FOR the sins of their Cablevision fathers, Madison Square Garden employees are about to take a big hit.
McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm that specializes in down-sizing (grim-reaping), recently concluded a detailed study, over several months, of the Garden’s workforce. MSG employees who have been deemed expendable – no department is expected to be spared – are about to be sacked. The layoffs, according to sources, could be as high as 20 percent.
James Dolan, regardless of McKinsey’s findings, is expected to retain his position.
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HBO’s superb Jim McKay documentary, tonight at 10, was produced by Joe Lavine, a graduate of Major League Baseball Productions’ staff in the early-to-mid ’80s. That crew, responsible for, among many other things, “This Week In Baseball,” was loaded with young talent. To name but a few:
George Roy and Steve Stern, the boys behind Black Canyon Productions, ESPN producers Willie Weinbaum and Chris Martens, horseracing chronicler Stu Kirschenbaum, current MLB Productions exec Jeff Scott, Fox Sports senior producer Bill Brown and Jack O’Hara, the ABC Sports executive producer who was killed in 1996 aboard TWA Flight 800.
About 20 young men and women at MLB Productions, 15-20 years ago, comprised one of the great talent collections in video production history. Tonight on HBO, you can – and almost surely will – enjoy the work of one of them, Joe Lavine.
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Friday night, Knicks-Warriors on MSG. Latrell Sprewell scores with .02 left in the third quarter. Troy Murphy throws a long, one-bounce pass to Mike Dunleavy, who quickly lays it in. The basket is disallowed.
Walt Frazier says the basket should have counted. Marv Albert disagrees, stating that the “ball bounced” – an odd take because Albert must know that the clock doesn’t start in such a circumstance until the ball is touched, in-bounds.
MSG leaves for commercial with Frazier and Albert in unresolved dispute. When we’re returned, Albert cites the “Trent Tucker Rule” – the NBA’s determination that one can’t possess, then shoot the ball in .03 or less. And that’s that.
But Albert never corrected his pre-commercial mistake, nor did he acknowledge the legitimacy of Frazier’s argument, as .01 was clearly on the clock when the ball left Dunleavy’s hand.
The Knicks’ loss would be sealed on a similar play – a field goal off a long, post-basket inbounds pass by Murphy – in the game’s final seconds.
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While Saturday’s Mike Tyson/Tonya Harding farce received the weekend’s most boxing attention, Teddy Atlas and Bob Papa, on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” continued their noble crusade to rid the Nevada Athletic Commission of outrageous conflicts of interest.
Papa read from a letter, inspired by Atlas’s investigative reports, sent by Arizona Sen. John McCain to Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn asking for a review of commission appointees, including vice chair Tony Alamo, Jr., the son of the Mandalay Bay hotel/casino’s head of boxing.
The Nevada commission’s chair, Luther Mack, was recently revealed by Atlas to have been given heavily discounted luxury accommodations at Mandalay Bay.
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The Mets play three games at Shea vs. the Expos, June 30-July 2. The first two, as dictated by the Mets’ new pricing plan, have been designated “bronze” games (lowest priced tickets). The third, Wednesday, July 2, is a highest-priced “gold” game, meaning a loge box will cost $10 more per ticket than if it were a bronze game.
Why the difference? July 2 is “Fireworks Night.”
In other words, it makes no difference if you buy a ticket to July 2’s baseball game only to watch the baseball game. However, if you leave before the fireworks, the Mets will be happy to refund the difference. Fat chance.
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Peter Kostis, Friday on USA Network, captured Tiger Woods’ tee-to-green game in a single sentence: “He hits two-irons that take off like seven-irons and travel as far as if he’d hit driver.”
John Sterling, who frequently laments inappropriate behavior among fans, yesterday on WFAN teamed with Ch. 11’s Sal Marchiano, to form the “S and M Show,” replete with the sound of a cracking whip. A Sunday afternoon sports show. Pathetic.