Papadakis Wants Last Laugh

People who know Petros Papadakis say that someday a Hollywood agent is going to discover him and, quicker than you can say “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” he’s going to be a star.

Hanging with Papadakis is a laugh a minute. It’s one self-effacing crack after another.

“I was a captain on the worst USC team in history,” he says, referring to the 2000 team that tied for last in the Pacific 10.

Papadakis is of Greek descent, and his family owns a restaurant in San Pedro, Papadakis Taverna.

Asked if he had seen “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which is about a Greek family that owns a restaurant, Papadakis said, “Why would I want to see the movie? I live it.”

Papadakis resembles Adam Sandler, and is just as funny. But Papadakis just laughs when it’s suggested that he should become an actor.

For now, he enjoys what he is doing. He’s the USC analyst on Fox Sports Net’s “Southern California Sports Report,” paired with former UCLA quarterback and current radio commentator Matt Stevens. Papadakis also works for USC flagship radio station KMPC (1540) as a pregame host and sideline reporter.

Fox Sports Net publicity director Dennis Johnson invited a few reporters to meet with Papadakis and Stevens at Papadakis Taverna this week. Johnson, a USC grad, claimed he didn’t know that the San Pedro-Peninsula Trojan Club had scheduled a meeting at the restaurant at the same time. USC band members and song girls were also there. It was a sea of cardinal and gold.

But then someone wearing a Bruin shirt showed up. It was James Brown -- not the sportscaster, but a 1989 UCLA graduate who owns the San Pedro Brewing Co., located a few doors down from Papadakis Taverna. In the interest of equal time, he invited the group to his bar-restaurant after dinner.

When the group arrived at Brown’s establishment, Stevens had a surprise for Papadakis. He had gone to his car to get his UCLA jersey, the one he wore when he led the Bruins to a victory over Iowa in the 1986 Rose Bowl.

Papadakis has to wear the jersey on the air this week. He and Stevens, who have been making Pac-10 picks all season, both had 26-22 records after last weekend. A coin flip was held, and Papadakis lost.

Papadakis, being a good sport, put on the jersey -- and took some good-natured ribbing from Bruin fans at Brown’s place.

All night, Papadakis and Stevens went back and forth about who is going to win Saturday’s game. It was a fun time. It’s the way things are supposed to be during USC-UCLA Week.

USC-UCLA Notes

The 12:30 p.m. game is being televised by ABC only on the West Coast, with Keith Jackson and Dan Fouts announcing. However, the ABC affiliates in San Francisco and Portland are not televising the game. They are carrying California-Stanford and Oregon-Oregon State, respectively.... The USC-UCLA radio broadcast on KXTA (1150) with Chris Roberts and Stevens will be carried by Armed Forces Radio. It will be heard in more than 177 countries around the world.... Of course the game is also on KMPC with Pete Arbogast and Paul McDonald.

More College Football

NBC’s Tom Hammond, who has been recovering from heart bypass surgery, returns to work this weekend, calling the Notre Dame-Rutgers game with Pat Haden.... Brent Musburger and Gary Danielson are the announcers for Ohio State-Michigan on ABC at 9 a.m. ... Maybe ESPN should televise “College GameDay” from Ivy League sites more often. Last Saturday’s edition, televised from Philadelphia’s Franklin Field, drew a record 1.524 million viewers. The previous record was 1.494 million on Nov. 18, 2000, for a show at Tallahassee, Fla., site of the Florida-Florida State game.... Saturday’s “College GameDay” will originate from Ann Arbor, Mich.

Regionalizing the NFL?

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the Federal Communications Bar this week that the league is considering regionalizing its Sunday night and Monday night games to boost ratings, meaning the West Coast would get more West Coast teams.

Might not be a bad idea. The Oakland Raiders’ victory over New England on Sunday night on ESPN drew a 9.7 rating, one of the highest L.A. ratings for an NFL telecast on cable.

But if the NFL goes to a split-national regional format, it probably wouldn’t happen before the current television contract expires after the 2005 season.

X Games to L.A.

ESPN announced Thursday that the 2003 and 2004 X Games will be held in Los Angeles. Staples Center will serve as the primary venue. Next year, the event will be held Aug. 14-18. A news conference detailing the plans will be held next month, after Mayor James Hahn returns from Asia.

NASCAR Wrapup

NBC reported Thursday that its final NASCAR race of the season got a national rating of 5.2 with an 11 share, NASCAR’s best rating on an NFL Sunday. NBC’s NASCAR ratings increased 13% this year and 59% over the last two years.

Bill Weber, the host of NBC’s pre-race shows who also serves as a pit reporter during the races, points out that one of the reasons for NASCAR’s popularity is that all the big names are in the 43-car fields every week. It’s not like golf, where Tiger Woods picks his spots.

“Every weekend is an all-star weekend,” Weber said. “Every weekend you’ve got the 43 best guys in the sport all on one track.”

Short Waves

Fox Sports Net will have a special one-hour Laker pregame show tonight at 6:30, in anticipation of Shaquille O’Neal’s return.... The Clippers make their first ESPN appearance tonight. Mike Tirico and Tom Tolbert will announce their game at Denver.... The Clippers’ home game against Houston Sunday at 12:30 p.m. will be on Telemundo (Channel 52).

Marge Hearn and Jerry West will be among the special guests at Staples Center on Sunday night, when the Lakers honor Chick Hearn. Marge and Jeanie Buss will be part of the pregame show on Fox Sports Net at 6 p.m. ... TNT announced a tripleheader for Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 20, with the Clippers and Lakers meeting in the third game.... DirecTV has announced a new six-year agreement to continue carrying the NBA League Pass pay package and NBA TV, which will begin carrying games after the All-Star break.

HBO will commemorate its 500th fight Saturday when it televises a rematch between Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti from Atlantic City, N.J. Ward scored a decision over Gatti in May. Saturday’s telecast, which begins at 6:45 p.m. and also features a replay of last weekend’s Erik Morales-Paulie Ayala fight, will have the feel of an old-time boxing telecast.

In Closing

Although Charles Barkley was wrong about Houston’s Yao Ming ever scoring 19 points, he sometimes does make a lot of sense.

A guest on Dan Patrick’s ESPN radio show this week, Barkley was asked about Allen Iverson’s comment that he feared a Philadelphia policeman might kill him.

“That’s just stupid,” said Barkley, who used to play in Philadelphia. “If you don’t want to be bothered by cops, then just obey the law. Most cops are good people and do a job that nobody else would do.”