Ever wonder how ESPN’s Stuart Scott coined the now-famous term “Booyah”? Or how Chris Berman came up with all those marvelous nicknames?
Me neither.
But even cynics can gain some insight from “This Is SportsCenter,” a two-hour look behind the curtain of ESPN’s news-and-highlights extravaganza (8 tonight, ESPN2).
A dandy bit of self-promotion, the show also includes bloopers and a segment on how a highlight becomes a highlight.
Career interrupted
Boulder’s Tyler Hamilton is featured on “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” (8 p.m. Tuesday, HBO).
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist is serving a two-year suspension for blood doping, charges he denies. Hamilton talks with Frank Deford about where the cyclist’s career goes from here.
Tuesday’s show also profiles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, boxer Evander Holyfield and sports agent Drew Rosenhaus. “Real Sports” airs several times in July on HBO and HBO2.
He could go 9
Hall of Famer Bob Feller is young at heart, if not arm.
The one-time Cleveland pitcher is in town this week to play in The Legends golf tournament, a benefit for Volunteers of America. He brought his own clubs – and he’s 87 years old.
While he was here, he sat down for a one-on-one interview with Scott Hastings, which will air on Altitude by month’s end.
The race is shorter
The NASCAR Busch race at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Saturday is weighed down with perhaps the most cumbersome name ever hung on a sporting event: ITT Industries, Systems Division, and Gould Pump Salute to the Troops 250, presented by Dodge. That should cover just about everybody.
The race, featuring the first, and perhaps last, Colorado appearance by NASCAR legend Bill Elliott, airs on TNT, starting with pre-race action at 1:30 p.m.
The race will be followed by a country concert featuring Tracy Lawrence and Cowboy Crush – sponsored by Colorado Springs country station KKCS 101.9-FM.
Around the dial
CBS jumps into Tour de France coverage with tape of the final kilometers on Sunday, most likely Lance Armstrong’s triumphant ride into Paris (noon, KCNC-Channel 4). … Jermain Taylor’s shocking upset of middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins gets a replay on “World Championship Boxing” (8:15 p.m. Saturday, HBO). … Lou Holtz will go on as college-football studio analyst for ESPN this fall, despite recent revelations of NCAA rules violations while he was coach at South Carolina. … Quotable: “You teach me baseball and I’ll teach you relativity. No, we must not. You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball.” – Albert Einstein.
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
