Steve Nidetz

When O.J. Simpson was playing football in high school, he hadn`t heard of the Heisman Trophy. By the time he got to Southern Cal, the stylish running back had heard...

Most NFL pregame shows, whether network or cable, have become a hodgepodge of news and features. On Sunday, for instance, CBS` ''NFL Today'' had a feature on 49ers quarterback Steve...

Those millions who watched ''E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'' last week on CBS also saw the first of the network`s Winter Olympics promotional spots. Some, like the one called ''Mom'' that aired...

Eight years in the making. No, not ''Gone With the Wind.'' Not ''Heaven`s Gate.'' But HBO`s ''Play by Play: A History of Sports Television.'' A two-part series that premieres at...

It`s one of the great college football rivalries in the nation. It`s also one of the best-kept secrets in the nation. But Saturday, the Bayou Classic, the annual neighborhood dustup...

The hockey game swirls in constant motion below them. Pat Foley and Dale Tallon, the Blackhawks` broadcasters for the last eight years, sit among the Stadium fans-well, almost in their...

ABC Sports, with national ratings in hand Thursday, is claiming victory in its battle for college football supremacy. Last Saturday`s battle for No. 1 between Florida State and Miami earned...

Tavern and restaurant owners around the Chicago area are chuckling all the way to the bank this week, thanks to ABC`s snafu over the Notre Dame-Penn State football game. Even...

The glut of college basketball games begins Friday night with ESPN`s coverage of the Tip-Off Classic. Which means more than 200 regular-season contests on the cable network and an additional...

There are worse assignments than talking to Andrea Joyce on a rainy day while crossing the Franco-Swiss border in a tour bus driven by a sometimes-madman named Serge. Joyce, an...