HOT CORNER

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What: “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.”

Where: HBO, tonight, 10.

For the second time in three months, “Real Sports” tackles the issue of Augusta National and the proposed protest over the club’s exclusion of women. Only this time, instead of focusing on Martha Burk and the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO), the focus will be on the impact on the city of Augusta, Ga.

Gumbel interviews Jim McCarthy, a media consultant hired by the club, along with Augusta Mayor Bob Young and other civic leaders.

Another twist: Gumbel will disclose that he is a member of Burning Tree, an all-male club in the Washington area.

The second segment will be about NBA referee Bob Delaney, who has had to deal with a lot more than arguments with players and coaches. In 1975, as a young New Jersey state trooper, Delaney went undercover to infiltrate the mafia. He spent 2 1/2 years as a member of the DiNorsico crime family.

In the third segment, reporter Armen Keteyian examines the scandals that have beset the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The final segment is a profile of Darryl Dawkins by Frank Deford. In 1975, Dawkins rumbled into the NBA as one of the original high school-to-NBA phenoms. However, he never emerged as a superstar during his 14 years in the league. These days, he is the coach of the Pennsylvania Valley Dawgs of the U.S. Basketball League.

In an upcoming autobiography, Dawkins claims drug use in the NBA during the 1970s was brazen. One night, he says, Atlanta Hawk star John Drew was high during a game and began hallucinating.