espn defined a generation florida brings risks, rewardsalt.coxnewsweb.com/palmbeachpost/pages/16.30m...

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Unique Sensations Unique Sensations 2154 Zip Code Place, Unit 4 on NE Corner of Okeechobee Blvd. & Military Trail (Behind Pier One) 694614X 478-2223 Call for info. SUMMER SUMMER SPECIAL SPECIAL $ $ 40 40 All Girl Staff All Girl Staff Finest Models In Town! Finest Models In Town! Wild Beauties of Florida Call for Appointment (561) 596-0237 Caribbean and Latin Girls $40 1/2 Hr Specials $50 1 Hr 745316X 312 South Congress • WPB • 561-471-9530 312 South Congress • WPB • 561-471-9530 Tues. 6:30, 10:30, 12:30 Wed. 6:30, 10:30, 12:30 Thurs. 1:30, 6:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 Fri. 1:30, 6:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 Sat. 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 SHOWTIMES: SHOWTIMES: 760438X Miss Nude 2004 Miss Nude 2004 Full Liquor Full Liquor Open Daily 11am-5am Open Daily 11am-5am CARRIE BARE 4458 Purdy Ln./Military Tr., (Behind The New Four Points Liquors) $ 5 00 OPEN BAR 966-9415 In the Biz All Nite • Free Admission • 1st Drink Free • 2 4 1 Well & Domestic w/Work ID Dr. Rob presents .... 11:30 til 1:00pm • Well & Domestic Free Lunch ’til 1:30 Mon.-Sat. 694604X Jamie’s Jamie’s II All Female Staff 649-0575 687-4105 Private Sessions 1401 S. Military Trail Suite #C 2 blocks N. of Forest Hill Blvd. In the Scuba Shop & Value Pawn Plaza 692699X Open ’til 4AM BREANNE’S 967-0110 7 Days All Female Staff • 13 girls every day * no appointment needed * 6673-B Lake Worth Rd. 1½ miles E. of Tnpk. 693900X Private Sessions • Call For Details Let Your Imagination Run Wild! ONE ON ONE PRIVATE SESSIONS DISCREET LOCATION PRIVATE PARKING TO BOOK A PRIVATE SESSION WITH ONE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL MODELS, PLEASE CALL OUR PRIVATE LINE @ 561.433.8351 1233 Military Trail Suite F 694616X Grand Opening Willie Howard If you’re digging out from Hurricane Frances, or waiting to return home, take a few moments to remember why we live in a state sur- rounded by water that is vul- nerable to the sometimes wicked whims of nature. In times of trouble, we must re- member the beauty around us, lest we be dragged down by the burdens brought by the likes of Frances. Picture sea turtles cruis- ing gracefully over a reef as purple sea fans move in the current. Think of spiny lob- ster waving their antennae in a rocky reef, or of a snook that blows your top-water plug out of the water, then bends your rod and pulls against your shoulders when it strikes again and takes off. Remember the mullet showers of the fall run, the kingfish that leap into the air when they feed, the squeal- ing of a reel being punished by a hooked wahoo, the rus- tling of wild boars moving through wet palmettos, the wild sound of a gobbler an- swering your turkey call at first light. Focus on the smiles that appear on children’s faces when they catch that first lit- tle bluegill, paddle a kayak by themselves or discover a zebra longwing butterfly flut- tering overhead. Don’t forget the first time you heard the staccato call of a sandhill crane, the hoot-hoooooing of a barred owl at dusk or the deep splashing sound of a bass feeding on the surface of Lake Okeechobee. Where else in the United States can you drive to the beach on a Saturday and snorkel in crystal-clear, Gulf Stream water or scuba dive over reefs as pretty and teeming with fish as those of the Florida Keys? You probably won’t have time to enjoy the outdoors this Labor Day weekend, un- less you’re heading out to surf the post-storm waves. Like me, you’ll be cleaning your house or helping friends and family after the hurricane. But it will only be a mat- ter of days before we lovers of the outdoors will be back out in the woods or on the water, enjoying the natural beauty that this heavily popu- lated, yet still wild, state has to offer. As for Hurricane Frances, maybe the mayhem will help slow the mass mi- gration of people into our state, at least for a few months. It will remind all those would-be Floridians that living here has its risks as well as its rewards. Duck hunt meeting: Unless the meeting is postponed be- cause of Hurricane Frances, the South Florida Water Management District’s gov- erning board is expected to vote Wednesday on increas- ing duck-hunter access to stormwater treatment areas built to cleanse water flowing into the Everglades. A proposal calls for open- ing STA1-west, near 20-Mile Bend in Palm Beach County, to duck hunting. It would be open for both dawn and dusk hunts. STA-5 in eastern Hendry County, one of the best duck-hunting spots in the region last season, would be open for both dawn and dusk hunts if the governing board approves the plan. The Florida Fish & Wild- life Conservation Commis- sion has proposed a quota- hunt application system for deciding which duck hunters are chosen to hunt these popular stormwater treat- ment areas. Hunters or others who want to comment on duck hunting in the STAs but can- not attend Wednesday’s gov- erning board meeting can send e-mail to: [email protected]. Angler expansion: The In- ternational Game Fish Asso- ciation has expanded its freshwater records program to include state records for junior anglers as part of an overall expansion of the IG- FA’s junior angler records program. In Florida, junior anglers will be able to set IGFA- certified state records for largemouth bass, speckled perch (black crappie), blue- gill, flathead catfish and hy- brid whiterock bass. The IGFA also is expand- ing its freshwater line-class records program to include fly-fishing categories. The IGFA will accept applications in 4-pound, 12-pound and 20- pound tippet categories. For details, go online to www.igfa.org or call (954) 927-2628. A [email protected] OUTDOORS Florida brings risks, rewards Baseball __________________________ AUG. 29 ______________________________________ NABA Palm Beach playoffs Results 18AAA Quarterfinals (at Santaluces): Orioles 8, Indians 2 (completion of game suspended Aug. 22); Los Tigres 7, Boynton Red Sox 2 (completion of game suspended Aug. 22). 18AA Semifinals (at Santaluces): At Santa- luces, Pacino’s Twins 8, Orioles 0; Bru’s Room Rockets 4 Los Tigres 2. 