BROADCASTERS ARE X-FACTOR.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH Media

They've covered events - big events - like the Olympics, Major League Baseball, college basketball and football, for networks such as NBC, ESPN and Fox.

Which is why it's kind of curious that Matt Vasgersian and Chris Marlowe would submit their future in play-by-play broadcasting to the world of Vince McMahon.

Before he and Jesse Ventura do the XFL championship in March known as ``The Big Game at the End,'' Vasgersian will do the much-anticipated contest at the beginning Saturday night from Las Vegas, where the local Outlaws face the New York-New Jersey Hitmen at 5 p.m. on NBC.

Marlowe is tag-teamed with Brian Bosworth on the UPN opener for Channel 13 on Sunday at 1 p.m. between your Los Angeles Xtreme and the San Francisco Demons from Pac Bell Park.

The cheerleaders and players might be on the spot to go over the top with the camera-heavy, audio-crazy, made-for-short-attention-span coverage that might even cause viewers to stray from a car chase on the local newscast. But neither Vasgersian nor Marlowe, who'll have to sit in the stands among the riff-raff to work, act as this will put them in a compromising position.

``When I first heard of it, I was taping 'Sports Geniuses' for Fox and there was a story on TV about it and someone said, 'There's Matt's next job,' and we all laughed,'' said Vasgersian, the Milwaukee Brewers' TV play-by-play voice who also does baseball for Fox's FX channel.

``I didn't give it much thought. But the more information I got about it, what announcer wouldn't want to do this? They're telling me I can be an arbiter of taste and say what I want. If a cheerleader is grinding to a point where I need to say something, they're cool with it.

``I can't be over the top because it'd be a tedious three hours. It'll be fast and furious and unpredictable.

``Only a few people I've talked to think this would be beneath them (to do play by play), but that's ludicrous. Who is anyone to second-guess what (NBC Sports chief) Dick Ebersol and Vince McMahon say will work?''

Vasgersian's paycheck, remember, isn't predicated on one team winning or losing. Neither is Marlowe's, who views this as an opportunity to break out from the image he has as the ``Big Kahuna'' voice of beach volleyball.

``This isn't compromising in my case,'' said Marlowe, who has been working events for ESPN since he left then-Prime Ticket (which changed to Fox Sports Net) several years ago.

``If I were Al Michaels or Bob Costas or Tom Hammond, I might have trepidation doing the XFL, but from where I stand, I think I'm a solid announcer who made a mark in one sport at the Olympic level, but I think I'm good at other sports and this will be a chance to show that on a national stage.

``I'm thinking this is right up my alley.''

The work of the Marlowe-Bosworth team during rehearsal games recently in Orlando impressed McMahon enough to make them the No. 2 team behind Vasgersian-Ventura. Someone named Jim Ross works with ex-wrestler Jerry Lawler on the backup NBC games - used mostly for cut-ins during the main event - and TNN's Sunday-afternoon team is Craig Minervini and former Raider Bob Golic.

The sideline reporters could turn out to be the most scrutinized broadcasters of the telecast. KNBC's Fred Roggin and former ``American Gladiator'' host Mike Adamle work the sidelines for the main Saturday game. How much they want to get into the coach's face to ask questions about playcalling or other decisions during the game will be interesting to watch.

There are limits, believe it or not. During the rehearsal games, reporter Lee Reherman got into an animated shouting match with one of the coaches in which they screamed ``Blow it out your a--'' at each other. McMahon took them aside and decided that would be going too far on a real broadcast.

``You don't know exactly what's appropriate, but you do find out what's inappropriate,'' Marlowe said. ``I don't want to be crude or rude. That'll be the line I don't cross. The players can.''

--Technological game dressing: NBC plans to use 24 or more cameras per game - more than used on a ``Monday Night Football'' broadcast - and that includes two modified ``steadicams'' operated by cameramen on the field as the game goes on.

A ``skycam'' on wires that can go up to 40 miles an hour will fly over the field.

``It can chase the ball as it's being passed,'' marveled Ebersol. ``This will be just like how kids today view football on a 'Madden' video game.''

Vasgersian says the technical people of his production team are most pumped about what can be done with microphones, which will be hooked up to 20 players and coaches.

``They feel their creativity has been snuffed out because of league sanctions and traditional coverage didn't allow them to flex their muscles,'' Vasgersian said.

``It's the audio that will be real groundbreaking. It'll be like NFL Films, except live, uncut. It's unbelievable.''

And, with a five-second delay, it'll be censor-friendly. Which the NFL and NBA can't even claim after things that have got on the air during their broadcasts in the last week.

SOUND BYTES

WHAT SMOKES

--Bob Carpenter and Jimmy Dykes, an ESPN college basketball broadcast team for the last few years, have volunteered to work the rest of the Oklahoma State local TV basketball telecasts, starting Wednesday at Nebraska. School officials say they will donate whatever fee they are paid to a trust fund for the families of the players and school officials killed in last week's plane crash. Dykes was the school's analyst. Carpenter, who lives in Oklahoma, replaces Bill Teegins, one of 10 who died in the mishap.

--Fox's Lisa Guerrero fortunately escaped injury last week after a hit-and-run driver plowed into a car occupied by her and Sean O'Grady on an icy road in Dayton, Ohio, last weekend. They were driving back from working on an FX ``Toughman'' show when the accident occurred and both were taken to a local hospital via ambulance. Because of her neck injuries, Guerrero flew home and was heavily medicated - and missed watching Sunday's Super Bowl. She's been back at work on the ``Regional Sports Report'' this week.

--``Inside Cal-Hi Sports'' does a special national-letter-ontent signing- day show Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Net 2, which should include coverage of Hart's Kyle Matter and Loyola's Matt Ware. Meanwhile, a reality series documenting the daily lives of Chicago-area high school basketball players called ``Preps'' debuts Monday at 5 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.

WHAT CHOKES

--We were leery enough when Dennis Miller was added to ABC's ``Monday Night Football'' crew, but adding Denis Leary to the NHL All-Star game telecast Sunday morning is much more like a Disney-synergic, publicity-seeking venture. Leary, who will sit in with Gary Thorne and Bill Clement in the second and third periods when the game becomes even more of a joke, has a sitcom that the network will premiere in March. The title? He'll be sure to tell you.

--Burned last summer by the 15-hour time difference in Sydney, NBC has broken down and asked officials for the 2004 Summer Games from Athens, Greece if they'd be so kind as to move the starting times of some events. Athens is 10 hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone. Better late than never? Better to have some foresight in the first place.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: LEARY

Box: SOUND BYTES (see text)