The Montgomery Advertiser from Montgomery, Alabama • 32

12B SPORTS Sunday, January 20, 2008 Montgomery Advertiser Braves' TV package not available in Montgomery, at least not yet station plans a replacement for the third digital channel sooon. WSFA, by the way, recently began producing a 9 p.m. newscast for WCO a FOX affiliate. The newscast features news anchor Chris Holmes, meteorologist Allyson Rae and sports caster Kyle Montgomery. It's competing in that time slot with a WAKA-produced newscast on the local CW.

I'm just glad WCOV left Seinfeld on at 9:30 p.m. impossible in this business, but you can tell by reading a story if the writer tried to be fair. So many times, the reader doesn't get that sense. But I always did reading John Pruett. I hope he keeps his hand in the business after retirement.

Odds and ends: If you're wondering about today's games, here's a little insight. According to handicapper Brandon Lang, if the Patriots win today, they will be 14 point favorites over Green Bay or 17 points over the New York Giants. If the Chargers win, they'll be favored by 3'a over Green Bay or 6V4 over N.Y. Did anyone else enjoy the little Green BayEll ManningSeinfeld "controversy" this week? I sure did. Eli Manning got a free, complete set of Seinfeld episodes out of the deal, even though he already owned the set.

I have a complete set now, too, thanks to mom and Santa Claus. Mike Tankersley, who is a sports copy editor, can be reached at (334) 240-0197 or by faxing at 261-1548. He can also be reached by e-mail at There is still nothing concrete to report on the availability in this market of Atlanta Braves games to be broadcast on the new Peach-tree TV station (WPCH), except to say, Peachtree officials have heard you. A Peachtree spokeswoman told me this week that the station has gotten plenty of e-mails from folks outside of the Atlanta market who are concerned about losing the ability to watch the 45 regular season games Peachtree will broadcast this season. To bring the uninformed up to speed, WPCH formerly was WTBS, the Atlanta-based station that carried what we know as TBS on our cable and satellite systems.

Late last year, WTBS became a local Atlanta station independent of TBS. It was renamed to WPCH. WPCH has its own programming now and is available as far as I know only in the Atlanta market TBS continued on as a national cable channel. If you lived outside of Atlanta, you never saw a difference. However, when it comes to Braves games, there is a big difference.

TBS now has a na- is concerned that nothing has been announced yet WPCH has the Atlanta opener on March 30 at Washington as well as the home opener the next day against Pittsburgh. WPCH also has two spring training games just before the regular season begins. "If a majority of the Southeast isn't getting those games, people are going to be ticked," Stout wrote. I totally agree. Maybe a local station will step up and carry the games.

iff coming: A recent e-mail from WSFA General Manager Ken Selvaggia shed some light on the coming digital age of TV. Many folks already have jumped into digital TV, but for those who haven't Selvaggi's comments might be enlightening. If you haven't purchased a TV recently, chances are you are receiving an analog broadcast in your living room. Be aware that come Feb. 17, 2009, all analog broadcasts will be replaced by digital broadcasts.

WSFA currently broadcasts both an analog and a digital signal. Here are some key points mentioned by Selvaggi concerning the transition: If you subscribe to paid cable, satellite or telephone company television service, you won't be affected by the switch over for the televisions you use with that service. If you currently get free broadcasts through rooftop or indoor antennas on an analog TV set you will need to purchase a DTV converter box that will convert the digital signal into an analog format to watch digital broadcasts on your existing analog television set. You can apply for and received two $40 coupons per households to use toward purchasing these converter boxes at many electronics retailers. You can also purchase a new HD television set with a built-in digital tuner.

All TVs manufactured after March 1, 2007, are required to have built-in digital tuners. Digital television also allows local stations to broadcast multiple programs simultaneously. WSFA, for instance, offers a digital NBC channel and a weather channel. A third channel had been offering The Tube, a music channel, but that entity stopped operating. The Mike Tankersley MEDIA WATCH tional Major League Baseball package.

It will no longer carry the Braves, except when the Braves appear on its MLB PdCl(36 FSN South and SportSouth got additional games, but WPCH has a 45-game package that right now isn't available in Montgomery. A Peachtree official told me the station is looking for some kind of cable distribution of the games in the South, but as of this moment, nothing is in place. Livingston, Darren Stout, who reads the Advertiser online, has e-mailed me frequently about this issue. He says he keeps hearing WPCH is working on a network of stations to carry the games outside of Atlanta, but he, too, Happy trails: One of the giants of my industry will be calling it a career in about two months. John Pruett, sports editor of The Huntsville Times, is planning to retire at the end of March.