18AA Championship (at Lantana Sports Complex): Sharpie Cardinals 13, Dobson Roofing Hurricanes 10. The Cardinals rallied from a 7-0 deficit after three innings to win. Edwin Perez and Luis Laboy each had two doubles and a single and two RBI. Winning pitcher Vinny Casella went seven innings in relief and was named MVP. Schedule 18AAA Championship: Pacino’s Twins at Bru’s Room Rockets, 7 p.m. Thursday, Lantana Sports Complex. Golf __________________________ AUG. 27 ______________________________________ Fore County WGA, The Links at Pointe West. Gross: Wells 80, Deyhim 83. Net: Columbaro 68, Vatland 71. ______________________________________ AUG. 29 ______________________________________ Eastpointe CC, couples team scramble. Flight 1: Gross, White-Lassman 72. Net: Sriberg-Heckler 52.6, Clark-Slater 58. Closest to pin: No. 4, Lam- berson (men), Calibeo (women); No. 8, Lassman (men), Heckler (women); No, 14, Goodman (men), White (women); No. 16, Sriberg (men), Kaufman (women). ______________________________________ AUG. 30 ______________________________________ BallenIsles CC, Senior Golf Association, 1-2-3 best ball. Allen, Houghton, Meltzer, Davis, 125; Schneiderman, Goldman, Falk, Sarfaty 131; Kurucz, Maurer, Lucas. ______________________________________ AUG. 31 ______________________________________ Martin County GCC, LGA, one best ball of foursome: Durnin, Mairs, Reardon, Shelton 55; Thomson, Burridge, Decker, Shelton 56. Eastpointe CC, team scramble: O’Brien, Karlin, Penn, Mandell 52.8; Winters, Rubin, Boyd 56; Hurlbut, Kaufman, Jacobson 56. Eastpointe CC, team scramble, net only: Fasano, Stebla, Green 50.3; Kert, Regine, Judelson 52. Hunters Run, WTD-18 tournament, Flight AB: Kemp, Atkins, Elsner, Kessler 91; Gropper, Hartz, Schnitzer, White 95 mc. Closest to the pin: Katznelson, Propper. Flight CD: Krasnoff, Hempling, Moskow, Janowitz 65; Pedell, Martin, Nusbaum, Margolin 70 mc. Aberdeen GCC, LGA, Flight 1: Weiner, Sachs, Schaller. 2: Zdatny, Hyams, Jay, Gould; Strelzer, Ziegler, Feller, Gursky. Golf and Racquet CC, men’s day Stableford format. Clenott, Hyman, Marmorck, Firestone 133; Dolan, Barr, Ziman, Gold 133. Golf and Racquet CC, 18 ladies, Stableford format. Badr, Aaron, Malden, Roth, 148. Golf and Racquet CC, 9 ladies, scramble. Tarr, Taybert, Kaplan, Malins 19.2. ______________________________________ SEPT. 1 ______________________________________ Hunters Run, M.T.D.-18, shamble: Flight A-B- C-D: 1st: Shaw, Kleinman, Kane, Korsen 57; 2nd: Daniel, Krane, Goldstein, Certner 60; 3rd: D’Allegro, Nemeroff, Shalom, Spiesman 61; closest to the pin: Flight C&D: Hole 8: Stein. Hole-in-one ___________________________ AUG. 29 ______________________________________ Ivan Ladizinsky, Lakeview Golf Club, Hole 11, 103 yards. Table Tennis ___________________________ SEPT. 1 ______________________________________ Howard Park Community Center, round robin. Class B: Smith 15 games, Dios 13, Grynstyz 12, Brooks 9. Bowling ___________________________ MEN ______________________________________ Game Stuart Lanes — Goethel 298, Manning 289, L. Ardizzone 279, T. Burton 267. Verdes Tropicana — Horowitz 298, Boykin 279, Bennett 279, Moore 278. Series Stuart Lanes — Manning 793, L. Ardizzone 763, Bard 730, T. Burton 704. Verdes Tropicana — Horowitz 744, Boykin 743, Moore 739, Robinson 732, Bradford 731, McDowell 714. ______________________________________ WOMEN ______________________________________ Game Stuart Lanes — K. Franklin 231, Kunsman 215. Verdes Tropicana — Haser 252, Mercer 248, Smimu 236, Costa 233. Series Stuart Lanes — K. Franklin 610. Verdes Tropicana — Mercer 729, Costa 651, Smimu 631, Enberg 619, Haser, 613. ______________________________________ JUNIORS (BOYS) ______________________________________ Game Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 245, Pientka 204. Series Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 640, Pientka 570. ______________________________________ JUNIORS (GIRLS) ______________________________________ Game Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 185. Series Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 500. ______________________________________ SENIORS (MEN) ______________________________________ Game Verdes Tropicana — Rodgers 232, Fischer 222. Area results are taken at (561) 820-4440 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fax results anytime to (561) 820-4481. Events should be no more than 10 days old at the time of publication. Dates for all events must be included in your sub- mission. Please limit places for the top three fin- ishers, except in the event of ties. AREA RESULTS Baseball NABA Palm Beach fall league tryouts, draft, 10 a.m. Sept. 26, Seminole Palms Park, Royal Palm Beach. League starts Oct. 24. (561) 753-0068. High school umpires needed for Santaluces winter baseball. (561) 758-9299. Lantana Lightning 9U travel seeks players. Tryouts next two weeks. (561) 523-2028. Royal Palm Beach 13U travel team seeks players. Tryouts next two weeks. (561) 383-7504. Jupiter Hammerheads 13U travel team seeks players born after July 31, 1991. (561) 743-5232. Tryouts Tuesdays, Thursdays, 5:30 p.m., Bert Winters baseball field, Juno Beach. Ages 9-11. North County Little League sign-ups, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Juno Beach Park. (561) 719-0996. West Boynton Bandits 12U travel team seeks players. Must be 12 between Aug. 1, 2004 and July 31, 2005. (561) 641-7726; (561) 641- 3178. West Boynton Gators 11U travel team seeks players. (561) 432-5525. West Palm Diamond Dawgs 9U travel team seeks players. Must by 9 by July 31, 2005. (561) 369-8435. Jupiter Diamondbacks 10U travel team seeks players 10U as of July 31, 2005. (561) 741-7999. Basketball Lake Worth adult league taking fall league registration. (561) 540- 5133. Royal Palm Beach men’s league taking registrations. (561) 790-5124. North Palm Beach men’s over 35 league starts Sept. 20. Registration open. (561) 841-3389. West Boynton youth instruc- tional league 10:30 a.m., Saturdays starting this week, West Boynton Park. (561) 355-1125. Endurance Phantom 4 Miler/Kids Trick or Trot Mile, 8 a.m. Oct. 23, Dyer Park, West Palm Beach. (561) 838-9424. Football Punt, pass, kick competition, 1 p.m. Sept. 19, Halpatiokee Park, Stu- art. (772) 221-1419. Ages 8-15. High school officials training, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Royal Palm Beach High School. (561) 577-2660 or www.ecfoa.com. Golf Palm Beach Lakes HS tournament, 8 a.m. Oct. 2, Village GC, Royal Palm Beach. (561) 951-7729. John. I. Leonard HS baseball team tournament, 1 p.m. Oct. 23, Palm Beach National GCC, Lake Worth. (561) 478-3272. Firefighters for Children Against Terrorism 2004 