DATE: Friday, October 24, 1997              TAG: 9710240740

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Bob Molinaro 

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

TV RATINGS: BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL ARE ON A DOWNER

Two peas in a pod: The World Series has some company when it comes to shrinking ratings. Monday Night Football is down 14 percent for the year.

The Late Show: World Series TV ratings may be down, but baseball needs to look on the bright side. In the East, the games could be capturing the midnight to 1 a.m. time slot.

Peoples' choice: Don Ohlmeyer is right - America doesn't care that Orel Hershiser started Thursday night's game as much as it is ticked off by George Costanza missing a turn in the rotation.

Cleveland rocks: According to Marlins manager Jim Leyland, noisy Jacobs Field makes the playoff crowds in San Francisco and Atlanta ``sound like a mouse wetting on cotton.''

Tubular: One more snow flurry and this year's World Series highlights will be shown on the Weather Channel.

Modern times: Danny Ainge of the Phoenix Suns, on coaching NBA players: ``You have 12 corporations that you're over nowadays. It's not just 12 individuals.''

Hand jive: The U.S. is not going to win the 2010 soccer World Cup because we are still a nation that values hand-eye coordination (playing catch) over fancy footwork.

On second thought: All the tributes to Dean Smith that I saw and heard failed to mention one of his most memorable claims to fame. He's the only person to hold Michael Jordan under 20 points.

That's incredible: Orioles general manager Pat Gillick puts the odds at only 50-50 that Davey Johnson returns as Baltimore bench boss.

Overheard: The upbeat, off-the cuff interview Joe DiMaggio gave Costas and Co. during Game 2 of the World Series seemed to belie his image as a cold loner.

For what it's worth: The winner of Saturday's Virginia Tech-West Virginia football game in Morgantown will receive the ``Black Diamond Trophy,'' an award tied to the region's coal mining industry. Apparently, the ``Black Lung Award'' is already spoken for.

The Beltway Bowl: Sorry Washington, but according to Rand McNally, Sunday's game between the Redskins and Ravens is The Battle of Maryland.

The bottom line: At 21, Kevin Garnett has a long time to earn his $126 million salary. He can start by averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds, something he hasn't yet accomplished.

In the tank: With this week's first-round loss in Germany, Andre Agassi's 1997 match record fell to 12-13. Oh, but he still looks good in those commercials.

Times past: You have to dig deep into the old memory bank to recall when the state of Texas turned out formidable college football teams. This season, the Lone Star State's 10 major college football schools are a combined 25-38.

The next chapter: Coaching the suspect Indiana Pacers may test Larry Bird's patience. In all his years with the Celtics, Larry Legend encountered one serious losing streak, and it lasted only four games.

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