Collins Takes Objective Point of View

It always happens. Ardent fans insist network announcers are rooting for the opponent, particularly during big events.

So during these NBA playoffs, Laker fans see NBC’s Doug Collins as the enemy. “He’s anti-Laker,” they say. “You can hear it in his voice.”

Back in the 1980s, when CBS would assign Tommy Heinsohn to work the Laker-Boston Celtic finals, a case could be made that Heinsohn was anti-Laker. Heinsohn played the Celtics and was a Celtic announcer at the time. He all but bled green.

Collins bristles at talk that he is anti-Laker.

“I guess I’m doing a good job if that is the perception,” he said. “It means I’ve been fair. I think I’ve gone overboard in complimenting the Lakers.

“One thing might be that when we’re doing a game in Indianapolis, the crowd is louder when the Pacers score, and I’ve got to raise my voice.

“I think all this anti-Laker talk stems from my saying Brian Shaw took three steps toward Rick Fox and Scottie Pippen when they got into it during the Portland series.”

Shaw was subsequently suspended for a game for leaving the bench area.

Collins knows that fans see calls from officials differently than an objective observer because they are biased.

Some Laker fans have suggested there is still bad blood between Collins and Phil Jackson because Jackson, then an assistant under Collins, replaced him as coach of the Chicago Bulls.

“That’s a topic I’m not going to even discuss,” Collins said. “It’s ludicrous, and it’s unfair to even bring it up. Phil and the Laker coaching staff have been very cooperative. In our many meetings with the Laker coaches and players, no one has ever accused me of not being fair.”

RATINGS DEPARTMENT

NBC got a needed boost from Wednesday night’s overtime thriller. The game drew a national rating of 13.1 with a 24 share, an increase from the 12.0/22 for Game 4 of the finals last year. NBC is now averaging an 11.1/20 for the finals, down slightly from the 11.3/21 after four games last year. Game 4 got a 31.4/48 in Los Angeles, a 46.6/66 in Indianapolis.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Daron Sutton won’t be spending Father’s Day on Sunday with his dad. But that’s OK by him. They’ll talk by phone, and probably e-mail each other too.

“I think what’s more important is that we will both be calling games in the big leagues,” Daron said.

Daron, in his first season as an Angel radio announcer and teamed with Mario Impemba, will be in Baltimore Sunday. Don Sutton, in his 12th season as an announcer with the Atlanta Braves, will be in Philadelphia.

Daron, 30, always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. As an announcer, not a pitcher.

“When your dad has had an over-the-top career as one of the best pitchers in history, you don’t even think about trying to match that,” he said. “I enjoyed playing baseball, but I knew early on my future was elsewhere.”

Don, 55, remembers a call he got from his son from the Atlanta Braves’ training camp in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1993.

“He said, ‘I’m coming home. See you tomorrow for dinner.’ That was the end of his baseball career, and that was fine. What I’m more proud of is Daron’s love and respect for baseball, his passion for the sport and his work ethic.

“I’m happy for him, and I’m happy for the Angels. They got themselves a winner.”

Daron isn’t quite so bold. He knows he’s got a ways to go, and he talks about working on his pace and phrasing. His agent, longtime CBS Radio baseball producer Norman Baer, works with him almost daily.

Sutton wants to improve. Broadcasting is one field where he can someday match his dad.

A FATHER’S GIFT

Don and Daron Sutton are both fathers of young daughters. Don, who has an older daughter, Stacy, 26, Daron’s sister, also has 3-year-old Jackie by his second wife Mary. Daron and wife Kristin have a 2-year-old daughter, Abbey.

Don says Jackie is truly a miracle. She was born 16 weeks premature and weighed 19 ounces.

“She was given a one-in-100 chance of surviving,” Sutton said. “Today, she is the joy of my life.”

BOXING BEAT

Promoter Bob Arum may be the only one saying Saturday night’s Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosley fight at Staples Center could break the pay-per-view record of 1.3 million buys for a non-heavyweight title fight. The record was set by the De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad fight.

Saturday night’s $49.95 telecast begins at 6, with the main event expected to start between 8 and 8:30. The TVKO crew working the fight is Jim Lampley, Emanuel Steward, Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, George Foreman and Nick Charles.

It’s a big weekend for boxing. ESPN2’s regular Friday night boxing series at 7 offers an attractive card from Indio, and Showtime has heavyweights Andrew Golota and Orlin Norris, delayed at 11 p.m. on Friday. At 2 p.m. Saturday, ABC will televise a fight from the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens.

ANOTHER HALL OF FAMER

With the Kings’ Bob Miller being named Thursday as this year’s recipient of the NHL’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and the Hall of Fame plaque that comes with it, L.A. now has three Hall of Fame announcers. Vin Scully and Chick Hearn are the others.

IN CLOSING

The One-On-One Sports Radio Networks’ Papa Joe Chevalier, doing his afternoon drive-time shows from Los Angeles, came close to doing an interview last Monday with O.J. Simpson. Chevalier said he wanted to ask Simpson about taking a lie-detector test--if he were paid $3 million--and about the Ray Lewis verdicts. Chevalier said, “He was literally on hold, but when he tried to put restrictions on the questions we could ask, we said no thanks.” Good for Chevalier.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for June 10-11.

SATURDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Tennis: French Open, women’s final 4 3.7 11 Stanley Cup finals: New Jersey at Dallas 7 3.6 8 Horse racing: Belmont Stakes 7 3.5 10 Baseball: Oakland at Dodgers 5 3.4 7 Golf: Buick Classic 2 2.5 7 Baseball: Angels at Arizona 9 2.3 7 College World Series: Florida State vs. USC 2 2.1 6 Golf: SBC Senior Open 2 1.2 3 WNBA basketball: Phoenix at Sparks 9 0.8 2

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Cable Network Rating Share Boxing: Acelino Feitas vs. Lemuel Nelson HBO 2.0 4 NFL Europe: Amsterdam at Berlin FSN 0.6 2 Soccer: MLS, Dallas at Columbus ESPN2 0.6 2 Baseball: Boston at Atlanta TBS 0.6 1 Horse racing: Hollywood Park Today FSN2 0.5 1 Auto racing: Busch Grand National TNN 0.5 1 Arena football: Arizona at Avengers FSN2 0.2 0

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SUNDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share NBA finals: Lakers at Indiana 4 27.8 50 Tennis: French Open, men’s final 4 3.3 12 WNBA basketball: Sparks at Sacramento 4 3.6 10 Golf: Buick Classic 2 3.0 8 Soccer: U.S. Cup, U.S. vs. Mexico 2 2.3 5 Auto racing: NASCAR Winston Cup Kmart 400 2 2.2 6 NFL Europe: Frankfurt at Barcelona 11 1.6 4 Golf: SBC Senior Open 2 0.5 1

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Cable Network Rating Share Baseball: Oakland at Dodgers FSN2 1.0 3 College World Series: Clemson-Stanford ESPN 0.8 2 College World Series: San Jose St.-La. Lafayette ESPN 0.5 1 Golf: LPGA Rochester International ESPN2 0.4 1

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WEEKDAY RATINGS: THURSDAY, June 8: Stanley Cup finals, Dallas at New Jersey, 5.0/9. FRIDAY, June 9: Indiana at Lakers, Ch. 4, 30.8/50. WEDNESDAY: Lakers at Indiana, Ch. 4, 31.4/48.

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.