Never For- gotten Sports Classic, 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, Palm-Aire CC, Pompano. Four-person scramble. (954) 491- 0237; www.touchedbyfireang- els.com. Mental Health Association tournament, 12:30 p.m. Oct. 23, Loblolly Pines GC, Hobe Sound. (561) 832-3755. Concerned Citizens of East Stuart-Martin County benefit tournament, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 24 at Eagle Marsh GC, Jensen Beach. Enter by Sept. 17. (772) 287-6371 or (772) 286-7861. Executive Womens Golf Associ- ation of Palm Beach County member-guest day, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 18, President CC, West Palm Beach. (561) 818-4363. Four-person scramble, 7 a.m. Sept. 12, Abacoa GC, Jupiter. (561) 741-2252. Hispanic Chamber-LatinFest tournament, Sept. 17, Atlantis CC. (561) 642-6888; vrautbord@- aol.com. Bellsouth Pioneers Tournament, 8 a.m. Sept. 26, Atlantis CC. (561) 988-6522. Golf Links of Florida, 12:30 p.m. Sept. 12, BallenIsles CC, Palm Beach Gardens. (561) 625-8780 or [email protected]. Rooney’s Public House Charity Tournament, 1 p.m. Oct. 28, Abacoa GC, Jupiter, and PGA National GC, Palm Beach Gardens. (561) 683-2222; (561) 624-7862. American Legion Palm Beach Post 12 Baseball and Scholarship Charity Tournament, Sept. 26, PGA National GC, Palm Beach Gardens. (561) 655-1343; (561) 842-4575. Palm Beach United FC tournament, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sher- brooke GCC, Lake Worth. (561) 722- 8681. Tim Mara Memorial Restaura- teur’s Classic, Sept. 27, Abacoa GC, Jupiter. Raises money for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. (561) 719-0311; (561) 630-9669. St. Lucie Chamber of Com- merce league, first, second, fourth Wednesdays, PGA Village GC, Port St. Lucie. Register at 5 p.m. for 5:30 p.m. shotgun start. (772) 595-9999. Hockey Palm Beach Hockey Organiza- tion Scholastic League registration Monday through Sept. 17. (561) 642-7782; www.pbho.com. Thunderskate youth league registration through Tuesday. (772) 343-9067; [email protected]. Racquetball Port St. Lucie outdoor tournament, Sept. 25-26, Sandhill Crane Park. (772) 344-4017; (772) 344-4142. Soccer Lantana youth program is now accepting registration. Games begin Sept. 22. Boys and girls ages 4-15. (561) 969-2420. Lake Worth youth program tak- ing registration. Ages 5-13. Play starts Oct. 2. (561) 540-5133. Palm Beach Gardens women’s league starts Sept. 19, Klock Complex. Women’s open plays Sundays, over-30 Mondays. (561) 630-1123. Softball Lake Worth girls fastpitch registration, 1-4 p..m., Saturdays, Sundays through Sept. 19, Northwest 22nd and A streets. (561) 585-1044; www.lakeworthsoftball.org. Lake Lytal League girls fast- pitch registration, 6-7:30 p.m., Mondays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat- urdays. (561) 684-0748. Swimming Lake Lytal Lightning tryouts 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Lake Lytal Pool, West Palm Beach. Ages 6-18. Owl Water Polo Club practices 5-8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Lake Worth Casino Pool. (561) 436-6314; (561) 254-2117. Tennis Jupiter Ocean & Racquet Club junior academy registration starts. www.jupitertennis.com; (561) 747- 1500. Altennis League taking Martin and St. Lucie registration online through Monday: www.altennis.com. Martin County youth rallyball starts Thursday at Halpatiokee Park, Stuart, and Palm City Park. (772) 221-1419. North County Tennis Associa- tion tournament men’s, women’s sin- gles, men’s women’s mixed doubles, Sept. 18-19, Jonathan’s Landing GC, Jupiter. (561) 747-7600; (561) 745- 1373. Volunteers needed for Interna- tional Tennis Championships, Sept. 13-19. (561) 330-6000. Volleyball Dreher Park Invitational Recre- ational Beach Tournament, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, outdoor courts. West Palm Beach. Open four-on-four coed.(561) 835-7025 or e-mail [email protected]. Royal Palm Beach adult coed, four-on -four, sand volleyball now is accepting registration. Games begin in late September. (561) 790-5124. Send items by fax, (561) 820-4481, or mail to: For Participants, The Palm Beach Post, Sports Department, P.O. Box 24700, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33416-4700. FOR PARTICIPANTS > ESPN from 1C helluva ride. It’s as much fun as when it began.” At the beginning, the en- deavor was an experiment in ignoring the impossible. Berman recalled that one di- rective was that if something was attempted and it turned out to be a flop, the typical and innocent response was that “we won’t try that again.” But the embryonic days weren’t filled with highlight packages from every game in every sport. Hardly. In fact, Berman wrote in the fore- word to Charles Hirshberg’s book on the network (ESPN25) that except for events in New York, Boston and perhaps Philadelphia, telecast depended to large extent on the airport in Hartford. Berman wrote: “If the planes are landing at Bradley International, we’ll have yes- terday’s news tonight.” From the absurd to the word There was a time when the standard fare of an ESPN telecast was Australian rules football or a softball game or — this is fact — darts. Ley said there were times when “we felt like curators of the absurd.” That changed soon enough, and late-night SportsCenter, which in Ber- man’s opinion remains “the glue” of the network even with its live-event packages, became must-see viewing for sports fans. And as it changed, so did the face of local sports telecasts. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” said WPEC-12 sports anchor Pat Murphy. “It made everyone more aware of the need to tailor your telecast more strictly to your audience. What’s going on in our area always has been the most important information to provide our viewers, and ESPN underlined that. “At the same time, I think the expanded shows that have become a part of week- end wrap-up telecasts locally are a result of the impact ESPN has had. It made our job better, because it brought sports to the fore- front. It made us more visi- ble.” Suzy Kolber, who worked at WPEC in the early 1990s before going to ESPN2 when it launched in 1993, points to the time frame as being “when the landscape changed severely” for local sports. “Can you imagine going from three minutes to three hours to fill?” said Kolber, who remains at ESPN and does extensive NFL work for the network. “The time just kept shrinking for local sports on telecasts. And if there was a huge sports sto- ry, news took it and led with it. “If you want national sports, it’s ESPN.” Berman calls Sports- Center “the show of record for sports. . . . We’re proud of what it is.” And though there has been criticism that the SportsCenter anchors too of- ten insinuate themselves in- to the news as something of a let’s-see-you-top-this come- dy routine, Ley’s nightly Outside the Lines show is fre- quently investigative and se- rious. “What we have built,” Ley said, “I’ll stack it with anybody when it comes to sports journalism. You’re going to take chances. You have to entertain. But the baseline is credibility.” Another question re- garding ESPN’s growth has to do with the risk of over- saturation, but both Berman and Ley dismiss the charge. “When we started ES- PN2, I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Haven’t we reached the ceiling, or close to it?’ I’m amazed that the answer is no, and it’s a resounding no.” Ley calls it an “insatiable” marketplace, and he’s backed up by against-the- trend numbers of ratings growth. Kolber said people “work around the clock” at ESPN to satisfy the increasing de- mands of entertainment. “If the sales people had their way, every SportsCenter would be 90 minutes,” said Kolber. “There’s a lot of product.” There’s a lot of ESPN — the place, that is — too. The location is lovingly referred to as a campus. And why not, with more than two dozen satellite dishes, nine control rooms, more than 30 editing bays and a new digital cen- ter? It’s a long way, Berman said, from the night a skunk wandered in from the woods and onto a set where he “did not appreciate the program- ming, and let fly.” A constant presence A generation has passed, now, and the fathers in Iowa who were feeding their in- fant sons and daughters are now parents of grown chil- dren. Those children, if they’re sports fans, don’t know life without ESPN; if those children aren’t sports fans, they almost certainly know what ESPN is. ESPN has come to epito- mize 24/7 in terms of sport. It has nurtured itself and its fans through 25 years during which the typical viewer has gone from watching a three- or four-channel television without a remote to a cable smorgasbord complete with the capability to stop action and self-edit. It is a cash cow for Dis- ney, which bought ABC more than a decade ago in large part to secure ESPN as part of the family. In 2003, the combined network reve- nues for the ESPN networks, according to published re- ports, were in the range of $3.7 billion with a $1.4 billion profit. “The stakes,” Ley re- cently told Esquire, “have never been higher.” It’s all very difficult for Lou Palmer to comprehend even though he believed in the possibilities from before the very start. Palmer, who has lived in Wellington since leaving ESPN in the mid- 1980s, considers himself its first hire. He was working in Hartford when Bill Rasmus- sen, who had been fired as director of communications for the Hartford Whalers of the World Hockey Associa- tion, called him with an idea to broadcast University of Connecticut basketball games through the state’s cable system. “All we wanted was a little state interconnect,” Palmer said. Suddenly, though, the idea was much more than little. “He said, ‘We’ve got an investor. Getty Oil,’ “ Palmer recalled. “I said ‘What do you mean, Getty Oil?’ “ Rasmussen meant Getty Oil was buying 85 percent of his plan for $10 million, and ESPN was going to be a lot more than UConn hoops. “I remember going to spring training the next year and seeing Gary Carter with the Montreal Expos,” Palmer said. “He said, ‘I love your network.’ I asked him how he saw it. He said the condo where he was staying was getting it. That’s when I thought it had a chance. I have nothing but admiration for what they’ve done.” If he’s not grounded by Hurricane Frances, Palmer hopes to attend a Tuesday reunion at the ESPN Zone in Times Square as part of the silver anniversary shindig where he’ll undoubtedly bump into ESPN president George Bodenheimer. Growth? Bodenheimer once worked in the ESPN mail room where one of his duties was to pick up a college bas- ketball analyst at the airport and drive him to Bristol for meetings. The man had been fired in November 1979 just a dozen games and a 4-8 record into his second sea- son (after a 30-52 debut) as coach of the Detroit Pistons when ESPN asked him to work a DePaul-Wisconsin broadcast. Guy by the name of Dick Vitale. No father in the middle of an Iowa night a quarter cen- tury ago could have known what would happen. A [email protected] ESPN defined a generation ESPN notable events June 26, 1978: ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen holds a news conference at Cooke’s Tavern (now J. Timothy’s) in Plainville, Conn., to announce plans for a sports television network serving Connecticut. On Aug. 16, while stuck in traffic on Route 84, Rasmussen and his son, Scott, first discuss a 24-hour service. Sept. 7, 1979: ESPN is launched at 7 p.m., beginning with SportsCenter hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande. March/April 1980: For the first time, ESPN’s programming is in the national spotlight, with the first coverage of the NCAA Tournament and the NFL Draft. Jan. 30, 1982: ESPN and the NBA announce first agreement, a two-year contract. March 15, 1987: The NFL grants ESPN its first cable television agreement, featuring four exhibition games, nine regular-season telecasts and the Pro Bowl. Jan. 5, 1989: ESPN and Major League Baseball agree to a four-year agreement for an extensive schedule of games plus Baseball Tonight beginning in 1990. Oct. 1, 1993: ESPN2 launches in 10 million households. April 1, 1995: ESPNET SportsZone (now ESPN.com) is launched. June 24 – July 1, 1995: The X Games debut in Rhode Island. The emphasis on owned events continues with the creation of the Winter X Games (1997) and the Great Outdoor Games (2000). Nov. 1, 1996: ESPNEWS launches. Oct. 8, 1997: ESPN acquires Classic Sports Network (now ESPN Classic). Jan. 22, 2002: The NBA returns to ESPN with a six-year deal. May 19, 2004: ESPN and the NHL renew their agreement for three seasons. The network has televised the league since 1992. ESPN also televised league action from 1985-88 and had agreements with individual teams from its launch in 1979-82. ESPN file photo ESPN grew from a single building to an empire including three channels, a high-definition option and magazine. 14C THE PALM BEACH POST SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2004

