NBC’s Loss Is Jordan’s Gain

Doug Collins, NBC’s lead NBA commentator, has one of the best jobs in sports television. Heck, he has one of the best jobs anywhere.

On Saturday, he’ll be courtside in Dallas with Marv Albert for the playoff game between the Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs. On Sunday, he and Albert will be in Sacramento for the fourth game of the Laker-King series.

During the week, he plays golf in and around Scottsdale, Ariz., where he lives.

So why would Collins give up his NBC job and nice life to become coach of the Washington Wizards, who were 19-63 this season?

Charles Barkley said this week it was an indication that he knew team President Michael Jordan was coming back to play for the Wizards next season.

“No, that’s not true,” Collins said Thursday from Scottsdale.

“Michael first called me about 10 days before I accepted the job [April 19]. What I told Michael is that I would only consider taking the job if he was coming back to run the team, and he told me he was.

“He also told me he was working out and considering coming back as a player, but he wouldn’t make a decision about that until later this summer.”

They have been close since Collins coached Jordan with the Chicago Bulls 16 years ago.

“People are always asking me if he’s coming back, and I tell them I don’t know anything more than anyone else,” Collins said.

“Michael is very much his own person with his own mind. He’ll think about what he wants to do, and then make his decision on his own.

“Next season could be a huge year for the organization, and he knows that. He has created about $16 million to $20 million of cap room to rebuild this team.”

And might it help lure some top free agents if Jordan is on the player roster?

“Absolutely,” Collins said. “And he knows that.”

High on Lakers

It’s hardly news that Collins is high on the Lakers. Now, everybody is. What’s different about Collins is that he was never down on them.

“There was all this doom and gloom, but I knew it would just be an amount of time,” he said.

Collins said he thought Coach Phil Jackson was correct in his handling of the feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

“Phil didn’t mind a little crisis at the time,” Collins said. “He thought it might galvanize the team. And he looked at the standings and saw no one running away with it, so there was no reason to panic.”

Collins thinks the schedule has also helped the Lakers click at the right time.

“With their final four regular-season games at home, they’ve had only one road game since playing in Minnesota [April 8],” he said. “That has helped them a lot.”

Scully Easing Back

Chick Hearn and Vin Scully are often grouped because they are L.A. broadcasting icons. But there are differences.

For one thing, Hearn wants to work every game. Scully does not.

Scully missed a Dodger series in Cincinnati last week, even though all three games were televised on Fox Sports Net 2. He just wanted some time off.

He’ll miss a three-game series in Montreal next week because none of the games are televised.

This is the second season Scully has not done radio. For televised games, two innings are simulcast, but that’s it.

Not doing radio was something Scully began to consider once Fox bought the team and doubled the number of cable telecasts to 80 a year.

“The problem was appeasing the radio sponsors,” Scully said. “Then somebody came up with the idea of the two-inning simulcast.”

Now all Scully needs is a little relief on the televised games. He has to do all nine innings, a plus for the viewers but a grind for the person behind the microphone.

Ratings Game

NBC’s first Kentucky Derby got an 8.1 national rating, a 40% increase over ABC’s 5.8 for last year’s race. . . . Heading into the Mother’s Day weekend break, NASCAR races are averaging a 6.6 on Fox. They were averaging a 5.4 at this juncture on ABC and CBS last year. . . . FX got a 4.0 national rating in cable households for its first Winston Cup race, Saturday’s Pontiac Excitement 400. It attracted 4.5 million viewers, the largest audience in FX’s seven-year history. . . . FX also scored with the Toughman finals last Friday, getting a 3.2 cable rating. That’s up from last year’s 2.7. . . . The final two King telecasts on Fox Sports Net got 3.5 and 3.6 ratings, the highest L.A. ratings for hockey since 1997.

Short Waves

Welcome back: Angel commentator Rex Hudler, sidelined because of a minor brain hemorrhage, is scheduled to return Tuesday or Wednesday. . . . ESPN’s revamped “The Life” scored big this week with its Shaquille O’Neal profile. The next edition, debuting Saturday at 7 a.m., features Tony Siragusa. . . . Karl Malone and Grant Hill are included in a Mother’s Day NBA special, “NBA Cafe: Most Valuable Moms,” on the Food Network Sunday at 9 p.m. . . . Tonight’s edition of “SportsCentury” on ESPN Classic features Hank Greenberg and delves into the anti-Semitism he experienced.

TNT has hired Zina Garrison as a Wimbledon commentator. . . . CBS’ Jim Nantz will receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address today at the University of Houston, his alma mater. . . . Major league baseball’s out-of-market package available on satellite will become available on digital cable after the All-Star game through a three-year deal between baseball and In Demand. The half-season price will be $109.

