Garvey Joins CBS Crew for College World Series

Southern California will be represented at the College World Series after all. Steve Garvey is in Omaha as a television commentator.

He’ll work two games for CBS--Saturday’s Florida-Florida State game and the following Saturday’s championship game--plus seven games in between for ESPN. His CBS partner is Sean McDonough.

“We’ll have to find some way to mention Southern California,” Garvey said, referring to the fact that none of this area’s six teams that made it to postseason play qualified for the College World Series.

Speaking from Omaha, Garvey, who lives in Brentwood, was his typically upbeat self and said his life is good.

Garvey, who left his job as publisher of Sport magazine about a year ago, has resurrected his Garvey Management Group and recently concluded his sixth season as a college baseball commentator for Prime Sports.

Garvey’s wife, Candace, is one of the hosts of the Family Channel’s “Home and Family Show,” which is on weekdays 1-3 p.m., and Garvey works on the show as a special correspondent.

Garvey said he and Candace are back together after a separation forced by problems with Garvey’s ex-wife, Cyndy.

“I don’t think we really need to get into that,” he said.

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Debut: Major league baseball makes its debut on the Fox network Saturday. The Dodgers’ game at New York will be shown in this area at 1 p.m., after a one-hour pregame show.

Don’t expect any glowing baseballs or red comets, but Fox is working on putting microphones in the bases and in the outfield. Also, for Saturday’s game, Fox hopes to have Tom Lasorda wearing a microphone, which could prove to be entertaining. The game will be shown in 25% of the country, with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver announcing.

The first half-hour of Fox’s pregame show will be called “In The Zone” and be devoted to teenagers, giving Fox what it called “the perfect segue” between Fox Children’s Network Saturday morning programming and baseball.

The second half-hour will be called “Fox Saturday Baseball,” with host Chip Caray and analysts Steve Lyons and Dave Winfield. Included in Saturday’s show will be an interview Winfield did with Ken Griffey Jr.

(For more of Fox’s baseball debut, see today’s Calendar section.)

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TNT is losing rookie commentator Danny Ainge, who will accept an assistant coaching position with the Phoenix Suns.

Harvey Schiller, the president of Turner Sports, said of Ainge: “In one season he showed the talent, insight and humor to be among the best analysts working on any sport. Unfortunately for us, Danny joins the growing list of early entries into the NBA ranks.”

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Expanding Galaxy: The Los Angeles Galaxy, a hit on Spanish television, can now also be seen with English commentary on Channel 5. The Galaxy’s game at Tampa Bay will be shown live Saturday at 4:30 p.m. David Johnson, D.C. United’s announcer, will handle play-by-play. Four more games are also expected to be shown.

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Charity telecast: Channel 9 is carrying a 21-hour Children’s Miracle Network special beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday. The special is being broadcast live from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and the long list of guests includes Merlin Olsen, Mary Lou Retton, Bo Jackson, Steve Young, John Robinson, Eddie Robinson and Lou Holtz.

Since its inception in 1983, the event has raised $917 million for 160 pediatric hospitals, including Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles.

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Charity event: Friends of Bob Chandler, the former Raider radio commentator who died of cancer in January 1995, are staging the second charity golf tournament in his honor on Tuesday, June 18, at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills. Proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald’s Cancer for Kids Camp. Information: (310) 944-9753.

TV-Radio Notes

ESPN got an Indy car record rating of 2.8 for the U.S. 500, but TBS got a NASCAR record 4.6 for the Coca-Cola 600. . . . U.S. 500 winner Jimmy Vasser will be a guest of David Letterman Monday night. . . . Boxing returns to Channel 9 at 7 p.m. Saturday, when Alberto “Raton” Jiminez meets Jose Lopez in a flyweight title fight at Caesar’s Tahoe. Later, Azumah Nelson faces Jesse James Leija on HBO in a delayed telecast at 11:15. . . . NBC’s French Open coverage begins this weekend. Dick Enberg, Bud Collins and John McEnroe return, with Mary Carillo subbing for Chris Evert, who is awaiting the birth of her third child in June.

KWNK (670), L.A.’s new all-sports station, has done a little reshuffling. Beginning Monday, John Rinshaw’s syndicated program will be on from 7 to 10 a.m., with Gordon Jones’ horse racing show inserted in the 7:30-8 a.m. slot on race days. Jones’ show also runs on the weekends. Joe McDonnell is still on 10 a.m.-noon, but his show may soon be expanded one hour. Pete Rose’s hours will be 4-6 p.m, but the station plans to drop Rose in two months, when the contract runs out with the SportsFan Radio Network, Rose’s syndicator.

KWNK has added Las Vegas-based Harvey Hyde, the former Nevada Las Vegas and Pasadena City College football coach, on Thursdays 6-7 p.m. Other nights at that time KWNK carries the Cable Radio Network “Sports Corner” show with Don Tegler and Marty Rodick. On Sundays, beginning this weekend, the station’s popular boxing show, “Ringside With Johnny Ortiz” will be on 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Ortiz will also be a regular Friday guest of McDonnell, 11 a.m.-noon, beginning today.

The Anaheim Bullfrog roller hockey team, which opens play Saturday against San Diego at the Pond, will have its games carried by KPLS (830), with Lew Stowers and Charlie Simmer calling the action. . . . Pete Arbogast said he is suing the Ice Dogs for $5,000 for breach of contract. The hockey team dropped Arbogast as its radio announcer in mid-season.

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Tuning In

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for sports programs May 25-26.

SATURDAY

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Event Ch. Rating NBA: Chicago-Orlando 4 10.0 Baseball: Dodgers-Montreal 5 4.7 Golf: Senior BellSouth Open 4 3.6 Golf: LPGA Skins Game 7 1.8 Golf: Kemper Open 2 1.4 Bowling: Baltimore Open 7 1.0

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SUNDAY

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Event Ch. Rating Auto racing: Indy 500 7 7.8 NBA: Seattle-Utah 4 7.2 Baseball: Dodgers-Montreal 5 3.6 Track & field: Prefontaine Classic 2 3.0 Golf: LPGA Skins Game 7 2.7 Golf: Senior BellSouth Open 4 2.3 Golf: Kemper Open 2 1.6 NHL: Pittsburgh-Florida 11 1.2

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