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Unique SensationsUnique Sensations

2154 Zip Code Place, Unit 4 on NE Corner of Okeechobee Blvd. & Military Trail

(Behind Pier One)6946

14X 478-2223 Call for info.

SUMMERSUMMERSPECIALSPECIAL

$$4040

All Girl StaffAll Girl StaffFinest Models In Town!Finest Models In Town!

Wild Beautiesof Florida

Call for Appointment(561) 596-0237

Caribbean and Latin Girls

$40 1/2 Hr • Specials $50 1 Hr

7453

16X

312 South Congress • WPB • 561-471-9530312 South Congress • WPB • 561-471-9530

Tues. 6:30, 10:30, 12:30 Wed. 6:30, 10:30, 12:30 Thurs. 1:30, 6:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 Fri. 1:30, 6:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 Sat. 10:30, 12:30, 2:30

SHOWTIMES:SHOWTIMES:

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Grand

Opening

Willie Howard

If you’re digging outfrom Hurricane Frances, orwaiting to return home, takea few moments to rememberwhy we live in a state sur-rounded by water that is vul-nerable to the sometimeswicked whims of nature. Intimes of trouble, we must re-member the beauty aroundus, lest we be dragged downby the burdens brought bythe likes of Frances.

Picture sea turtles cruis-ing gracefully over a reef aspurple sea fans move in thecurrent. Think of spiny lob-ster waving their antennae ina rocky reef, or of a snookthat blows your top-waterplug out of the water, thenbends your rod and pullsagainst your shoulders whenit strikes again and takes off.

Remember the mulletshowers of the fall run, thekingfish that leap into the airwhen they feed, the squeal-ing of a reel being punishedby a hooked wahoo, the rus-tling of wild boars movingthrough wet palmettos, thewild sound of a gobbler an-swering your turkey call atfirst light.

Focus on the smiles thatappear on children’s faceswhen they catch that first lit-tle bluegill, paddle a kayakby themselves or discover azebra longwing butterfly flut-tering overhead. Don’t forgetthe first time you heard thestaccato call of a sandhillcrane, the hoot-hoooooing ofa barred owl at dusk or thedeep splashing sound of abass feeding on the surfaceof Lake Okeechobee.

Where else in the UnitedStates can you drive to thebeach on a Saturday and

snorkel in crystal-clear, GulfStream water or scuba diveover reefs as pretty andteeming with fish as those ofthe Florida Keys?

You probably won’t havetime to enjoy the outdoorsthis Labor Day weekend, un-less you’re heading out tosurf the post-storm waves.Like me, you’ll be cleaningyour house or helpingfriends and family after thehurricane.

But it will only be a mat-ter of days before we loversof the outdoors will be backout in the woods or on thewater, enjoying the naturalbeauty that this heavily popu-lated, yet still wild, state hasto offer. As for HurricaneFrances, maybe the mayhemwill help slow the mass mi-gration of people into ourstate, at least for a fewmonths. It will remind allthose would-be Floridiansthat living here has its risksas well as its rewards.

Duck hunt meeting: Unlessthe meeting is postponed be-cause of Hurricane Frances,the South Florida WaterManagement District’s gov-erning board is expected tovote Wednesday on increas-ing duck-hunter access tostormwater treatment areasbuilt to cleanse water flowinginto the Everglades.

A proposal calls for open-ing STA1-west, near 20-MileBend in Palm Beach County,

to duck hunting. It would beopen for both dawn and duskhunts. STA-5 in easternHendry County, one of thebest duck-hunting spots inthe region last season, wouldbe open for both dawn anddusk hunts if the governingboard approves the plan.

The Florida Fish & Wild-life Conservation Commis-sion has proposed a quota-hunt application system fordeciding which duck huntersare chosen to hunt thesepopular stormwater treat-ment areas.

Hunters or others whowant to comment on duckhunting in the STAs but can-not attend Wednesday’s gov-erning board meeting cansend e-mail to:[email protected].

Angler expansion: The In-ternational Game Fish Asso-ciation has expanded itsfreshwater records programto include state records forjunior anglers as part of anoverall expansion of the IG-FA’s junior angler recordsprogram.

In Florida, junior anglerswill be able to set IGFA-certified state records forlargemouth bass, speckledperch (black crappie), blue-gill, flathead catfish and hy-brid whiterock bass.

The IGFA also is expand-ing its freshwater line-classrecords program to includefly-fishing categories. TheIGFA will accept applicationsin 4-pound, 12-pound and 20-pound tippet categories. Fordetails, go online towww.igfa.org or call (954)927-2628.A [email protected]

OUTDOORS

Florida brings risks, rewards

Baseball __________________________AUG. 29 ______________________________________NABA Palm Beach playoffsResults

18AAA Quarterfinals (at Santaluces): Orioles 8,Indians 2 (completion of game suspended Aug. 22);Los Tigres 7, Boynton Red Sox 2 (completion ofgame suspended Aug. 22).

18AA Semifinals (at Santaluces): At Santa-luces, Pacino’s Twins 8, Orioles 0; Bru’s RoomRockets 4 Los Tigres 2.

18AA Championship (at Lantana SportsComplex): Sharpie Cardinals 13, Dobson RoofingHurricanes 10. The Cardinals rallied from a 7-0deficit after three innings to win. Edwin Perez andLuis Laboy each had two doubles and a single andtwo RBI. Winning pitcher Vinny Casella went seveninnings in relief and was named MVP.Schedule

18AAA Championship: Pacino’s Twins at Bru’sRoom Rockets, 7 p.m. Thursday, Lantana SportsComplex.

Golf __________________________AUG. 27 ______________________________________

Fore County WGA, The Links at Pointe West.Gross: Wells 80, Deyhim 83. Net: Columbaro 68,Vatland 71. ______________________________________AUG. 29 ______________________________________

Eastpointe CC, couples team scramble. Flight1: Gross, White-Lassman 72. Net: Sriberg-Heckler52.6, Clark-Slater 58. Closest to pin: No. 4, Lam-berson (men), Calibeo (women); No. 8, Lassman(men), Heckler (women); No, 14, Goodman (men),White (women); No. 16, Sriberg (men), Kaufman(women). ______________________________________AUG. 30 ______________________________________

BallenIsles CC, Senior Golf Association, 1-2-3best ball. Allen, Houghton, Meltzer, Davis, 125;Schneiderman, Goldman, Falk, Sarfaty 131; Kurucz,Maurer, Lucas. ______________________________________AUG. 31 ______________________________________

Martin County GCC, LGA, one best ball offoursome: Durnin, Mairs, Reardon, Shelton 55;

Thomson, Burridge, Decker, Shelton 56.Eastpointe CC, team scramble: O’Brien, Karlin,

Penn, Mandell 52.8; Winters, Rubin, Boyd 56;Hurlbut, Kaufman, Jacobson 56.

