ESPN Remains in Postseason Picture

To its credit, you’d never know that ESPN is done with postseason baseball now that Fox has it locked up through 2006.

ESPN is devoting 5 1/2 hours today to promoting the World Series, which begins Saturday.

ESPN opens with a Jeremy Schaap-hosted “Up Close” at 2:30 p.m., live from Yankee Stadium, and concludes at 7 p.m. with a one-hour “Subway Series” special.

Programming in between includes an “Up Close With Roy Firestone” at 5 p.m., a look at Game 6 of the 1975 Series and the Carlton Fisk home run at 5:30, and a “SportsCentury” profile of Don Larsen at 6.

ESPN is still involved on the radio side. The ESPN Radio announcers for the Series will be Jon Miller and former utility infielder Dave Campbell, a mainstay with ESPN since 1990 who started in broadcasting in San Diego. Charley Steiner will serve as reporter and pre- and postgame host.

The radio broadcasts will be carried by KXTA (1150) and XTRA (690), somewhat of an overkill considering the piecemeal coverage up to this point.

MORE ON SERIES

Everyone seems to have a take on the Series. Fox’s Keith Olbermann, who is from New York, described it in terms anyone from L.A. can understand: “It’s like USC and UCLA playing seven games in football.”

From Jim Rome: “Contrary to what many think, this is going to play outside of New York. What’s not to like about this? When two teams hate each other as much as these two do, I want to see it. . . . We can watch from the safety of our living rooms. It will be like watching the Gulf War on CNN with a little baseball thrown in for color.”

Rome also said, “Here’s what is wrong with the Subway Series. Baseball aside, the next two weeks are also going to be living hell as we are forced to endure the following--8 million renditions of “New York, New York,” endless Mayor Guiliani references . . . and a billion references to New York cabdrivers. I’m guessing we’ll hear “Big Apple” about 9 billion times.”

GOLF’S WORLD

The World Series isn’t the only major event this weekend. The Presidents Cup is underway--it’s on TNT today and NBC will devote 12 hours to the matches Saturday and Sunday. NBC is giving it the same kind of coverage it gives the Ryder Cup.

The Presidents Cup may someday reach the stature of the Ryder Cup, but it has a ways to go. One indication came during an NBC conference call this week. Johnny Miller several times referred to the U.S. opponent as “the Europeans” until somebody corrected him. “I mean the Internationals,” he said.

This is the fourth Presidents Cup. The first three were televised by CBS.

Another golf competition of note: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson square off in a “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” match, taped at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. For one segment, Couples and Mickelson carry their caddies’ bags as they compete in a three-hole shootout. At one point, Couples tells Mickelson, “You’re talking to your man too much. Leave him alone.”

IS THIS WORTH $49.95?

There was a day when $49.95 for a Mike Tyson pay-per-view fight was expected. But the only reason Showtime Event Television (SET) and the promoters of tonight’s Tyson-Andrew Golota fight in Auburn Hills, Mich., can ask that much is the gruesome factor. Someone may get killed.

Golota isn’t called the “Foul Pole” for nothing.

“No one knows what is going to happen in the ring,” said Jay Larkin, SET’s president and executive producer. “We are concerned, but prepared for anything. Whatever occurs, everyone will be talking about it.”

While on the subject of toughness, a new set of “Toughman” shows begin next Friday at 9 p.m. on FX, starting off with “Toughman 911,” featuring team competition between policemen and firemen.

SHORT WAVES

Insiders said Paul Hackett had a blowup at Fox Sports Net last week while taping “USC Sports Magazine” when he thought the questioning by Tom Kelly, of all people, was getting a little tough. But a FSN spokesman said Hackett was only a little agitated, and it was mainly because he was asked to stick around to tape a second segment when he had an appointment to be elsewhere. . . . On the lighter side, UCLA’s Jason Kapono is featured tonight on “Fox Sports Regional Report.” Reporter Suzy Shuster visited the basketball player at Phil Trani’s restaurant in Long Beach, where Kapono works as a chef.

