ESPN’s Weekend on the Brink

ESPN’s season is on the brink. College basketball’s regular season ends Sunday, and ESPN is on the verge of a programming nightmare.

Some might call it a “Knightmare.”

But the problem isn’t only “A Season on the Brink,” the obnoxiously over-promoted Bob Knight movie being widely panned. (The Times’ Howard Rosenberg reviews it in today’s Calendar section, on Page F29.

Another problem is ESPN will have its own NCAA tournament selection show at 4 p.m., immediately after CBS’ selection show at 3 p.m., which has been expanded to one hour so that everything can be covered.

So what’s the point of the ESPN show? So people who don’t get CBS can see it? Or maybe ESPN figures people are yearning to hear what Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale have to say.

ESPN used to have a competing show on at the same time as CBS’ selection show, but it conceded the 3-4 p.m. slot after getting some concessions from CBS.

One concession was that ESPN gets to televise the first NCAA tournament game, the one between two teams playing for the 64th spot in the field Tuesday at Dayton, Ohio.

That’s fine, but putting on a selection show right after another one on a competing network is overkill. Maybe the thinking was that a selection show will be a good lead-in to “A Season on the Brink.”

But is it? CBS’ Billy Packer, at a media gathering at CBS in New York this week, said: “If I were at ESPN, I’d refuse to be on a show that was going to be followed by a piece of garbage like that.”

The Knight overkill will continue after “A Season on the Brink.” At 7 p.m., ESPN will have a special one-hour “Outside the Lines” on Knight and issues involving the controversial coach, including whether ESPN and other media outlets treat him fairly.

ESPN calls its Sunday night lineup “The Block.” This weekend it’s more like “The Blah.”

Whether you watch the adult version of “A Season on the Brink” on ESPN or the toned-down version on ESPN2--there are repeat showings on both networks at 9 p.m.--you should have your fill of Knight by the end of the night.

But just in case you haven’t, you can go on ESPN.com and bid on “A Season on the Brink” props, costumes and cast-signed items.

And what if Knight’s Texas Tech team advances to the Big 12 tournament championship game Sunday, which ESPN is televising at noon? ESPN no doubt will turn the game into one big promo for “A Season on the Brink.”

Counter Programming

There are some alternatives to the ESPN Knightmare.

One is “Beyond the Glory” on Fox Sports Net.

The excellent independently produced documentary series, the highest-rated weekly program on Fox Sports Net last year, returns for a second season at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The series has a new narrator, with D.B. Sweeney having replaced Jay Mohr, and the first of 20 new shows provides a compelling in-depth look at Evander Holyfield.

The good thing about “Beyond the Glory” is that the principals involved, along with the narrator, tell the story. ESPN’s “SportsCentury” series relies too heavily on writers and broadcasters to tell the story.

Another plus with “Beyond the Glory” is no bad language. You don’t have to flip over to Fox Sports Net 2 to get a censored version.

Senior Golf

Tiger Woods made a dramatic run at Ernie Els on NBC last Sunday, and there was also plenty of drama with the seniors on CNBC from Valencia Country Club.

Gil Morgan missed a double eagle on the final hole of regulation by an inch and Tom Watson made a 123-foot chip to force a playoff, which was won by Tom Kite.

And it was all on live television. Last year, it probably wouldn’t have been.

In 2001, the first year of the Senior PGA Tour’s multiyear deal with CNBC, only nine of 33 events were shown live. This year, 19 of 29 will be shown live, including the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club this weekend.

However, first-round coverage on PAX is delayed three hours in the West.

There have been a number of improvements in the overall coverage. There are on-course interviews with players who agree to do them, something that could someday be a part of all golf coverage. Some players wear microphones. And there are various Internet activities involving viewers at home.

But ratings still aren’t very good.

“The next step is getting fans more familiar with the fact that CNBC has golf and we have good shows,” said Ken Murrah, CNBC’s coordinating producer of golf.

Dunleavy to NBC

Former Laker coach Mike Dunleavy, fired by the Portland Trail Blazers after last season, has been hired by NBC as an NBA analyst. He’ll work with Mike Breen and make his debut March 31.

Dunleavy replaces Tom Tolbert, who took Jayson Williams’ spot. The hiring of Dunleavy solidifies Tolbert’s spot on the studio team through the end of the season, NBC’s last with the NBA.

Maternity Leave

Fox’s Jeanne Zelasko will be taking some time off after working as a pit reporter at this weekend’s Atlanta 500 Winston Cup race. Zelasko, who is married to Channel 7’s Curt Sandoval, is eight months pregnant.

“Curt has told me that it’s time to come home,” Zelasko said. “He wants me to make sure that he meets our first baby before Darrell Waltrip does.”

Tournament Tidbits

Today’s Pacific 10 Conference tournament semifinals will again be televised by Fox Sports Net, with Steve Physioc and Marques Johnson calling the action on both games. Saturday’s championship game will be on CBS, with Dick Enberg and Matt Goukas announcing.... On radio, Chris Roberts and Bob Myers are announcing every Pac-10 tournament game for KXTA (1150).... KMPC (1540) will offer Westwood One/CBS Radio coverage of the NCAA tournament beginning Thursday.

Short Waves

It has been rumored that Kevin Frazier is another candidate to end up at Channel 7 if and when Bill Weir leaves to take a cable talk show gig. But the powers that be at Fox Sports Net want to keep Frazier. He’s their marquee guy. Also, Rob Fukuzaki is likely to inherit Weir’s No. 1 spot, so Channel 7 is probably looking for a weekend anchor.... Inga Hammond, formerly of CNN/SI, has been hired to do updates for Fox Sports Net on a national and regional basis. “Inga is a highly respected sports journalist,” said Steve Tello, Fox Sports Net’s senior vice president in charge of news. “She will make a strong contribution to our redefined news efforts.”

The new boxing promotion company, Goossen-Tutor, puts on its first Sunday night show for Fox Sports Net this weekend. Tim Witherspoon takes on Darroll Wilson at Green Valley Ranch near Las Vegas in a card that will be shown delayed at 6 p.m.... An excellent feature on horse racing legend John Henry, shown during Fox Sports Net’s Santa Anita Handicap coverage last Saturday, will be shown again Saturday on “Santa Anita Live” on Fox Sports Net 2. John Henry, living in stud in Lexington, Ky., turns 27 Saturday.

Highlights of tonight’s opening ceremony for the Paralympic Winter Games at Salt Lake City will be shown as a one-hour special on NBC on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Games begin Saturday and run through the following Saturday. Highlights of the competition will be shown nightly on A&E;, 6-7 p.m.... Beginning Monday, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will offer more than 25 hours of coverage from the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

In Closing

NBC’s Jay Leno apparently isn’t too excited about his network’s new deal with the Arena Football League. “Boy, how did we ever wrestle that away from basic cable?” he said.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

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