Sunday afternoon could have produced a tenacious TV tussle between two Foxes.
Fox Sports and its top NFL booth team, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, were in Denver to cover the Broncos-Cowboys clash at Invesco Field at Mile High.
FSN Rocky Mountain was airing the Rockies-Dodgers regular-season finale in Los Angeles — a game that could have given Colorado the National League West title.
The key phrase is, of course, “could have.”
This TV audience battle was eliminated Saturday night when the Dodgers beat the Rockies, clinching the NL West crown for L.A., thus giving Sunday’s game a preseason look and thrusting all major attention on the Broncos.
Fox Sports responded, with Buck and Aikman turning in their trademark low-key professional jobs.
I’ve talked with neurotic anti- Cowboys fans who fervently believe Buck and Aikman wear silver, white and blue sports jackets in the broadcasting booth, particularly when Dallas plays AFC teams.
But they gave Denver its due, regularly stressing the strong Broncos defense while noting the glaring deficiencies of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
A nit to pick regarding language: Buck and Aikman, like a majority of NFL and college broadcasters, are hung up on “good job” and “great job” when describing a player’s performance.
In the first half, Aikman came up with a puzzling, flattering line I had never heard before, saying a player had “pretty unique skills.”
The next time I talk with Aikman, I’ll ask him what that means.
Too bad the Rockies got beat Saturday night.
I would like to have had a different Sunday scenario on the Fox outlets — the Broncos making the winning goal-line stand while Huston Street was striking out Dodgers star Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded to give the Rockies the division title.
Play ball.
TBS cable has the Detroit vs. Minnesota “play-in” game for the American League Central title at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
• Also on Tuesday, cable’s MLB Network, always a valuable video encyclopedia, will revisit the historic — and bloody — Aug. 22, 1965, game at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park during the heat of a pennant race when Giants pitcher Juan Marichal clubbed Dodgers catcher Johnny Roseboro with a bat.
The 6 p.m. half-hour show features video of the messy event that led to a 14-minute brawl, along with new commentary by several players.
Marichal and Roseboro, who died in 2002, later reconciled. Marichal frequently called the ailing Roseboro, who had two strokes and a lengthy bout with cancer. Marichal also eulogized the catcher at his funeral.
• All first-round division series games, beginning Wednesday, will air on TBS cable, along with the National League Championship Series.
Fox will broadcast American League Championship Series games and the World Series.
• FSN Rocky Mountain will offer pregame and postgame Rockies reports as long as the wild-card team is alive in the playoffs.
Clough stuff.
Anyone recall Sandy Clough’s radio style of 20 years ago? Working Broncos postgame shows on KOA 850 AM, Clough often hung up on callers while yelling, “Sir, you are an idiot!”
Clough, anything but a broadcasting homer, has gradually softened his style while still providing strong opinions when listeners call.
This is probably the reason I’ve received several angry e-mails from fans unhappy with the decision by KKFN 104.3 FM to move Clough to a 7-10 p.m. weeknight schedule that’s way out of the sports talk mainstream.
Longtime Denver journalist Dusty Saunders writes about sports media each Monday in The Denver Post. Reach him at tvtime@comcast.net.
Favre, Favre and more Favre
Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has started an NFL-record 274 games during his lengthy career, heading into tonight’s “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Packers in Minneapolis.
How to celebrate?
Mention his name 275 times during an hour-long sports show.
That is today’s goal on ESPN2’s “Sports Nation” (3 p.m.), hosted by Colin Cowherd and Michele Beadle.
Of course they will break Favre’s record. Such programming is part of ESPN’s pregame hype.
And the talkative trio in ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth probably will pass the 275-word mark during the game.
