CBS Has Old Bag to Go With Woods

The highlight of a busy post-Super Bowl weekend is Tiger Woods going for six in a row at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on CBS, weather permitting.

“We are watching a man do his job very well in an environment that is full of guys that carry the same amount of clubs and are capable of beating him,” CBS’ Gary McCord said. “I’m going with the odds and saying he’s not going to do it, particularly in the conditions we have here.”

McCord and David Feherty will be on CBS tonight, after David Letterman, with the second of two late-night shows from Pebble Beach.

If golf isn’t your bag, there is plenty else on TV this weekend.

CBS is reuniting the old NBC team of Dick Enberg, Billy Packer and Al McGuire. They will work the Connecticut-Michigan State game Saturday at 10 a.m.

There’s more football too, if Sunday’s Pro Bowl on ABC and taped coverage of the legends beach flag football game on ESPN count. And the NHL All-Star game should be worth watching, if for no other reason than to see all the TV gimmicks. ABC is trying to outfox Fox.

CBS’ SUNSHINE BOYS

The last time Enberg, Packer and McGuire worked together was at the 1981 NCAA championship game on NBC, the day President Reagan was shot.

What can we expect from these three Saturday? They gave a preview during a conference call with reporters.

McGuire took the occasion to announce his retirement--sort of.

“This is my last year,” he said. “My wife is starting to store her sweaters in the oven.”

“What?” Enberg said.

Translation: McGuire’s wife Pat would like him home for dinner more often.

Enberg, who will be paired with McGuire for games later in the season and during the NCAA tournament, said, “I’ve got time to work on him and talk him out of retiring. We’ve heard this before.”

Enberg talked about the time he and McGuire worked a UCLA-Soviet Union exhibition game at Pauley Pavilion. Enberg said he found a Russian student to help with name pronunciations.

“I spelled them all out phonetically on my spotting board,” Enberg said. “Al looked at them and said, ‘Give me three names, that’s all I need. Three easy ones.’ ”

MEMORABLE INTERVIEW

Trev Alberts, the former Nebraska linebacker who was a first-round draft choice of the Indianapolis Colts, had a short-lived NFL career because of injuries. He now works for Turner Broadcasting--mainly CNN-SI.

Alberts got his first opportunity to do a live interview last Friday on a TNT Super Bowl special. The Buffalo Bills’ Bruce Smith was the guest.

As Alberts was talking, Smith, unsteady on his feet and looking uncomfortable, collapsed. He took two steps backward and went down, flat on his back, his hands remaining in his pockets.

“They never teach you what to do in a case like that,” said Alberts, who can now laugh about it. “I was in shock, I didn’t know what to do.”

Alberts continued to talk, mumbling a few words, then sent it back to host Bob Lorenz, who went to a commercial break--a long commercial break. Turns out Smith was OK.

“All of a sudden, I felt nauseated,” he said later.

The hot studio lights obviously were a factor.

The incident showed how easily Smith passes out. In March 1998, he was arrested on drunk-driving charges after having been found slumped over the steering wheel of his car in Virginia Beach. The charges were later dropped. At the time, Smith said he suffered from sleep apnea, a condition that interrupts breathing. Sufferers often pass out.

UP CLOSE . . . TOO PERSONAL?

What the NHL is allowing ABC to do during coverage of Sunday’s All-Star game could be interesting, or it could create an aura of phoniness. The coaches will be wired and able to talk to announcers Gary Thorne and Bill Clement during the game, selected players and referees will wear tiny microphones, and ESPN.com and NHL.com users will get a chance to chat with players--when play is in progress. Analyst Darren Pang will be behind the benches, questioning players during the game.

SUPER BOWL REVISITED

The best pregame feature was on ESPN--Andrea Kremer’s report on the financial pressures NFL players feel from family and friends. . . . Kremer gave birth to a son on the Wednesday before the Super Bowl. Kremer, a real trouper, was on the ESPN set Sunday. . . . The worst feature on ABC’s pregame show was the one with Barbara Walters and friends from “The View.” The main topic was players’ butts. How embarrassing for sports reporters Lesley Visser and Robin Roberts, who took part. Edited out was Walters asking Visser, “Do you ever get hot in the locker room?” The whole feature should have been dropped.

SHORT WAVES

On a busy weekend, ESPN2 has the Winternationals from Pomona, the Davis Cup from Zimbabwe and more America’s Cup challenger finals from New Zealand. The Winter X Games are on ESPN and ABC, and the U.S. women’s soccer team plays Norway Sunday at 11 a.m. on ESPN. . . . The Australian Open women’s final between Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis got a national rating of 1.5 and was the most-watched women’s tennis match ever on ESPN. The L.A. rating was 1.7. Andre Agassi and Yevgeny Kafelnikov got a 1.9 national rating and an amazing 3.2 in L.A.

Specials: ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” series examines sports gambling today at 4 p.m. and ABC celebrates Black History Month with a look at seven prominent African American athletes in “Raising the Roof” Saturday at 3 p.m. . . . After a year’s absence, “The Sporting Life With Jim Huber” returns Sunday at 7 a.m. on CNN and CNN-SI.

The Southern California Sports Broadcasters Assn. will hold its annual awards luncheon Monday at Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. Details: (310) 208-3838.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for Jan. 29-30.

SATURDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Figure skating: World Professional Championships 4 8.3 14 Pro basketball: Utah at Minnesota 4 4.3 12 Pro basketball: San Antonio at Portland 4 4.2 10 Track and field: D.C. Invitational 4 3.9 13 Golf: Senior Skins Game 7 1.8 6 Golf: Phoenix Open 2 1.7 5 Auto racing: IRL Delphi Indy 200 7 1.6 4 College basketball: Kentucky at Miami 2 1.2 4 Hockey: Mighty Ducks at Pittsburgh 9 0.6 1

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Cable Network Rating Share Tennis: Australian Open, Agassi vs. Kafelnikov ESPN 3.2 13 Boxing: Mike Tyson vs. Julius Francis SHO 1.2 4 College football: Gridiron Classic All-Star game ESPN 0.8 2 College basketball: UCLA at Oregon FSN 0.7 2 America’s Cup: Challenger finals, Race 5 ESPN2 0.7 1 Horse racing: Hutcheson Stakes ESPN 0.6 1 Hockey: New Jersey at Detroit ESPN 0.6 1 College basketball: Washington at California FSN 0.3 1 Pro basketball: New Jersey at Clippers FSN2 0.2 0

*--*

SUNDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Super Bowl: St. Louis vs. Tennessee 7 37.8 64 Pro basketball: Lakers at Houston 4 7.4 17 Pro basketball: Sacramento at New York 4 3.4 9 Golf: Senior Skins Game 7 3.0 8 Skiing: U.S. Freestyle Grand National 2 2.3 6 Golf: Phoenix Open 2 2.0 4 College basketball: Illinois at Michigan State 2 1.1 3

*--*

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Cable N etwork Rating Share Bowling: Don Carter Classic ESPN 0.7 2 Horse racing: Santa Catalina Stakes FSN 0.2 0

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Note: Each rating point represents 51,350 L.A. households. Cable ratings reflect the entire market, even though cable is in only 63% of L.A. households.