Sports Announcers

Attorneys Marc Kartman and David Slavin grew up on the East Coast, shared a love for sporting events and, although they had never met, longed for careers as sports broadcasters. Comfortable and prosperous in their law practices, however, neither liked the prospect of starting over as announcers at the bottom of the salary ladder.

Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee known as the Blade Runner, will get to compete in the London Olympic Games in not only the 1,600-meter relay but also his favorite event, the 400 meters. South Africa named Pistorius, 25, to the team as a competitor in the 400, making him the first amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympics. The multiple Paralympic champion announced on Twitter: “Will be in @London2012 for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games! Thank you to everyone that has made me the athlete I am!

Yak! Yak! Yak! The greatest invention? The TV mute button to muffle the constant chatter of sports announcers. RANDAL CLOUD Tujunga

The U.S. Olympic Committee is the latest major sports organization to dive into the television channel business, announcing Wednesday that it was partnering with cable giant Comcast Corp. to launch the U.S. Olympic Network. "Olympics programming really goes dark for the two years between the Games, and there are many events and compelling stories that are never broadcast," said U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Operating Officer Norman Bellingham.

Downey's California: --James Worthy just guest-starred on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as a 6-foot-9 Klingon alien. And you thought Charles Barkley was a poor role model. --I only hope nobody renames the ship the Great Western Enterprise.

Pat Summerall quit drinking in 1992, had knee replacement surgery earlier this year, does 1,000 sit-ups a day and says he feels great. But he still believes that it's time to step down as Fox's main NFL play-by-play announcer after he calls the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans with longtime partner John Madden. The move, reported Monday by The Times, was announced Monday afternoon by Fox at a news conference in Century City.

Apparently, the game counts for something. Dennis Miller's debut in the "Monday Night Football" booth for Monday's Hall of Fame exhibition game at Canton, Ohio, drew only a 7.3 rating with a 13 share--28% lower than the 10.1-18 for the 1999 Hall of Fame game, played Monday, Aug. 9. Factors for the drop: * Last year's game started at 5 p.m. Monday's started at 4 because of ABC's coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Chris Lincoln, the ESPN broadcaster who accepted the blame for the mix-up at the post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby on Wednesday night, was in a deep funk when he arrived at his Louisville hotel room a few hours later. There was a new format for the draw, and Lincoln's mistakes on the live national telecast had resulted in the first round being discounted. A second round had to be drawn as trainers were assigned an order of selection to pick their own post positions.

A week ago, the Angels, Prime Sports and new flagship station Channel 9 had a tentative agreement with Jeff Torborg. The former Dodger and Angel catcher who went on to a successful managerial career was lined up to work with new play-by-play man Steve Physioc as the commentator on Angel telecasts. But then this week, because of a matter involving his family, Torborg, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., turned down the job. So it's back to the drawing board, with Dave Winfield apparently the new No.

Lesley Visser is returning to CBS, the network she left seven years ago for ESPN and ABC. CBS announced Tuesday that Visser has been added to "The NFL Today" crew as a feature reporter and that she will cover U.S. Open tennis and college basketball as well. She also will do some work for CBS News. Visser served as a sideline reporter on "Monday Night Football" for the last three years.

Les Keiter, a longtime sportscaster who was known for his radio re-creations of San Francisco Giants games for New York listeners in the first few years after the baseball team moved to California, died Tuesday at Castle Medical Center near Honolulu. He was 89. Honolulu television station KHON, where he had been a sports anchor for many years, reported that Keiter died of natural causes and had dementia.

Several years ago, the online magazine Salon.com reprinted Vin Scully's call of the ninth inning of Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game. "Twenty-nine thousand people and a million butterflies," was the headline, borrowed from Scully's description of the attendance that evening.

It is Wednesday afternoon at XTRA 690, "Sports Nite" is on the air and Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton ( wants . . . to . . . talk . . . sports . . . with . . . you. Topic on the table: Minnesota Viking football. Specifically, the controversy surrounding the resignation of a prominent media figure assigned to cover the Vikings this season. Specifically, the recently hired play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Vikings. Specifically, Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.

When it comes to motor sports, Kenny Sargent of Van Nuys, formerly the sports anchor for Channel 13 who has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards, prefers raw racing to high technology. Man against machine, fighting for control is what stokes Sargent's fire. The less technology, the better. Sargent has had an affinity for speeding vehicles since attending his first drag race when he was 12, and he prefers to be entertained when he gets his motor sports information via television or radio.

This week's "Dennis Miller Live on Monday Night" scorecard: References to the Miami Dolphins' "chirpy blowhole": 1. Allusions to the absurdist Samuel Beckett play "Waiting for Godot": 1. Observations that Miami linebacker Zach Thomas "throws his body around like a Chinese acrobat with an inner ear problem": 1. Rumpled neckties worn at the same time for uncharacteristic more-slapstick-than-cerebral comedic effect: 2. Number of times quoted Richard Dreyfuss from the movie "Jaws": 1.

Lesley Visser is returning to CBS, the network she left seven years ago for ESPN and ABC. CBS announced Tuesday that Visser has been added to "The NFL Today" crew as a feature reporter and that she will cover U.S. Open tennis and college basketball as well. She also will do some work for CBS News. Visser served as a sideline reporter on "Monday Night Football" for the last three years.

Pat Summerall and John Madden will begin their 12th season as CBS' lead announcing team on NFL games, the network said. The other announcing teams include James Brown with either John Robinson, former Ram coach, or George Starke, formerly of the Washington Redskins; and Tim Ryan with Matt Millen, who played for the Raiders, 49ers and Redskins. Also teamed are Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts; Jim Nantz and Hank Stram, and Dick Stockton and Randy Cross.

For a self-described "hillbilly from Arkansas," Bobby Winkles has gone far, even though he admits he made a mistake in accepting the Angels' managerial job in 1972. Winkles, 60, is currently in his fourth season as a part-time analyst on the Montreal Expos' English-language radio broadcasts after coaching with four major league teams and managing two.

Apparently, the game counts for something. Dennis Miller's debut in the "Monday Night Football" booth for Monday's Hall of Fame exhibition game at Canton, Ohio, drew only a 7.3 rating with a 13 share--28% lower than the 10.1-18 for the 1999 Hall of Fame game, played Monday, Aug. 9. Factors for the drop: * Last year's game started at 5 p.m. Monday's started at 4 because of ABC's coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Pat Summerall quit drinking in 1992, had knee replacement surgery earlier this year, does 1,000 sit-ups a day and says he feels great. But he still believes that it's time to step down as Fox's main NFL play-by-play announcer after he calls the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans with longtime partner John Madden. The move, reported Monday by The Times, was announced Monday afternoon by Fox at a news conference in Century City.