Eastpointe CC, team scramble, net only:Fasano, Stebla, Green 50.3; Kert, Regine, Judelson52.

Hunters Run, WTD-18 tournament, Flight AB:Kemp, Atkins, Elsner, Kessler 91; Gropper, Hartz,Schnitzer, White 95 mc. Closest to the pin:Katznelson, Propper. Flight CD: Krasnoff, Hempling,Moskow, Janowitz 65; Pedell, Martin, Nusbaum,Margolin 70 mc.

Aberdeen GCC, LGA, Flight 1: Weiner, Sachs,Schaller. 2: Zdatny, Hyams, Jay, Gould; Strelzer,Ziegler, Feller, Gursky.

Golf and Racquet CC, men’s day Stablefordformat. Clenott, Hyman, Marmorck, Firestone 133;Dolan, Barr, Ziman, Gold 133.

Golf and Racquet CC, 18 ladies, Stablefordformat. Badr, Aaron, Malden, Roth, 148.

Golf and Racquet CC, 9 ladies, scramble. Tarr,Taybert, Kaplan, Malins 19.2. ______________________________________SEPT. 1 ______________________________________

Hunters Run, M.T.D.-18, shamble: Flight A-B-C-D: 1st: Shaw, Kleinman, Kane, Korsen 57; 2nd:Daniel, Krane, Goldstein, Certner 60; 3rd: D’Allegro,Nemeroff, Shalom, Spiesman 61; closest to the pin:Flight C&D: Hole 8: Stein.

Hole-in-one ___________________________AUG. 29 ______________________________________

Ivan Ladizinsky, Lakeview Golf Club, Hole 11,103 yards.

Table Tennis ___________________________SEPT. 1 ______________________________________

Howard Park Community Center, round robin.Class B: Smith 15 games, Dios 13, Grynstyz 12,Brooks 9.

Bowling ___________________________MEN______________________________________Game

Stuart Lanes — Goethel 298, Manning 289, L.

Ardizzone 279, T. Burton 267.Verdes Tropicana — Horowitz 298, Boykin 279,

Bennett 279, Moore 278.Series

Stuart Lanes — Manning 793, L. Ardizzone 763,Bard 730, T. Burton 704.

Verdes Tropicana — Horowitz 744, Boykin 743,Moore 739, Robinson 732, Bradford 731, McDowell714. ______________________________________WOMEN ______________________________________Game

Stuart Lanes — K. Franklin 231, Kunsman 215.Verdes Tropicana — Haser 252, Mercer 248,

Smimu 236, Costa 233.Series

Stuart Lanes — K. Franklin 610.Verdes Tropicana — Mercer 729, Costa 651,

Smimu 631, Enberg 619, Haser, 613. ______________________________________JUNIORS (BOYS) ______________________________________Game

Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 245, Pientka204.Series

Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 640, Pientka570. ______________________________________JUNIORS (GIRLS) ______________________________________Game

Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 185.Series

Verdes Tropicana — Galganski 500. ______________________________________SENIORS (MEN) ______________________________________Game

Verdes Tropicana — Rodgers 232, Fischer 222.

Area results are taken at (561) 820-4440 Mondaythrough Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fax resultsanytime to (561) 820-4481. Events should be nomore than 10 days old at the time of publication.Dates for all events must be included in your sub-mission. Please limit places for the top three fin-ishers, except in the event of ties.

AREA RESULTS

Baseball■ NABA Palm Beach fall league

tryouts, draft, 10 a.m. Sept. 26,Seminole Palms Park, Royal PalmBeach. League starts Oct. 24. (561)753-0068.

■ High school umpires needed forSantaluces winter baseball. (561)758-9299.

■ Lantana Lightning 9U travelseeks players. Tryouts next two weeks.(561) 523-2028.

■ Royal Palm Beach 13U travelteam seeks players. Tryouts next twoweeks. (561) 383-7504.

■ Jupiter Hammerheads 13Utravel team seeks players born afterJuly 31, 1991. (561) 743-5232.

■ Tryouts Tuesdays, Thursdays,5:30 p.m., Bert Winters baseball field,Juno Beach. Ages 9-11.

■ North County Little Leaguesign-ups, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday,Juno Beach Park. (561) 719-0996.

■ West Boynton Bandits 12Utravel team seeks players. Must be 12between Aug. 1, 2004 and July 31,2005. (561) 641-7726; (561) 641-3178.

■ West Boynton Gators 11U travelteam seeks players. (561) 432-5525.

■ West Palm Diamond Dawgs 9Utravel team seeks players. Must by 9by July 31, 2005. (561) 369-8435.

■ Jupiter Diamondbacks 10Utravel team seeks players 10U as ofJuly 31, 2005. (561) 741-7999.

Basketball■ Lake Worth adult league taking

fall league registration. (561) 540-5133.

■ Royal Palm Beach men’s leaguetaking registrations. (561) 790-5124.

■ North Palm Beach men’s over35 league starts Sept. 20. Registrationopen. (561) 841-3389.

■ West Boynton youth instruc-tional league 10:30 a.m., Saturdaysstarting this week, West Boynton Park.(561) 355-1125.

Endurance■ Phantom 4 Miler/Kids Trick or

Trot Mile, 8 a.m. Oct. 23, Dyer Park,

West Palm Beach. (561) 838-9424.

Football■ Punt, pass, kick competition, 1

p.m. Sept. 19, Halpatiokee Park, Stu-art. (772) 221-1419. Ages 8-15.

■ High school officials training,7 p.m. Tuesdays, Royal Palm BeachHigh School. (561) 577-2660 orwww.ecfoa.com.

Golf■ Palm Beach Lakes HS

tournament, 8 a.m. Oct. 2, Village GC,Royal Palm Beach. (561) 951-7729.

■ John. I. Leonard HS baseballteam tournament, 1 p.m. Oct. 23,Palm Beach National GCC, Lake Worth.(561) 478-3272.

■ Firefighters for ChildrenAgainst Terrorism 2004 Never For-gotten Sports Classic, 7:30 a.m.,Tuesday, Palm-Aire CC, Pompano.Four-person scramble. (954) 491-0237; www.touchedbyf i reang-els.com.

