just one thing: They have rules?

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First things first: The Tigers are adding $40 million in cost to their new $300-million Comerica Park in downtown Detroit by building a Ferris wheel, a carousel, statues, a water exhibit and a few other amenities around the park.

Just guessing, but wouldn’t it be a good idea to spend some of that money on a few ballplayers?

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Trivia answer: Billie Jean King.

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And finally: At Steffi Graf’s ceremonial farewell at the Chase Championships, a fan yelled “Where’s Andre?” from the stands at Madison Square Garden.

Said Graf: “He’s home watching on TV and he’s checking you out. You don’t want to mess with him.”