NBC Hopes It Will Get Its Bunny’s Worth

To get Al Michaels out of his ESPN contract so it could sign him as its announcer for Sunday night football, NBC had to give Disney, ESPN’s parent company, the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a cartoon character created in 1927 by then-little-known Walt Disney.

NFL Network had to get permission from HBO to sign Bryant Gumbel and permission from HBO and NBC to sign Cris Collinsworth as its announcing team for an eight-game package.

Steve Bornstein, president and chief executive of NFL Network, when asked whether a rabbit was involved in the compensation, said of Gumbel and Collinsworth: “Not nearly the value of Al Michaels.”

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Trivia time: Mark Wukoman, a 50-year-old painting contractor, recently bowled a 900 series -- three consecutive perfect games -- at a bowling alley in suburban Milwaukee. How many 900 series have been bowled in the 111-year history of certified league play?

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A vote for Dirk: Despite Kobe Bryant’s clutch plays Sunday, Steve Nash remains the favorite to be the NBA’s most valuable player because the award is for the regular season. The votes are in, and the winner will be announced in a week or so.

Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban says it should be his team’s star, Dirk Nowitzki. Appearing on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” Cuban explained:

“People give Steve Nash all this credit because of what he did when Amare [Stoudemire] was gone. Dirk loses Steve Nash, the MVP [to Phoenix], and then Dirk lost Michael Finley, our second-leading scorer, and we go on to win 60 games.

“Now, people are saying we are in the best situation we have been to be a championship contender. That’s because of Dirk. He sets the tone. He leads on the court; he leads off the court. That’s an MVP.”

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Dirk on Dirk: Nowitzki told Slam magazine: “I think the MVP is a guy, when you take him off the team, the team is just nothing. With our team, we have 10 or 12 guys that can make plays. I don’t see myself as the MVP.”

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An upgrade: Of New York Met catcher Paul Lo Duca, whom the Dodgers traded away two seasons ago, Atlanta Braves’ commentator Don Sutton last weekend said:

“When you talk about team MVPs come September, I think you are looking at him right here.... What an upgrade he has been, and you have to think he has helped out the pitching staff.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees did not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

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Trivia answer: Nine.

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And finally: Producer Brian Grazer, who founded Imagine Entertainment with filmmaker Ron Howard, should recognize a great Hollywood ending when he sees it. But he vacated his courtside seat and headed for the exits Sunday at Staples Center with one minute left in regulation.

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Larry Stewart can be reached a larry.stewart@latimes.com.