ESPN will blow out debut, even if Beckham blows it off

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:45 PM PDT ∞

It's the equivalent of Babe Ruth coming back from the dead to play right field for the New York Yankees.

Or Jim Brown, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky bumping into Juan Ponce de Leon and finding the fountain of youth.

Only in soccer circles, David Beckham ---- perhaps the world's most-celebrated soccer player ---- coming across the pond to play for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy is bigger ---- much, much bigger.

The world will be watching Saturday night when Beckham is scheduled to make his American debut. Trouble is, the guest of honor may be on the bench.

Beckham told ESPN2 during halftime of Thursday's MLS All-Star game that his nagging left ankle injury will likely keep him from playing when the Galaxy faces Chelsea of the English Premier League in an exhibition. He left open a small possibility of playing "toward the end of the game if it's all right, but we'll see," he said.

ESPN has assigned 19 cameras to the game. There will be a "Beckham cam," a player-isolation camera focused on the player's every move throughout the match. There will also be a wireless "celebrity cam" searching for celebrities both on the field and in the stands.

Many of the features will be picked up by ESPN360.com, ESPN.com and ESPNsoccernet.com for a worldwide audience.

Coverage starts on the 3 p.m. "SportsCenter", with the last 30 minutes (4-4:30 p.m.) dedicated to Beckham news.

Kickoff slated for 5:30 p.m.

Dave O'Brien, ESPN's lead soccer play-by-play commentator, will call the action. Former San Diego State star Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smyth join him as analysts. Allen Hopkins roams the sidelines, looking for interview subjects that could include players and coaches.

Bonnie Bernstein has been added as a "red carpet interviewer," looking for celebrities as they enter the match.

Rob Stone and Julie Foudy will work the pregame show.

Running back Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints ---- a former Helix High star ---- will join O'Brien, Wynalda and Smyth in the booth to discuss his "Futbol vs. Football" Adidas advertising campaign.

"Beckham's move to Major League Soccer is a landmark moment for the league and for soccer in America," said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN's vice president of programming and acquisitions. "Our coverage will appear across several ESPN platforms and will chronicle this historic moment well beyond the game telecast with the depth and context it deserves."

ESPN's biggest fear is that Beckham's tender ankle will keep him out of the match.

"David recognizes the importance of this match, and we believe he'll make some kind of appearance," said Tom McNeeley, ESPN's coordinating producer for remote production. "We have so much equipment that it can be too much for the hard-core soccer fan. So we have to be careful to cover the match, find a balance in the game.

"But people will tune in to see Beckham, Posh (Beckham's wife, Victoria) or Tom Cruise.

"This is about Beckham, and it can't be avoided. Hopefully, we won't overdo it."

Saturday, ESPN will air a 60-minute documentary titled "David Beckham: New Beginnings."

The show advertises unprecedented access to Beckham and his family as they adapt to life in the United States. And there will actually be some soccer, as Beckham talks about his recall to England's national team and the role he played in Real Madrid's 2007 La Liga title run.

"There are very few athletes who transcend their sport," Wynalda said. "The amount of interest in Beckham since January is amazing.

"He has sparked interest in the game, and we have to be aware of who is watching.

"Is it the soccer mom? The public in general? Some guy who watches baseball and football and will be watching only because his wife rearranged the schedule?

"With his injury, he should sit out, but all indications are he will play. Still, because he's nursing an ankle injury it's not so important what he does, but that he steps on the field with a wave and a smile."

Ratings game
MLS telecasts on ESPN averaged an 0.2 last season and are stuck on the same number this season.

The best the MLS has done on ESPN is an 0.4 in 1996.

World Cup ratings show that Americans are interested in the sport and will watch, but only on the world stage. The domestic version has struggled on TV.

That's why Saturday's game with Beckham is important.

Asked about a ratings number, ESPN's McNeeley wouldn't commit. But anything short of a 2.0 would probably be a disappointment.

More Beckham
FSN West has nine Galaxy matches on its schedule, starting with the 4:45 p.m. match at Toronto on Aug. 5.