■ Mental Health Associationtournament, 12:30 p.m. Oct. 23,Loblolly Pines GC, Hobe Sound. (561)832-3755.

■ Concerned Citizens of EastStuart-Martin County benefittournament, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 24 atEagle Marsh GC, Jensen Beach. Enterby Sept. 17. (772) 287-6371 or (772)286-7861.

■ Executive Womens Golf Associ-ation of Palm Beach Countymember-guest day, 8:30 a.m. Sept.18, President CC, West Palm Beach.(561) 818-4363.

■ Four-person scramble, 7 a.m.Sept. 12, Abacoa GC, Jupiter. (561)741-2252.

■ Hispanic Chamber-LatinFesttournament, Sept. 17, Atlantis CC.(561) 642-6888; [email protected].

■ B e l l s o u t h P i o n e e r sTournament, 8 a.m. Sept. 26, AtlantisCC. (561) 988-6522.

■ Golf Links of Florida, 12:30 p.m.Sept. 12, BallenIsles CC, Palm BeachGardens. (561) 625-8780 [email protected].

■ Rooney’s Public House CharityTournament, 1 p.m. Oct. 28, AbacoaGC, Jupiter, and PGA National GC, PalmBeach Gardens. (561) 683-2222;(561) 624-7862.

■ American Legion Palm BeachPost 12 Baseball and ScholarshipCharity Tournament, Sept. 26, PGANational GC, Palm Beach Gardens.(561) 655-1343; (561) 842-4575.

■ Palm Beach United FCtournament, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sher-brooke GCC, Lake Worth. (561) 722-8681.

■ Tim Mara Memorial Restaura-teur’s Classic, Sept. 27, Abacoa GC,Jupiter. Raises money for Boys & GirlsClubs of Palm Beach County. (561)719-0311; (561) 630-9669.

■ St. Lucie Chamber of Com-merce league, first, second, fourthWednesdays, PGA Village GC, Port St.Lucie. Register at 5 p.m. for 5:30 p.m.shotgun start. (772) 595-9999.

Hockey■ Palm Beach Hockey Organiza-

tion Scholastic League registrationMonday through Sept. 17. (561)642-7782; www.pbho.com.

■ Thunderskate youth leagueregistration through Tuesday. (772)343-9067; [email protected].

Racquetball■ Port St. Lucie outdoor

tournament, Sept. 25-26, SandhillCrane Park. (772) 344-4017; (772)344-4142.

Soccer■ Lantana youth program is now

accepting registration. Games beginSept. 22. Boys and girls ages 4-15.(561) 969-2420.

■ Lake Worth youth program tak-ing registration. Ages 5-13. Play startsOct. 2. (561) 540-5133.

■ Palm Beach Gardens women’sleague starts Sept. 19, Klock Complex.Women’s open plays Sundays, over-30Mondays. (561) 630-1123.

Softball■ Lake Worth girls fastpitch

registration, 1-4 p..m., Saturdays,Sundays through Sept. 19, Northwest22nd and A streets. (561) 585-1044;www.lakeworthsoftball.org.

■ Lake Lytal League girls fast-pitch registration, 6-7:30 p.m.,Mondays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat-urdays. (561) 684-0748.

Swimming■ Lake Lytal Lightning tryouts 5

p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Lake LytalPool, West Palm Beach. Ages 6-18.

■ Owl Water Polo Club practices5-8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Lake WorthCasino Pool. (561) 436-6314; (561)254-2117.

Tennis■ Jupiter Ocean & Racquet Club

junior academy registration starts.www.jupitertennis.com; (561) 747-1500.

■ Altennis League taking Martinand St. Lucie registration onlinethrough Monday: www.altennis.com.

■ Martin County youth rallyballstarts Thursday at Halpatiokee Park,Stuart, and Palm City Park. (772)221-1419.

■ North County Tennis Associa-tion tournament men’s, women’s sin-gles, men’s women’s mixed doubles,Sept. 18-19, Jonathan’s Landing GC,Jupiter. (561) 747-7600; (561) 745-1373.

■ Volunteers needed for Interna-tional Tennis Championships, Sept.13-19. (561) 330-6000.

Volleyball■ Dreher Park Invitational Recre-

ational Beach Tournament, 9 a.m.-2p.m., Saturday, outdoor courts. WestPalm Beach. Open four-on-fourcoed.(561) 835-7025 or [email protected].

■ Royal Palm Beach adult coed,four-on -four, sand volleyball now isaccepting registration. Games begin inlate September. (561) 790-5124.

Send items by fax, (561) 820-4481, or mailto: For Participants, The Palm Beach Post,Sports Department, P.O. Box 24700, WestPalm Beach, Fla. 33416-4700.

FOR PARTICIPANTS

> ESPN from 1C

helluva ride. It’s as much funas when it began.”

At the beginning, the en-deavor was an experiment inignoring the impossible.Berman recalled that one di-rective was that if somethingwas attempted and it turnedout to be a flop, the typicaland innocent response wasthat “we won’t try that again.”

But the embryonic daysweren’t filled with highlightpackages from every game inevery sport. Hardly. In fact,Berman wrote in the fore-word to Charles Hirshberg’sbook on the network(ESPN25) that except forevents in New York, Bostonand perhaps Philadelphia,telecast depended to largeextent on the airport inHartford.

Berman wrote: “If theplanes are landing at BradleyInternational, we’ll have yes-terday’s news tonight.”

From the absurd to the wordThere was a time when

the standard fare of an ESPNtelecast was Australian rulesfootball or a softball game or— this is fact — darts. Leysaid there were times when“we felt like curators of theabsurd.”

That changed soonenough, and late-nightSportsCenter, which in Ber-man’s opinion remains “theglue” of the network evenwith its live-event packages,became must-see viewing forsports fans. And as itchanged, so did the face oflocal sports telecasts.

“I don’t think there’s anydoubt about that,” saidWPEC-12 sports anchor PatMurphy. “It made everyonemore aware of the need totailor your telecast morestrictly to your audience.What’s going on in our areaalways has been the mostimportant information toprovide our viewers, andESPN underlined that.

“At the same time, I thinkthe expanded shows thathave become a part of week-end wrap-up telecasts locallyare a result of the impactESPN has had. It made ourjob better, because itbrought sports to the fore-front. It made us more visi-ble.”

Suzy Kolber , whoworked at WPEC in the early1990s before going to ESPN2when it launched in 1993,points to the time frame asbeing “when the landscapechanged severely” for localsports.