Boxing beat: The suggested price for the TVKO fight between Felix Trinidad and William Joppy on Saturday at 6 p.m. is $44.95. Boxing experts say it should be worth it. . . . Showtime offers a card featuring Charles Brewer against Antwun Echols Saturday, delayed at 10:05 p.m.

In Closing

No reason to rejoice the folding of the XFL. NBC and the new football league were trying to combat the escalating sports rights fees, which require sponsors to pay more and pass that cost on to consumers.

So everyone has to pay more for a beer or soda, both at stadiums and in grocery stores. The failure of the XFL means rights fees, along with everything else, will continue to skyrocket.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for May 5-6.

SATURDAY

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Over the air Channel Rating Share Horse racing: Kentucky Derby 4 8.0 23 NBA playoffs: Dallas at San Antonio 4 7.4 18 Baseball: Dodgers at Chicago Cubs 5 3.2 10 Golf: Compaq Classic of New Orleans 7 1.6 5 NHL playoffs: Pittsburgh at Buffalo 7 1.2 4

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*

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Cable Network Rating Share Boxing: Fernando Vargas vs. Wilfredo Rivera HBO 2.4 5 Horse racing: Kentucky Derby Special ESPN 1.7 5 Auto racing: NASCAR Pontiac Excitement 400 FX 1.5 3 Baseball: Detroit at Angels FSN 1.5 3 Horse racing: 2Day at the Kentucky Derby ESPN2 0.8 3 Golf: LPGA Chick-fil-A Championship ESPN 0.7 2 Boxing: Joel Casamayor vs. Edwin Santana SHO 0.7 1 Baseball: St. Louis at Atlanta TBS 0.6 2 Tennis: U.S. Clay Court Championship FSN2 0.5 1 Soccer: MLS, Kansas City at Galaxy FSN2 0.3 1

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SUNDAY

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Over the air Channel Rating Share NBA playoffs: Sacramento at Lakers 4 15.3 37 NBA playoffs: Toronto at Philadelphia 4 9.3 23 NBA playoffs: Charlotte at Milwaukee 4 7.2 22 Baseball: Dodgers at Chicago Cubs 5 2.2 6 Golf: Compaq Classic of New Orleans 7 1.8 4 Auto racing: CART Nazareth (Pa.) Grand Prix 7 0.9 2

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Cable Network Rating Share NHL playoffs: Colorado at Kings FSN 3.5 6 Horse racing: Hollywood Park Today FSN2 1.0 2 Baseball: Detroit at Angels FSN 0.7 2 Golf: LPGA Chick-fil-A Championship ESPN 0.6 2 Baseball: St. Louis at Atlanta TBS 0.6 2 Drag racing: NHRA Southern Nationals ESPN2 0.5 1 Tennis: U.S. Clay Court Championship FSN2 0.3 1

*--*

Weekday ratings: MONDAY--Florida at Dodgers, FSN2, 1.8/3; TUESDAY--Sacramento at Lakers, FSN, 10.0/16; WEDNESDAY--Kings at Colorado, FSN, 3.6/6.

Note: Each rating point represents 53,542 L.A. households. Cable ratings reflect the entire market, even though cable is in only 63% of L.A. households.

Look Who’s Talking

Sports figures to be featured on TV and radio, today through Thursday:

Eric Karros, Don King, Flynn Robinson, Jerry Reynolds--”McDonnell-Douglas,” today, 3-6 p.m., KSPN (1110)

Barry Switzer, Chipper Jones, Adam Carolla--”The Last Word With Jim Rome,” tonight, 5:30 and 11:30, Fox Sports Net

Rex Hudler, Adrian Beltre--”Southern California Sports Report,” tonight, 10, Fox Sports Net

Mills Lane, Don King--”Rich Marotta’s Neutral Corner,” tonight (following postgame Dodger talk), KXTA (1150)

ESPN’s Hank Goldberg, tennis promoter Henry Brehm--”The Irv Kaze Show,” Saturday, 6-7 p.m., KRLA (870)

Mel Stottlemyre, Curt Schilling--”Page One,” Saturday, 9:30 a.m., CNN, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., CNN/SI.

Stu Grimson--”You Gotta See This,” Saturday, midnight, Fox Sports Net

Tony Stewart, Shawna Robinson--”NASCAR This Morning,” Sunday, 7:30 a.m., Fox Sports Net

Panchita Bojado, Charlie Powell, Cedric Kushner--”Ringside With Johnny Ortiz,” Sunday, 8-10 p.m., KSPN (1110)

John Starks--”Up Close,” Monday, 2:30 p.m.; ESPN, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2

Al Unser Sr.--”SportsCentury,” Monday

Alexi Lalas--”Sports Roundtable,” Monday, 9 p.m., Fox Sports Net 2

Jim Tracy--”Southern California Sports Report,” Monday

Jason Sehorn--”Up Close,” Tuesday

Lou Gehrig--”SportsCentury,” Tuesday