There is no guarantee that Beckham will play in all nine matches, however.

Jim Watson is the Galaxy's TV voice.

Tee it up
- ABC is pulling out all the production stops for its weekend coverage of the British Open from Carnoustie Golf Club in Scotland.

The network will use Golf Track, a three-dimensional, real-time virtual animation of every hole; Trackman Technology, which records the ball speed and trajectory; and X Mo, a super-slo-motion camera.

ABC has access to the BBC's 52 cameras and 20 of its own.

Mike Tirico is the host for ABC's coverage. Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo ---- if Faldo misses the cut ---- will serve as analysts. Terry Gannon and Peter Alliss are hole announcers. Andy North, Judy Rankin and Bill Kratzert will work on the course.

Coverage starts at 6 a.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday.

TNT has second-round coverage, beginning at 4 a.m. today and running until 4 p.m., with full-round coverage of Tiger Woods and his group, which includes Paul Lawrie and Justin Rose.

TNT has third-round coverage at 1 p.m. Saturday and final-round coverage at 3 a.m. Sunday.

- The Golf Channel launches a new series called "My World" on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The idea of the show is to spend a day with either a PGA Tour or LPGA Tour player, exploring their lives away from golf.

Christina Kim is the first of 14 players featured, followed by Will MacKenzie (Aug. 1), Davis Love III (Aug. 15), Tim Herron (Aug. 22) and Cristie Kerr (Aug. 29).

New deal for Patrick
Dan Patrick, who last week announced he was leaving ESPN after nearly two decades, will join a new Chicago-based broadcasting venture, the Content Factory.

The idea is to syndicate Patrick's show through a number of media outlets, including radio, Internet and mobile services.

Patrick's last day at ESPN is Aug. 17.

Local notes
- Matt Vasgersian, TV voice of the Padres, will call Saturday's Dodgers-Mets game on Fox along with Tim McCarver. The game will go to 56 percent of the country. Steve Quis will fill in for Vasgersian on Friday and Saturday night as the Padres face the Phillies on Channel 4. Tony Gwynn will work Channel 4's Friday, Saturday and Sunday games in a three-man booth that also includes Mark Grant.

- Fox will carry the Padres-Astros game at 12:55 p.m. on July 28. Vasgersian will call the game with Joe Girardi.

Around the dial
- NBC has the final of the Association of Volleyball Professionals Long Beach Open, with the women playing at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and the men at the same time Sunday. Former San Diego State volleyball and basketball stars Chris Marlowe and Mike Dodd will call the action along with Karch Kiraly, the beach game's greatest player. Kiraly, 46, sits in the broadcast booth when he's not playing.

- ESPN's new weekday "College Football Live" show debuts at 12:30 p.m. Monday and runs through the end of the season. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso will be staples on the show. Mark May, Chris Spielman, Bob Griese and Robert Smith, among others, will also make contributions.

- "ESPN Remembers: The Long Winter of Henry Aaron" debuts at 4 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2. The 60-minute show features a 1973 interview that Tom Brokaw did with Aaron as he closed in on Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.

- The WNBA has a new eight-year deal calling for a minimum of 18 regular-season games per season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. ABC will have the league's season opener each year as well as its all-star game. There will be a minimum of 11 postseason games each season across the three networks. Most regular-season games will air on Monday and Tuesday nights and weekend afternoons. The WNBA will receive a rights fee from its TV outlets for the first time in its 11-year history. Last season, WNBA games averaged around 240,000 viewers, down 40,000 from the 2005 season.

- Rob Brown has been cast in the starring role in a movie based on the book "Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express." Davis, a running back at Syracuse, was the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy when he topped the field in 1961. Davis was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns but was diagnosed with leukemia and died at age 23. Dennis Quaid has been cast as Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder. The film is scheduled for an October 2008 release.

- HBO has begun production on a documentary chronicling the football rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan. The 60-minute special is to air on Nov. 13.

John Maffei's TV/Radio Column appears every Friday. He can be reached at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.