Vin Scully will be honored as sportscaster of the century at the eighth Caritas Award Gala on Saturday night at the Century Plaza. Kevin Costner and Robert Wagner will also take part in the benefit for the neonatal intensive care unit at Saint John’s Health Center. Information: 310 829-8593.

CBS and DirecTV have extended an agreement that makes NCAA tournament games not carried by CBS available on pay-per-view on a satellite service. . . . Beware: DirecTV’s out-of-market Center Ice package does not include Mighty Duck and King road games. . . . The handful of Mighty Duck fans who listen to games on radio were upset because the team farmed its game at New Jersey last Saturday to KOGO (600), a San Diego station that can’t be heard in most of the L.A. area. . . . Good news for Laker fans: DirecTV has added Channel 9 to its lineup of local stations.

ESPN Classic, as part of its “Instant Classic” series, on Saturday at 6 p.m. will replay Wednesday’s Colorado Avalanche-Washington Capital game in which Patrick Roy set the NHL record for most victories by a goalie. At 4 p.m. will be a special tribute to Roy. . . . CBS, trying to spruce up “The NFL Today,” has invited former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar to perform on Sunday’s show.

IN CLOSING

A high school coach in Charlotte, N.C., got fired this week for telling a player at halftime of a game to “put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.” XTRA’s Lee Hamilton once gave the same instructions to a 16-year-old listener, a Raider fan, and Hamilton survived to make many more inane comments.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for Oct. 14-15.

SATURDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Baseball playoffs: N.Y. Yankees at Seattle 4 6.6 13 Baseball playoffs: St. Louis at N.Y. Mets 11 5.9 14 College football: Oregon at USC 7 4.9 13 College football: Notre Dame at Navy 2 2.1 6 College football: Auburn at Florida 2 1.5 4 Horse racing: Breeders’ Cup preview races 4 1.2 3 College football: Stanford at Oregon State 9 1.1 2

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Cable Network Rating Share College football: Purdue at Northwestern ESPN 1.4 4 College football: Washington at Arizona State FSN 1.2 2 College football: Minnesota at Ohio State ESPN2 1.1 3 College football: Mississippi at Alabama ESPN 0.8 2 Horse racing: Three Chimneys Spinster Stakes ESPN 0.7 2 College football: Nebraska at Texas Tech FSN 0.5 1 Golf: Las Vegas Invitational ESPN 0.4 1

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SUNDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Pro football: San Francisco at Green Bay 11 9.5 22 Pro football: Atlanta at St. Louis 11 8.7 25 Baseball playoffs: St. Louis at N.Y. Mets 11 7.3 12 Baseball playoffs: N.Y. Yankees at Seattle 4 6.5 14 Pro football: Oakland at Kansas City 2 4.5 11 Gymnastics: Tour of World Champions 4 2.5 6 Soccer: MLS Cup, Kansas City vs. Chicago 7 2.2 5 Golf: LPGA Samsung World Championship 2 1.1 3 Auto racing: IRL Excite 500 7 1.0 2

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Cable Network Rating Share Pro football: Minnesota at Chicago ESPN 7.5 12 Auto racing: NASCAR Winston 500 ESPN 1.0 2 Horse racing: Goodwood Handicap FSN 0.8 2 Horse racing: Oak Tree Live FSN2 0.7 1 Tennis: Swisscom Challenge FSN 0.6 1 Hockey: Phoenix at Kings FSN 0.3 0

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WEEKDAY RATINGS: MONDAY: NFL, Jacksonville at Tennessee, Ch. 7, 13.0/20; Baseball, St. Louis at N.Y. Yankees, Ch. 11, 6.3/10. TUESDAY: Baseball, Seattle at N.Y. Yankees, Ch. 4, 9.8/15; NBA, Lakers vs. Phoenix, Ch. 9, 3.7/5.

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.