While the Orioles are doing their usual bang-up business in the local ratings, golf and auto racing appear to be putting up quality numbers as well.
Saturday's telecast of the Brickyard 400, for instance, got a 3.1 rating and 10 share of the audience on Channel 2, a rather remarkable feat considering that the race was delayed by rain and ABC presented a tape of last year's race, which did a 4/13 in 1994.
According to numbers supplied by Pat Barranger, Channel 2's sales and marketing manager and this week's sole and official "On the Air" ratings provider, the Buick Open did a 3.8/10 on Saturday on Channel 13, and an impressive 4.2/10, where it drew even with the Giants-Browns NFL exhibition game on Channel 11 (4.2/9) and handily beat the Stallions-Calgary CFL game on Channel 54 (2.9/6).
The Orioles were the big winners, as usual, with ratings ranging from a high of 15.6/27 for their game against Toronto on Channel 13 last Thursday, to a low of 9.5/16 for Monday's contest in New York on Channel 54. That rating, one of the lowest to be posted recently by a Bird game, was undoubtably hurt by the Vikings-Chargers football game on Channel 2, which drew only a 5.1/8.
NBC's NFL teams
NBC -- which already announced its new lead NFL announcing team of Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire and Phil Simms -- has unveiled the rest of its pairings.
Marv Albert and Cris Collins worth form NBC's No. 2 team; last year's lead analyst, Bob Trumpy, will be paired with Tom Hammond. The other new teams include Jim Lampley with former Raider Bob Golic, and Dan Hicks with former Steeler lineman Tunch Ilkin.
Charlie Jones, who will do his 36th season of pro football announcing, will return with the excellent Randy Cross, and Don Criqui and Beasley Reece will team up again.
Pascarelli to Baseball Weekly
Former News American baseball writer Peter Pascarelli has been named the lead columnist and special projects writer for USA Today Baseball Weekly.
Pascarelli, 45, has been heard recently in this area as a baseball insider on Orioles broadcasts, as well as an occasional fill-in host on "Sports Line" on WBAL (1090 AM). He has also been director of information for ESPN's baseball broadcasts.
York Road doings
We're a little late in noting this, but a tip of the racing helmet to Channel 2 anchor Stan Stovall, who placed second last week in a celebrity competition before the Brickyard 400. Stovall, who raised $5,000 for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, also worked in the pits during the race.
By the way, our friends over at Channel 2 have given the keys to the 6 and 11 p.m. sportscasts to morning news guy Jamie Costello in the absence of Scott Garceau and Keith Mills this week. Let's just say that someone ought to point Jamie in the direction of the office's decaf coffee pot, as his reports have been way over the top.
Sign the Krukker now
Rumors are flying that the soon-to-disappear Baseball Network is trying to sign newly retired John Kruk to an analyst spot for the rest of the season. We can only hope that happens, for Kruk, one of the few genuinely funny baseball players, could be a real asset to a broadcast booth.
In his first public appearance since he hung 'em up last week in Baltimore, Kruk told David Letterman the other night that he has found a "life of leisure" on his living room couch, watching talk shows.
"I get up early every morning and lay on the couch. I watch a lot of talk shows -- Montel Williams, Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, but she [Lake] has got a lot of sick people on there. I thought I met a lot of sick people playing ball, but my God, you can't hold a candle to those people."
