Columnist Tim Graham: Korach picks Yanks, Braves

TIM GRAHAM is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His media column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]

Like anyone else affiliated with the 22 teams that didn't make the Major League Baseball postseason, Ken Korach is on vacation.

Instead of peering from the press box, the Oakland A's broadcaster is watching the playoffs from the comfort of his Henderson living room. And as the days pass toward the Fall Classic, Korach has expectations of what will transpire on his television screen as he awaits the start of his seventh UNLV basketball season.

"I can't remember a postseason with so many teams that seem to be stacked," he said. "There are so many great clubs in this.

"But for me, it would have to be the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves (in the World Series). They were the two best teams during the year. The one caveat: I don't think the team with the best record has won it all in quite some time (actually, since 1989)."

Korach, who on Sunday completed his third year with the A's, claimed this year should end that 10-year drought. The Yankees, winners of 114 regular-season games, are just too good.

"What's special is their chemistry," said Korach, who called 11 A's-Yankees games. "Everybody that comes in contact with them comes away impressed. Their standards are so high. Their dedication to those standards and their level of professionalism and dedication to the game is incredible."

Korach predicted the Yankees would breeze through the Texas Rangers. He added the Boston Red Sox should take care of the Cleveland Indians in the other best-of-5 American League Divisional Series. The Red Sox already hold a 1-0 advantage.

"In a short series," Korach said, "a hot pitcher can be the deciding advantage. Pedro Martinez proved that for the Red Sox (on Tuesday)."

In the National League, Korach admitted he will be rooting for the Chicago Cubs, the Braves' first-round opponent. Korach was the voice of the Las Vegas Stars when Cubs manager Jim Riggleman was guiding the Stars in 1991 and '92.

"The only team that doesn't seem to have a chance is the Cubs," Korach said. "They have Sammy Sosa, Wrigley Field and the Ghost of Harry Caray. But you have to be realistic with them going up against Atlanta."

Through interleague play, Korach also called a handful of San Diego Padres games. He claimed the short series could benefit the Padres against the mighty Houston Astros lineup.

"We played well against (San Diego) the last two years," Korach said. "But Kevin Brown, as he proved last year with Florida, you could ride him."

Korach on Big Mac

Last year's trade of Mark McGwire from Oakland to the St. Louis Cardinals deprived Korach of the opportunity to call the slugger's historic 70-home run season.

"It's really a complicated issue," Korach said, "but I don't begrudge what happened at all."

The A's traded McGwire for three players, including former UNLV pitchers Eric Ludwick and T.J. Mathews, to avoid losing him to free agency in the off-season.

"It was bittersweet for a lot of our fans," Korach said. "There was some sentiment this (home run chase) is fantastic, but here the A's are struggling on the field and at the gate and this could have happened in Oakland.

"But I was able to enjoy what he did and feel good about it for many reasons. I had a chance to work with this guy and appreciate his talent. We felt good for him; we felt good for baseball."

Switcheroo

Korach, who was signed to call UNLV's two football telecasts this year, missed his final obligation because of a throat ailment.

That meant the radio crew of Tony Cordasco and Hunkie Cooper were thrust into TV duty. Cooper also was forced to switch to TV for the season opener at Wisconsin because of a death in color commentator Steve Stallworth's family.

But the radio broadcast benefitted from the move. Erstwhile Las Vegas Thunder voice Tim Neverett and former UNLV assistant Terry Cottle filled the bill.

Neverett was his usual smooth self and Cottle was effective, especially considering his emergency role. UNLV should consider giving Neverett more work, while permanently replacing Stallworth with Cottle.

Drawing a line

Most TV sports innovations are worthless. Remember the World Football League's Helmet Cam? And who could forget Fox's glowing hockey puck?

But throw enough stuff at the screen and eventually something will be good enough to stick. Just consider how difficult it is to watch a game today without the omnipresent score box in the corner.

ESPN debuted its latest innovation on "Sunday Night Football." It eventually will be regarded as mandatory.

The network instituted "1st and Ten," a glowing yellow line that marks the plane a team must reach for the first down.

The line adds a new dimension and added excitement to each play. ESPN viewers no longer have to guess the distance and can live and die with their favorite teams -- or betting slips -- on every down.

Bye-bye, Bernstein

Boxing analyst Al Bernstein apparently called his last bout for ESPN on Friday. Although the Las Vegan has been mikeside at ESPN for the past 19 years, zero mention was made of his farewell.

The network's revamped coverage begins Friday on ESPN2 with a boxing triple feature: Thomas Tate vs. Demetrius Davis live from Philadelphia, Andrew Golota vs. Tim Witherspoon live from Poland and the first in a series of vintage Muhammad Ali segments.

Classic fights will be a standing feature of "Friday Night Fights." The broadcast team consists of only one holdover, blow-by-blow man Bob Papa. Taking Bernstein's place as analyst is veteran trainer Teddy Atlas. Handling the classic fight studio duties are Brian Kenney and Max Kellerman.

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