Brett Goes to Bat for ‘MNF’ Politicker

Will ABC lean to the left, or lean to the right? Is the network really going to put conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh in its “Monday Night Football” booth?

It started out as somewhat of a lark, Limbaugh using his daily syndicated show that reaches 14.5 million listeners to campaign for the job after Boomer Esiason was fired. But Limbaugh became more and more serious about it, and last week did an audition with Al Michaels.

Is Limbaugh qualified? We know he isn’t shy, but does he know football? He played high school football until he was 16 in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Mo., located 100 miles south of St. Louis. Howard Cosell didn’t play football at all and considered that as an asset, titling one of his books, “I Never Played the Game.”

To learn more about Limbaugh, George Brett was sought out. The former Kansas City Royal and Limbaugh are close friends, having first met in 1978 when Limbaugh went to work for the Royals in group ticket sales. Limbaugh was with for the Royals for five years.

When Brett and his brother Bobby attempted to buy the Royals in 1996, Limbaugh was one of their backers.

“I knew Rush when he was making $12,000 a year,” Brett said. “All he talked about in the locker room was sports. I didn’t even know he knew anything about politics. I figured someday Rush would be like a Jim Rome and do sports talk. He knew everything about sports, particularly baseball and football.

“I think he’d be great in the ‘Monday Night’ booth.

“I’ll tell you, the thing that impresses me the most about Rush is that he hasn’t changed over the years, and that’s the best thing you can say about a person. He still considers myself and [former teammate] Jamie Quirk and my brother Ken as good friends as he does anyone in the Bush family or any of those other Washington people he hangs out with now.”

Brett says he and Limbaugh are golfing buddies-- “I’d say Rush is about a 16 handicap”--and communicate regularly.

“I sent him an e-mail to find out what was going on with all this ‘Monday Night Football’ talk,” Brett said. “He said he’d know something in a couple of weeks.”

ABC has said it plans to have an announcement in early June.

OTHER CANDIDATES

Said to have an inside track for a spot in the “Monday Night” booth is ESPN’s Sterling Sharpe, who is articulate, knowledgeable and was a star player. And isn’t it about time ABC put an African American on this high-profile series? There was O.J. Simpson and before him Fred “The Hammer” Williamson. No others.

Another African American who would fit the bill is ESPN’s Tom Jackson. And how about Art Donovan of ESPN promo fame? Hey, ABC says it is looking for someone different. Some have touted Marv Levy, but like others at Fox, he is under contract. Steve Young is a possibility if he retires.

Our guess is it will be Michaels, Sharpe and . . . no telling. Limbaugh is still considered a longshot.

WOMEN’S WORLD

There are two women drivers in Sunday’s Indy 500 field--Sarah Fisher, starting in Row 7, and Lynn St. James, starting in Row 11. And there is also a woman on the ABC crew, reporter Leslie Gudel, who will be all over the place, including in the pace car.

Gudel, from San Marino and UCLA, was the first woman anchor on “Press Box,” the predecessor of “Fox Sports News” and the “National Sports Report.” Now she is breaking ground as a reporter at the Indy 500 after recently signing a contract with ABC.

“She is a terrific reporter, very knowledgeable about racing and very personable,” producer Bob Goodrich said. “She gets to know the drivers, and that really helps.”

For four years Gudel has worked on the Nashville Network’s weekly “NASCAR Garage” show, but still sometimes doesn’t get much respect.

“A former driver, I don’t want to say who, was explaining the inner workings of a race car last weekend and started out by saying, ‘This is the tire, and this is the rim,’ ” she said. “He was serious, but I could only laugh.”

