Poll Might Have Them Running for Cover

Women in sports broadcasting are so commonplace these days that you hardly give it a second thought. One assumes they are there because of their knowledge, reporting and communication skills.

Then along comes word of a poll by https://www.Playboy.com asking respondents to choose the “Hottest Sports Babe” among 10 female sportscasters. It’s a reminder that women sportscasters in some circles are still viewed as sex objects instead of journalists.

The winner will be asked to pose nude in Playboy magazine, although that’s an unlikely occurrence.

Fox Sports Net’s Lisa Guerrero, who is on the list, said, “Can you imagine walking into a locker room to do some serious interviews and seeing a centerfold of yourself hanging in someone’s locker?

“I’m embarrassed by this kind of attention, but, hopefully, it will draw people to shows that I’m on. Whatever brings them in the door is OK, as long as they stay for a while and see that I’m worth listening to as well.”

Others on the list are CNN-SI’s Inga Hammond, ABC’s Melissa Stark, CBS’s Bonnie Bernstein, Summer Sanders of “NBA Inside Stuff,” Fox’s Pam Oliver, Fox weathercaster Jillian Barberie, Fox Sports Net’s Angie Arlati, CBS’ Jill Arrington and NBC’s Hannah Storm.

Although no one has said she will pose nude, no one seems particularly insulted, either.

“It’s a compliment,” Hammond said. “To me, it’s all fun and games and I’m flattered, I guess.”

KNIGHTS OF THE ‘ROUNDTABLE’

It was amazing that Vin Scully, Chick Hearn and Bob Miller did a “Sports Roundtable” show for Fox Sports Net 2 this week. Even more amazing was that this was the first time these sports broadcasting giants had done a show together.

“What took them so long to do this?” asked Marge Hearn not long after she and her husband arrived for Monday’s taping.

Credit Fox Sports Net General Manager Todd Merkow, who got Scully to do it, and producer Jim Pells, who got the other two.

Merkow said the plan is to upgrade “Sports Roundtable,” but it will be hard to top this show with Scully, Hearn and Miller. Host Bill Macdonald asked plenty of good questions, but maybe the best came from Hearn. It was directed at Scully.

Hearn wanted to know if Red Barber had mentored Scully. “The key thing with Red was, he cared,” Scully said. “He could be hard at times, but that was because he wanted me to succeed. My first year I said Willie Mays was a great player, and Red told me, ‘You’re not yet qualified to say he’s a great player.’ ”

Hearn also chided Scully after he described the late Walter O’Malley as “avuncular, like everyone’s uncle.” Said Hearn: “Now we know why they pay you the big bucks, to use words like avuncular.”

Hearn also got everyone loose at the start. He and Marge, who declined to be driven to the Fox Sports Net lot on Little Santa Monica, arrived late because they had gone to the main Fox lot on Pico.

“The guard wouldn’t let me on the lot,” Hearn said before the cameras started rolling. “I finally talked my way on, went to the front desk and said, ‘Has Vin Scully been through here?’ I then said, ‘How about Bob Miller?’ It was then I realized I was in the wrong place.”

Everyone laughed and was ready to go.

GREAT START FOR KSPN

It has been quite a first week for Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian on KSPN (1110), the former KRLA that converted to all-sports ESPN radio last Friday. McDonnell and Krikorian supplement ESPN network programming weekdays, 3-6 p.m.

On their first show, Magic Johnson came on to take calls, and one of the callers was Jerry West. McDonnell and Krikorian swear it was not planned.

Anyway, West really opened up, got emotional and told Magic just how much he thought of him, as a player and a person. “I can only tell you this because we’re on the phone,” West said at one point. “I couldn’t do this face to face.”

It was great radio. And the show has maintained a high standard. Gone, for the most part, are such things as the silliness, unnecessary bashing and meanness that dominated shows these two did on other stations.

The best part has been their guests, including Norv Turner, Fernando Vargas and former Ram Dennis Harrah, who was hilarious. On Thursday, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was on, taking calls from listeners. Keyshawn Johnson was on too.

John Wooden was a guest on Dan Patrick’s national ESPN show Thursday. Among other things talked about were running tight practices, having every minute planned. Wonder if Steve Lavin was listening?

Wooden also talked about his dislike for showboating. “A few years ago when a UCLA player did a 360-degree dunk and pounded his chest, someone behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘What did you think of that?’ ” he said. “I said, ‘I’d have yanked him out of there before his feet hit the ground.’ ”

SHORT WAVES

Attention prep fans: Fox Sports Net 2 has the Southern Section Division III football championship game, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa at Newhall Hart, tonight at 7 and the Division I championship, Loyola at Long Beach Poly, Saturday night at 7:30. . . . Sports Illustrated will name its Sportsman of the Year on a CBS special Thursday night at 10. Jim Nantz is the host. . . . A CBS field microphone was picking up profanity during Sunday’s Oakland Raider game at Pittsburgh. Was it too much trouble to turn the darn thing off? . . . Arnie Spanier of KXTA (1150) says he’s an acquired taste. Make that bad taste. Have you heard his spiel this week, ranting that no one will take the USC coaching job because “who would want to work and live in a ghetto?”

IN CLOSING

‘Tis the season for charity: Bill Macatee, part of the USA network crew working the early rounds of the World Cup golf at Buenos Aires--ABC has the later rounds--recently had a wine-tasting party at his home in Newport Beach. He asked his guests to bring toys, which he donated to Children’s Hospital.

Papa Joe Chevalier of the Sporting News radio network, formerly One-on-One, and Nancy Cole, general manager of the new KMPC (1540), have spearheaded a drive to refurbish the gymnasium at the St. Raphael elementary school in South Central L.A., near Florence and Vermont.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for Dec. 2-3.

SATURDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share College football: Oklahoma-Kansas State 7 6.8 13 Figure skating: Ice Wars: U.S. vs. the World 2 5.6 10 Golf: Williams World Challenge 4 3.3 9 College football: Army-Navy 2 3.1 8 College football: Auburn-Florida 7 2.9 8 College football: Western Michigan-Marshall 7 2.9 8 College basketball: Utah-USC 9 1.6 4 College basketball: Georgia Tech-UCLA 9 1.4 4 College basketball: Kentucky-North Carolina 2 1.2 3

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Cable Network Rating Share Tennis: Masters Cup at Lisbon, semifinals ESPN 0.6 2 College football: Nevada Las Vegas-Hawaii FSN2 0.4 1 Hockey: Minnesota-Kings FSN 0.4 1 Horse racing: Hollywood Park Today FSN2 0.4 1

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SUNDAY

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Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Pro football: Indianapolis-New York Jets 2 9.6 22 Pro football: St. Louis-Carolina 11 7.0 17 Pro football: Oakland-Pittsburgh 2 5.6 14 Golf: Williams World Challenge 7 4.4 10 Figure skating: Grand Slam Super Teams 11 2.2 5 Figure skating: ISU Nations Cup 11 1.3 3 College football: Bowl Selection Show 7 0.9 2 Hockey: Kings at Mighty Ducks 9 0.8 1

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Cable Network Rating Share Pro football: Green Bay-Chicago ESPN 6.5 11 Tennis: Masters Cup at Lisbon, final ESPN 0.6 2 Pro basketball: Clippers-Boston FSN2 0.0 0

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WEEKDAY RATINGS: MONDAY: NFL, Kansas City at New England, Ch. 7, 10.9/17.

Note: Each rating point represents 51,350 L.A. households. Cable ratings reflect the entire market, even though cable is in only 63% of L.A. households.