I grew up in Arab reading John, and it was a great thrill when I had my photo taken with him as he presented me a high school sports writing award given by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, way back in the late 1970s. What I learned mostly from John Pruett was the importance of being fair. When Pruett wrote an article, you could be sure both sides got a fair shot. Pure objectivity may be mtjjsm Atirt.isir3) urn Get a great deal. Get a better network.

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price $50 mail-in rebate. With new 2-yr. activation per phone. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard puts up a shot over Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Magic holds on to beat Trail Blazers V.

Vr.r; 3 Ul i'c. A 'Aniwlta-! WMt S'l''' i x4 II "Jf I Phelan M. Ebenhack AP Evans and Turkoglu opened the final period with five straight points to put the Magic in front 76-64. Knicks 88, Heat 84 MIAMI The New York Knicks happily exploited another fourth-quarter collapse by the Miami Heat, who sent Pat Riley to a new low Saturday night. Jamal Crawford scored 22 points and Nate Robinson added 19, including a banked jumper with 2:20 left that put New York ahead to stay, sending the Heat to their 13th straight loss, the longest in the league and the worst skein of Riley's career.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 22 points, on 7-for-23 shooting, and nine assists. Udo-nis Haslem scored 11 points and Mark Blount and Shaquille O'Neal each scored 10 for the Heat. Kings 110, Pacers 104 INDIANAPOLIS Ron Ar-test scored 15 points against his former team. Artest still is disliked by Indiana fans for his role in the brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in 2004. He was booed often, but got his first win against the Pacers since he requested a trade from Indiana two seasons ago.

Mikki Moore had 22 points and 11 rebounds. Bobcats 105, Grizzlies 87 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Jason Richardson scored a season-high 38 points and had 14 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats held off a fourth-quarter rally. Former Alabama player Gerald Wallace added 28 points, and Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton and Matt Carroll had 11 apiece for the Bobcats, who beat the Grizzlies for the first time in team history. 76ers 99, Raptors 95 PHILADELPHIA Willie Green tied a season high with 23 points and the Philadelphia 76ers survived a late rally.

Chris Bosh had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the Raptors, who lost for just the second time in seven games. From wire reports $29.99 or higher after rebate $79.99 2-yr. price $50 rebate LG VX5400 camera ptonet With new 2-yr. activation per pterve. 2 Visit any store notavaHable jjjjj FREE Verizon Wireless UM150 USB Modem band Access wireless Internet service $50.00 2-yr.

price $50.00 mail-In rebate. With new 2-yr. activation on a $59.99 BroadbandAccess plan. ORLANDO, Ma. Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points, Rashard Lewis added 16, and the Orlando Magic held off a late surge to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 101-94 Saturday night Dwight Howard posted his league-leading 37th doubleKiou-ble with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando.

Maurice Evans added a season-high 15 points and reserve Keith Bo-gans had 13. Brandon Roy had 25 points and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers. Travis Outlaw had 22 points off the bench, and Martell Webster and LaMarcus Aldridge each had 12 points. ROUNDUP The Mafrir. whn Woro a 19-point third-quarter lead at uiariotte in tfteir last game, led by 21 in the middle of the second quarter, but saw the advantage dwindle to just four with less than a minute to go in the third period.

However, Orlando scored eight straight points at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth to push the advantage back to 12. Portland couldn't get the deficit under 10 until Outlaw's dunk with 41 seconds left made it 94-86. The Magic made seven of eight free throws in the final 41 seconds. The Magic hit five of 10 3-pointers in the first half. Bo-gans' 3 with 8:17 left in the second period made it 39-18, but Portland made a late run before the half.

Outlaw and James Jones combined for 14 points as the Trail Blazers went on a 24-11 in the final 8 minutes of the quarter to make it 5042 at halftime. Portland cut the deficit to 66-62 with 1:55 left in the third period after Webster hit his third 3-pointer of the period, and it was 68-64 after Outlaw drilled a 20-footer with 44 seconds left in the period. However, Bogans hit a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter, then New Year. New Phone. New Reliable Network.

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