Replay

Couch potatoes need no longer wait for the commercials.A new VCR-like device will let TV watchers literally stop time: Replay Networks is rushing to shelves in November a black box that lets TV watchers pause live television.The 15-employee, 1-year-old Silicon Alley upstart is betting that its $999 Replay TV controller box will appeal to a broad base of TV addicts."People want more control over their TV-watching experience," said Jim Plant, Replay's marketing director.The box houses a 7-gigabyte hard-disc drive that starts recording when users hit the pause button on a special remote control.

The NBA says the review that overturned a winning shot by the Bulls' Brad Miller was correct and handled appropriately. Referees looked at video replay for about three minutes before determining that Miller's shot came after the final buzzer, giving the Nuggets a 90-89 victory in Chicago on Tuesday night. Though a review is supposed to be completed in a two-minute period, crew chief Mark Wunderlich then asked the truck if there were any additional angles. NBA spokesman Tim Frank said "the replay was handled by the book and the referee made the right decision."

The guy is starting to make sense - or maybe we're learning to keep up. After six weeks in the booth, "Monday Night Football's" Dennis Miller has taken it down a notch in the obscure-reference department. Last week, he did refer to Roosevelt's New Deal, but big deal. Miller's lines are fit to be stolen: "Barbara Billingsley as June Cleavage": Not a bad line when the camera spots a female in the stands wearing a Vikings jersey with faux breasts attached. Juvenile, sure. But this is football.

Just what the world needs the most, a Ruthann Aron trial replay.The Republicans ought to retain control of the House this year, unless the Democrats can make impeachment and tobacco the only issues.There's nothing like a revenue surplus for getting almost any governor re-elected.Imagine, a public library that's actually open on Fridays. Is it too much to hope?Pub Date: 4/01/98BY Dan Berger

There were only two runs scored in the Orioles' victory yesterday, and viewers of WMAR-TV's coverage missed one of them. It was a huge gaffe. And it lit up the switchboard at Channel 2 with calls from angry viewers, according to a staffer who asked that his name not be used.The blown play came in the fifth inning, when the Orioles scored their two runs. Chris Hoiles just had doubled home Sam Horn and sent Leo Gomez to third.The producers went to a replay of Hoiles' double as Bill Ripken came to the plate.

I've been playing with the first generation of digital video recorders, or DVRs, for a few weeks now. To their manufacturers, I want to say this: Please don't take them away from me!They're that cool.The machines I have at home are the TiVo, sold under the Philips brand name, and the Replay TV. These are the first of what promise to be many digital video recorders to come. (Last month, Dish Network, a direct satellite television service, announced a quirky but tempting hybrid product that combines satellite TV, Web TV and a limited-capability digital video recorder all for $199 plus monthly subscription fees.

NEW YORK - It wasn't as crucial as the missed call that defined both the 1996 American League Championship Series and the uneven relationship between the mighty New York Yankees and the Orioles. It certainly wasn't as clear cut. Nevertheless, a 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees in Friday's Game 5 of the AL Division Series that ended the Orioles' wild ride of a season included another controversial call in right field at Yankee Stadium (though it is a new building). With two outs in the top of the sixth inning and the Orioles trailing the Yankees and their ace CC Sabathia 1-0, Nate McLouth hit a towering fly ball down the right field line.

Repair relationships Dave van Dyck Chicago Tribune Anyone who survived and thrived more than a decade working for George Steinbrenner is more than qualified to work any job. And make no doubt about it, Joe Torre's new duties as MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations will include more than those in the public job description. But his top priority is repairing and rebuilding the sometimes-fractured relationship between those who sit in Park Avenue offices in New York and those who sit in dugouts in San Diego and Seattle.

The Orioles' 5-4 win over the Yankees Saturday night had its share of controversy until the final out. While the story of the night was the loss of right fielder Nick Markakis for the rest of the regular season -- at least six weeks -- with a broken left thumb, the Orioles bullpen made the game exciting to the end. Leading 5-3, closer Jim Johnson allowed three singles to open the inning, with Derek Jeter's bunt single loading the bases....

There isn't a more inspiring sight in sports than supreme potential being fully realized, as opposed to being wasted. Tiger Woods certainly isn't wasting his otherworldly gifts; his runaway victory in the PGA Championship last weekend left him just six major titles shy of Jack Nicklaus' all-time record. It isn't a question of whether he will catch Jack -- just when. World Championship Preliminary round, U.S. vs. Italy, today, 6:30 a.m., ESPN2, replay at 10 p.m.