Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 23, 1991 TAG: 9102230014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bonner, a former Virginia basketball captain and former Roanoke resident, is taking his one-week hiring by CBS to work two rounds of the NCAA Tournament very seriously. It's himself he doesn't always take with such somberness. That's one of the reasons his on-air work is appreciated.
"What I found interesting is that they chose me from a large group for one of their non-Bill slots," said Bonner, who has worked as an analyst on ACC regional telecasts for a decade. "To be one of the non-Bills chosen, too, that's even more prestigious."
Sure enough, CBS, which has exclusive rights to the tournament's 63 games for the first time, has Billy Packer, Bill Raftery, Billy Cunningham and Bill Walton among its analysts. The CBS teams also include Quinn Buckner, Len Elmore, Jack Givens and Mimi Griffin.
"CBS is using a real cross-section of basketball," said Bonner, 37, a regional director for the Social Security Administration's Staunton office. "They have ex-coaches. They have outstanding ex-players. But in basketball, there are as many guys on the bench as those who play. Even more.
"So, there are terrible ex-players, too. I think they wanted somebody to represent them. That's me."
The self-deprecating Bonner averaged 4.2 points as a UVa forward. He started as a senior (1974-75), averaging 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. Bonner, who also works ACC and Southeastern Conference games for ESPN, has called NCAA first-round games for NCAA Productions for the past six seasons.
This will be his first trip to the second round. Bonner will work two first-round games with Tim Ryan and two with Jim Henderson, then call two second-round games two days later. Bonner gets alternating play-by-play men because Ryan admittedly is a bit rusty after not working basketball for several years. CBS Sports executive producer Ted Shaker didn't want Ryan to have to call four games in one day.
"I was relieved to know the reason I was the only [analyst] with two play-by-play guys," Bonner said. "I thought maybe they had two of them because I was so bad."
Nevada-Las Vegas could waltz through the tournament, but CBS still has the best big man in Bill Walton, the three-time college player of the year (1972-74) at UCLA and former NBA MVP. Walton, 38, is making his NCAA debut, and his TV experience is limited, although he has worked some games for pay-cable's Prime Ticket in Los Angeles.
Walton certainly has the background for discussing UNLV's recent dominance of the sport. The last NCAA back-to-back champion was Walton-led UCLA in 1972 and '73, the red-haired center's sophomore and junior years.
Walton also will be part of the network's "Mutt 'n Jeff" announcing team. The 6-foot-11 Walton will work the CBS weekend with regular ESPNer Sean McDonough, who stands about 5-8.
\ The Sports Marketing Group survey of Americans' likes and dislikes in sports - published by this newspaper Thursday - is subject to much question. For example, only 2,060 people were surveyed in 175 census areas. The U.S. population is more than 260 million. Can that be a representative sample?
Part of the Dallas-based survey asked people what sports that liked and disliked to watch, on television and in person. The least popular sport was pro wrestling. What a joke! There are TV networks, local TV stations and arena operators all over the nation who have advertising and spectator sellouts for pro wrestling.
The question about pro wrestling isn't whether it's popular. The question should be whether it's a sport. Don't question its popularity. Last month, WSLS pre-empted the last half-hour of two special Saturday "Today" shows on the Persian Gulf war for taped pro wrestling shows. That's an insensitive programming decision, but it also reflects pro wrestling viewership.
There are many holes and inconsistencies in the survey. Baseball ranked 10th in the "sports we like to play" survey. How many Americans play baseball after high school and college? There is no way more Americans play baseball than play softball, or play golf, or go hunting.
"I saw that survey," one network spokesman said. "It's garbage."
\ Around the dial: Turner Broadcasting's announcing team for Sunday's NASCAR Pontiac 400 Winston Cup race (1 p.m., WTBS cable) in Richmond includes Ken Squier, Mike Joy, Neil Bonnett - and former NFL quarterback Ken Stabler? Well, "Snake" is a good ol' Alabama boy. . . . CBS' Nielsen rating for Sunday's Daytona 500 telecast was up 4 percent from 1990. The CBS-Daytona contract runs through 1993. Expect rights fees for NASCAR's top attraction to climb to about $2.5 million next year. . . . Save some of your basketball-watching for tonight's CIAA Tournament championship game, also from Richmond (8 p.m., BET cable). . . . One year from tonight, CBS will finish 16 days and 121 hours of coverage from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
by CNB