SHORT WAVES

Of course, besides Sunday’s Indy 500 on ABC, the NBA playoffs dominate the weekend fare, beginning with tonight’s Laker-Portland game on NBC. Baseball is in the forefront as well. Fox begins its “Saturday Game of the Week” series with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and ESPN has the same two teams Sunday night, when Pedro Martinez faces Roger Clemens. . . . Fox is bringing back “This Week in Baseball,” which makes its debut Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The show will have an active player as a host each week, beginning with Derek Jeter. . . . ESPN’s new, topical weekly “Outside the Lines” show Sunday at 7:30 a.m. (it repeats at 10 a.m.) will address the ramifications of spectators who insert themselves into games.

USA network’s French Open coverage begins Monday at 7 a.m., with NBC beginning its coverage the following weekend. Ted Robinson, an NBC newcomer, will be working with John McEnroe on both USA and NBC, with Tracy Austin working women’s matches on USA with either Robinson or Bill Macatee. NBC’s Chris Evert is taking the French Open off because of family obligations. . . . Respected ESPN reporter Jimmy Roberts is joining NBC. His first assignment will be golf’s U.S. Open in June, and he will work Wimbledon and the Olympics and do occasional feature reporting for NBC News. . . . Recommended viewing: Fox Sports Net offers a particularly interesting “Goin’ Deep” show Monday at 7 p.m. One segment deals with the pressures of coaching. Dick Vermeil surprises his wife, Carol, by saying the urge to return is so great that he might consider it in a couple of years.

IN CLOSING

TNT’s Danny Ainge, a guest on Rome’s show Thursday, said veteran NBA players don’t go all out every game, that they pace themselves. “They treat the season like a marathon,” he said, noting that Michael Jordan was the exception. He said it drives coaches nuts, particularly coaches such as himself and Larry Bird. He predicted the Lakers over the Trail Blazers in seven games.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for May 20-21:

SATURDAY

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Over the air Channel Rating Share NBA playoffs: Portland at Lakers 4 13.8 34 Horse racing: Preakness Stakes 7 3.2 8 Baseball: Dodgers at Florida 5 2.3 6 Boxing: Juan Manuel Marquez-Rogue Cassiani 9 1.6 3 Golf: PGA MasterCard Colonial 2 0.8 2 Auto racing: Indy 500 qualifying 7 0.7 2

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Cable Network Rating Share Boxing: Derrick Jefferson-Oleg Maskaev HBO 1.8 4 Drag racing: NHRA Spring Supernationals ESPN2 1.4 4 Baseball: Kansas City at Angels FSN 1.3 3 Soccer: MLS, D.C. United at Galaxy ESPN2 1.3 3 Auto racing: Indy 500 qualifying ESPN 0.8 2 Auto racing: NASCAR The Winston TNN 0.7 2 NHL playoffs: Philadelphia at New Jersey ESPN 0.6 1 NFL Europe: Amsterdam at Barcelona FSN 0.5 2 Boxing: William Joppy-Rito Ruvalcaba SHO 0.4 1 Tennis: ATP German Open semifinal ESPN2 0.3 1

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SUNDAY

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Over the air Channel Rating Share NBA playoffs: New York at Miami 4 10.5 26 Soccer: Mexican League, Atlas-Guadalajara 34 3.2 9 Baseball: Dodgers at Florida 5 2.7 18 Golf: PGA MasterCard Colonial 7 2.3 6 Auto racing: Indy 500 qualifying 7 1.9 6 NHL playoffs: Dallas at Colorado 7 1.3 3

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Cable Network Rating Share Baseball: Baltimore at Texas ESPN 1.7 3 Baseball: Kansas City at Angels FSN 1.1 3 Drag racing: NHRA Spring Supernationals ESPN2 1.1 2 Boxing: Jon Won Baek-Joel Casamayor FSN 0.7 1 Golf: Stan Humphries Celebrity (tape) FSN 0.6 1 Auto racing: Formula One Grand Prix of Europe FSN 0.5 1 Tennis: ATP German Open final ESPN2 0.4 1 Auto racing: Indy 500 qualifying ESPN 0.4 1

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WEEKDAY RATINGS: MONDAY: Portland at Lakers, FSN, 8.9/15.

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.