Walkin’ and Rollin’ to the Mike

When the Lakers begin the second round of the NBA playoffs Sunday, Chick Hearn, as he has been doing lately, will use a walker to get to his broadcast position at Staples Center.

And Marv Albert more than likely will use a wheelchair.

Hearn, who will be there to do the KLAC (570) broadcast, has been using a walker since returning to work after first heart surgery and then hip surgery.

Albert, who will be announcing the game along with Bill Walton and Steve “Snapper” Jones for NBC, is returning to work this weekend for the first time since being injured in a limousine accident April 18.

Albert will be in Sacramento Saturday for Game 1 of the Kings’ series against Dallas, then fly to Los Angeles.

There may be some snickers from fans when they see Albert in a wheelchair Sunday, and Walton may get in a few playful jabs, but what happened to Albert and his TNT broadcast partner, Mike Fratello, was no laughing matter.

“Really, we’re very fortunate to be alive,” Albert said Thursday from his home in New York. “If you’ve seen the pictures, you know the stretch limo was totaled.”

The two broadcasters had done a game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers in Indianapolis for TNT and flown to Philadelphia on the 76er charter. They were traveling to New York by limo when the accident occurred at 3 a.m. The limo struck a delivery truck that had stalled along the freeway.

“We were both asleep,” Albert said. “I don’t remember a thing about the accident. I was knocked unconscious and must have been out for about 45 minutes. I came to in the ambulance.”

Albert is wearing a cast on an ankle that was broken in three places. Because of painful chest and back injuries, he’s unable to use crutches. Therefore he needs a wheelchair to travel any kind of distance.

“I can hobble around a little, but I’m pretty sure I’ll still need a wheelchair Sunday,” he said.

Albert and Fratello will be back together for Tuesday’s Game 2, which will be televised nationally by TNT but shown locally by Fox Sports Net.

New Fox Lineup

As expected, Fox announced Thursday that Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman will make up the network’s new No. 1 NFL announcing team, replacing Pat Summerall and John Madden.

Also, the legendary producer-director tandem of Bob Stenner and Sandy Grossman will be moved to the No. 2 team. Stenner and Grossman came to Fox from CBS with Summerall and Madden.

Moving up to the No. 1 team will be producer Richie Zyontz and director Artie Kempner. Fox said it wanted to give the new No. 1 broadcast team a fresh start.

Buck, who will continue as Fox’s No. 1 play-by-play announcer on baseball, will take time off from football to announce the playoffs and World Series. Dick Stockton will move up from the No. 2 team to fill in on those weekends.

Fox probably won’t replace Collinsworth on the pregame show. Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe had auditions, but at least initially Fox plans to go with just James Brown, Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long.

A Spot for Fouts

Dan Fouts, who got bumped out of the “Monday Night Football” booth after the arrival of Madden, will be paired with Keith Jackson on Pacific 10 Conference football telecasts next season on ABC. Fouts and Jackson have worked together before.

Tim Brant, who had been working as an analyst with Jackson, will go back to play-by-play.

Reality TV Flavor

NBC’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will have less taped features than usual, according to producer David Michaels, the younger brother of ABC’s Al.

NBC will be using more live action in an attempt to capture the pageantry and excitement of being at Churchill Downs.

Michaels said that television fails to capture the true essence of the Derby.

“It’s an experience that is larger than the small eye of television. Television, it’s almost like you really have blinders on, and when you’re there you have a full panoramic view of everything. So finding a way through this peephole to feel and see the things you do when you’re there, that’s extremely difficult.”

Michaels said seven cameras will be used to isolate seven horses. Which seven will be determined at a production meeting tonight.

“This could be the longest production meeting in the history of horse racing coverage,” Michaels said.

Race coverage begins at 2 p.m., and post time is 3.

This is the second year NBC will be televising the Triple Crown, having taken over the series from ABC. The crew includes co-hosts Tom Hammond and Bob Costas, analyst Charlsie Cantey, race caller Tom Durkin, contributing analysts Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier, reporter Kenny Rice and on-track reporter Donna Barton Brothers.

Passing

Jay Craven, 40, who worked in sales for KXTA (1150) and other Clear Channel sister stations and occasionally was on the air on KXTA as part of a team called “The Third String,” died of cancer late last week. The funeral was Thursday.

No Sugarcoating

Former Laker coach Del Harris, a guest of Chris Myers and Bob Golic on KMPC (1540), said the relationship between Jerry West and Jerry Buss was strained at times the past two years. Harris said there was a “total break in trust” because West believed Buss was listening to his kids more than he was to him.

Recommended Viewing

Like heartwarming stories? There are nine in a 90-minute Mother’s Day special, “Apple Pie,” that will be on ESPN this Saturday at 9 a.m. before airing on May 12, Mother’s Day, on ESPN Classic at 4:30 p.m.

Nine athletes and their mothers, including Shaquille O’Neal and his mom, Lucille Harrison, were interviewed for the special. Shaq, among other things, tries to teach his mom how to ride his Harley.

Other athletes and theirs moms on the show include Drew Bledsoe, Kenny Lofton, Grant Hill, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Greco Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner, Indy race driver Sarah Fisher, and Ironman triathlete Molly Barker. Possibly the best segment features blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer and his father. Weihenmayer’s mother died in a car accident when he was 16, which was three years after he lost his eyesight.

Short Waves

On “Outside the Lines” on ESPN Sunday at 7:30 a.m. (and 10:30 a.m. on ESPN2), Jeremy Schaap will present an amazing story of what Manute Bol has had to endure in his homeland of Sudan.... ESPN and the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. have entered into an agreement that runs through 2008.... ESPN’s Jay Mohr will tape an episode of “Mohr Sports” at a Rancho Cucamonga Quake game tonight.

An ESPN lineup of Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott, Suzy Kolber and Sterling Sharpe will take part in the Sean Salisbury Celebrity Golf Classic Monday at the Meadows Del Mar. The ESPN group will put take part in a panel for kids Sunday at 3 p.m. at the golf course.

In Closing

TNT’s Charles Barkley has complained that he never gets anything for free. Well, Hyundai provided Sir Charles with a new Tiburon GTV 6. TNT partners Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith also got new cars. All three donated the cars to an auction on NBA.com and Yahoo that benefits the Jimmy V Fund and St. Mary Food Bank of Phoenix.