A SIDEWAYS GLANCE : SIX DEGREES OF JIM LAMPLEY.

Hey, kids, let's play the sports trivia game that has everyone on the block buzzing - or soon will, since we just made it up!

-Any resemblance to ``Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,'' the wildly popular drinking game based on the movie ``Six Degrees of Separation,'' is purely coincidental . . . as far as we can tell.

The object is to link Jim Lampley, the current HBO Sports boxing broadcaster who's worked just about every major sporting event at every major network in his not-so-major long career, to anyone who has ever been on TV or movies. Living or dead, famous or infamous, cerebral or dumb as mud.

All roads seem to go through Lampley, who has had stints in sports-talk radio, bit parts in TV and movies and hosted an infomercial for a pair of really cool sunglasses. Therefore, linking anyone to him the traditionally quick way doesn't impress us. We try to find the longest, most painful route, littered with as many obscure references as possible to punctuate Lampley's long and winding journey.

And we accept all major forms of connection - TV, movies, sightings in a police chase.

The victim:

Kevin Bacon, Mr. `Six Degrees.''

Connect the careers:

Kevin Bacon, as Fenwick in the 1982 movie ``Diner,'' had a scene that we suspect might have helped inspire ``Beavis and Butt-Head'' when he vegged out on the couch and made fun of the TV game show called ``The G.E. College Bowl'' hosted by Allen Ludden;

Allen Ludden, better known for hosting ``Password,'' was married to frequent panelist Betty White;

Betty White, while funnier as Sue-Ann Nevin on ``Mary Tyler Moore,'' had a fine run on ``The Golden Girls'' with Bea Arthur;

Bea Arthur, as ``Maude,'' was related on the TV family tree to Archie Bunker, aka Carrol O'Connor;

Carrol O'Connor, who we dare not slander, tried to resurrect his career in ``The Heat of the Night,'' which, in 1989, had a guest appearance by O.J. Simpson;

O.J. Simpson . . . . (hold on, we're trying to make this tasteful)

. . . worked on NBC's NFL studio show with Jim Lampley.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) BACON

(2) LAMPLEY