The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 37

THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS D-5 Sports Friday, May 31, 1991 NBA Finals as good as it gets for NBC finals fell 15 percent from 1989 ETWORK officials never want to be publicly per- urday, 7, when Notre Dame plays host to Indiana. The duo will also continue as NBC's No. 1 NFL commentator team on weekends when the Irish don't appear on the Story," a made-for-TV movie that will feature the dramatic debut of PETE ROSE as TY COBB. The film, which is to be shot in Los Angeles and Cleveland, will air this fall. Big 1 0 games announced ESPN wants NHL back for L.A.-Detroit.

With the Lakers-Bulls, NBC also gets the Magic and Michael show, featuring two of the league's brightest superstars Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. It's a marriage made in ratings heaven. Regular-season telecasts this year involving Chicago improved NBC's Nielsen ratings by half a point to 4.7. Bulls games on TNT-Cable were 13 percent above average. The drawing power of Chicago and Los Angeles was never more evident than last weekend.

Until then, NBC's playoff num ceived as rooting for a particular team. You can bet the folks at NBC Sports were smiling this morning, though, after Los Angeles disposed of Portland on Thursday night for the NBA's Western Conference title. Sorry Portland, you have a nice team, but the Lakers' vic-v tory gives NBC a marquee mat-. chup with Chicago for its first NBA Finals telecast. A championship series featuring franchises from two of the country's largest television markets is any network's dream.

Los Angeles delivers 5,026,300 potential TV homes. Portland, the nation's 27th larg- ESPN is interested in getting some or all of the National Hockey League rights back as Sports-Channel America's three-year contract ends. Among the options ESPN is discussing with the NHL is a game of the week In conjunction with either another cable entity or a regular network. SPOUTS ON THE AI3 Steve Plonski est market, would have provided a paltry 821.290. You need to go back no further than 1990 to see what that can mean.

CBS' average rating for last year's Portland-Detroit ESPN-Cable has announced three of the 11 Saturday afternoon Big Ten football games it will telecast this fall East Carolina-Illinois on Aug. 31, Hawaii at Iowa on Sept. 7, and Louisville at Ohio State on Sept. 14. ESPN will air the Notre Dame-Stanford game Oct.

5. The remainder of the schedule will be announced later. ESPN plans at least 48 college telecasts this season. Rose to play Cobb Production is scheduled to begin Tuesday on "The Babe Ruth Dialing in bers had been sluggish. In 14 previous telecasts, the audience was 9 percent less than that earned by CBS in 1990.

Former Pacers coach JACK RAMSAY will serve as ESPN studio analyst during the NBA Finals, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. But ratings for last weekend games improved over those for the corresponding weekend last season. TONIGHT Because of the Memorial Day BASEBALL 6:30 p.m. ESPN-Cable NCAA World Series LSU vs.

Florida isots all otitsp holiday, national numbers were unavailable until late today, but overnights from 25 markets Chicago Cubs at Montreal 6:30 p.m. WGN-Cable Baltimore at Boston 6:30 p.m. ESPN-Cable Cincinnati at Los Angeles 9:30 p.m. WMCC ffl Atlanta at San Francisco 9:30 p.m. WTBS-Cable Houston at San Diego 9:30 p.m.

ESPN-Cable showed Saturdays Chicago-De troit game getting an 8.8 rating with a 26 share. Last year the Bulls-Pistons had an 8.3. 24. Sunday's game. wrai perhaps hurt by the late start of the 500-Mile Race on ABC.

chalked up a 6.4. 18. Last season's corresponding Portland- 6' continuous aluminum "piano" hinge fpr lasting durability and greater Rugged heavy-duty wood siding is primed and ready to paint. Comes with a five-year Self-sealing, weather-tight roofing shingles come in choice of black, brown or white. secunty.

warranty. Phoenix game did a 6.3, 17. Game 1 of the 1991 finals will be Sunday (WTHR D) with Game 2 Wednesday. Both are in Chicago. The series then shifts to L.A.

with Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) Friday, June 7, Sunday. June 9 and Wednesday. June 12. If needed, the final two games will be Friday, June 14 and Sunday. June 16 from Chicago.

Sunday telecasts will start at 2 p.m. with a half-hour NBA Showtime pregame show from the game site. Bob Costas and Pat Riley are the co-hosts and are Joined by Bob Ferry and Peter Vecsey. Wednesday and Fri SATURDAY AUTO RACING NASCAR Budweiser 200 1 p.m. NASH-Cable BASEBALL NCAA World Series Noon WISH Clemson vs.

Creighton NCAA College World Series 4:30 p.m. ESPN-Cable Long Beach St vs. Wichita St Chicago Cubs at Montreal 6:30 p.m. WGN-Cable BOWLING PBA Doubles Classic 2 p.m. WRTV BOXING Golden Gloves 4:30 p.m.

ESPN-Cable Meldrick Taylor vs. Luis Garcia 9 p.m. HBO-Cable WBA welterweight championship TENNIS French Open 8 a.m. ESPN-Cable French Open 2 p.m. WTHR IB FOOTBALL (WLAF) Barcelona at Birmingham 7 p.m.

USA-Cable playoff semifinal GOLF Kemper Open 3 p.m. WISH HIGH SCHOOL TRACKGirls state finals 4 p.m. WTTV SWIMMING U.S. Olympic Diving 9:05 p.m. WTBS-Cable SUNDAY AUTO RACING NASCAR Budweiser 500 11 a.m.

NASH-Cable Canadian Grand Prix 12:55 p.m. ESPN-Cable CART Miller 200 3 p.m. WRTV BASEBALL Chicago Cubs at Montreal 12:30 p.m. WGN-Cable Atlanta at S. Fran.

3 p.m. WTBS-Cable NCAA College World Series 3:30 p.m. ESPN-Cable Oakland at Chi. White Sox 3:30 p.m. ESPN-Cable NCAA College World Series 11 p.m.

ESPN-Cable BASKETBALL (NBA) LA. Lakers at Chicago 2:30 p.m. WTHR 09 NBA Finals Game 1 FOOTBALL (WLAF) London at NYNJ Knights. Noon WRTV playoff semifinal GOLF Kemper Open 2:30 p.m. WISH day game telecasts will begin at Rafters 24" on center.

door trim and 8 p.m. without pregame shows. Race ratings up Floor joists spaced pressure-treated runners resistant to decay, termites and rot. Last Sunday's 500-Mile Race kick rail ensures lasting stability. Exclusive rigid-door stabilizer to resist warping.

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WISH North Carolina vs. Towson State elusive coverage of all Fighting Irish home games this season. Enberg and Walsh debut Sat.