“Can you imagine goingfrom three minutes to threehours to fill?” said Kolber,who remains at ESPN anddoes extensive NFL work forthe network. “The time justkept shrinking for localsports on telecasts. And ifthere was a huge sports sto-ry, news took it and led withit.

“If you want nationalsports, it’s ESPN.”

Berman calls Sports-Center “the show of recordfor sports. . . . We’re proud ofwhat it is.”

And though there hasbeen criticism that theSportsCenter anchors too of-ten insinuate themselves in-to the news as something ofa let’s-see-you-top-this come-dy routine, Ley’s nightlyOutside the Lines show is fre-quently investigative and se-rious.

“What we have built,”Ley said, “I’ll stack it withanybody when it comes tosports journalism. You’regoing to take chances. Youhave to entertain. But thebaseline is credibility.”

Another question re-garding ESPN’s growth hasto do with the risk of over-saturation, but both Bermanand Ley dismiss the charge.

“When we started ES-PN2, I said, ‘Are you kiddingme? Haven’t we reached theceiling, or close to it?’ I’mamazed that the answer isno, and it’s a resounding no.”

Ley calls it an “insatiable”marketplace, and he’sbacked up by against-the-

trend numbers of ratingsgrowth.

Kolber said people “workaround the clock” at ESPN tosatisfy the increasing de-mands of entertainment.

“If the sales people hadtheir way, every SportsCenterwould be 90 minutes,” saidKolber. “There’s a lot ofproduct.”

There’s a lot of ESPN —the place, that is — too. Thelocation is lovingly referredto as a campus. And why not,with more than two dozensatellite dishes, nine controlrooms, more than 30 editingbays and a new digital cen-ter? It’s a long way, Bermansaid, from the night a skunkwandered in from the woodsand onto a set where he “didnot appreciate the program-ming, and let fly.”

A constant presenceA generation has passed,

now, and the fathers in Iowawho were feeding their in-fant sons and daughters arenow parents of grown chil-dren. Those children, ifthey’re sports fans, don’tknow life without ESPN; ifthose children aren’t sportsfans, they almost certainlyknow what ESPN is.

ESPN has come to epito-mize 24/7 in terms of sport.It has nurtured itself and itsfans through 25 years duringwhich the typical viewer hasgone from watching a three-or four-channel televisionwithout a remote to a cablesmorgasbord complete withthe capability to stop actionand self-edit.

It is a cash cow for Dis-ney, which bought ABCmore than a decade ago inlarge part to secure ESPN aspart of the family. In 2003,the combined network reve-nues for the ESPN networks,according to published re-ports, were in the range of$3.7 billion with a $1.4 billionprofit.

“The stakes,” Ley re-cently told Esquire, “havenever been higher.”

It’s all very difficult forLou Palmer to comprehendeven though he believed inthe possibilities from beforethe very start. Palmer, whohas lived in Wellington sinceleaving ESPN in the mid-1980s, considers himself its

first hire. He was working inHartford when Bill Rasmus-sen, who had been fired asdirector of communicationsfor the Hartford Whalers ofthe World Hockey Associa-tion, called him with an ideato broadcast University ofConnecticut basketballgames through the state’scable system.

“All we wanted was a littlestate interconnect,” Palmersaid.

Suddenly, though, theidea was much more thanlittle.

“He said, ‘We’ve got aninvestor. Getty Oil,’ “ Palmerrecalled. “I said ‘What do youmean, Getty Oil?’ “

Rasmussen meant GettyOil was buying 85 percent ofhis plan for $10 million, andESPN was going to be a lotmore than UConn hoops.

“I remember going tospring training the next yearand seeing Gary Carter withthe Montreal Expos,” Palmersaid. “He said, ‘I love yournetwork.’ I asked him how hesaw it. He said the condowhere he was staying wasgetting it. That’s when Ithought it had a chance. Ihave nothing but admirationfor what they’ve done.”

If he’s not grounded byHurricane Frances, Palmerhopes to attend a Tuesdayreunion at the ESPN Zone inTimes Square as part of thesilver anniversary shindigwhere he’ll undoubtedlybump into ESPN presidentGeorge Bodenheimer.

Growth?Bodenheimer once

worked in the ESPN mailroom where one of his dutieswas to pick up a college bas-ketball analyst at the airportand drive him to Bristol formeetings. The man had beenfired in November 1979 just adozen games and a 4-8record into his second sea-son (after a 30-52 debut) ascoach of the Detroit Pistonswhen ESPN asked him towork a DePaul-Wisconsinbroadcast.

Guy by the name of DickVitale.

No father in the middle ofan Iowa night a quarter cen-tury ago could have knownwhat would happen.A [email protected]

ESPN defined a generationESPN notable events

June 26, 1978: ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen holds a newsconference at Cooke’s Tavern (now J. Timothy’s) in Plainville,Conn., to announce plans for a sports television network servingConnecticut. On Aug. 16, while stuck in traffic on Route 84,Rasmussen and his son, Scott, first discuss a 24-hour service.Sept. 7, 1979: ESPN is launched at 7 p.m., beginning withSportsCenter hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande.March/April 1980: For the first time, ESPN’s programming is inthe national spotlight, with the first coverage of the NCAATournament and the NFL Draft.Jan. 30, 1982: ESPN and the NBA announce first agreement, atwo-year contract. March 15, 1987: The NFL grants ESPN its first cable televisionagreement, featuring four exhibition games, nine regular-seasontelecasts and the Pro Bowl.Jan. 5, 1989: ESPN and Major League Baseball agree to afour-year agreement for an extensive schedule of games plusBaseball Tonight beginning in 1990.Oct. 1, 1993: ESPN2 launches in 10 million households.April 1, 1995: ESPNET SportsZone (now ESPN.com) is launched.June 24 – July 1, 1995: The X Games debut in Rhode Island. Theemphasis on owned events continues with the creation of theWinter X Games (1997) and the Great Outdoor Games (2000).Nov. 1, 1996: ESPNEWS launches.Oct. 8, 1997: ESPN acquires Classic Sports Network (now ESPNClassic). Jan. 22, 2002: The NBA returns to ESPN with a six-year deal.May 19, 2004: ESPN and the NHL renew their agreement forthree seasons. The network has televised the league since 1992.ESPN also televised league action from 1985-88 and hadagreements with individual teams from its launch in 1979-82.

ESPN file photo

ESPN grew from a single building to an empire including threechannels, a high-definition option and magazine.

14C THE PALM BEACH POST • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2004