ESPN, POKER MAKE A FINE PAIR.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

MEDIA

There's one way to gauge how much more room the World Series of Poker has left to expand on ESPN. It hasn't gotten big enough to where Chris Berman has demanded a part of the show.

But who's to say that's not in the cards.

The network that since 1988 has given credibility and visibility to the pursuit of a royal flush as a sports-slash-entertainment spectacle launches a new round of WSOP Main Event shows Tuesday, starting with back-to-back hour-long episodes at (5 and 6 p.m., followed by dozens of repeats for the next eight weeks.

It doesn't matter that a month ago, Temecula's Jerry Yang won the $8.25 million final table in a 14-hour event that was shown live on pay-per-view. Channel surfers will invariably lock in on this stuff as if it's a "Seinfeld" re-run, even decades later as it ferments over on ESPN Classic.

What's now? Poker. Same as what was then.

"It's an odd fish," admits Norman Chad, the former sports media writer for the Washington Post who parlayed his love for card playing into an ESPN colorman/quipster gig that he may never be able to escape. "It's part reality show, part sitcom, part docudrama. And the results, as we see, don't even matter. The viewers don't care. They just want to see the episode again where two guys argue over who put the ante in.

"In sports, live is the key element, but this doesn't even pretend to be. And it can't really be, because a table can run from four to 12 hours. It's like indoor cricket. But the taped shows continue to hold up to the satisfaction of ESPN and the viewers. That's unprecedented in sports viewing."

Poker playing on the Internet over the last few years has not only kept the competition fluid, but those sites -- even moreso since federal legislation has relaxed -- fuel TV coverage with ad revenue for competing shows that stay afloat on FSN, NBC, GSN and the Travel Channel (the latter of which is in its final year with the World Poker Tour, allowing the Game Show Network to take over). In a survival-of- the-fittest TV world, the WSOP remains the baddest outlaw of the Vegas brunch bunch, and ESPN continues to cash in the chips.

"One of the first things I did when I got here was strike a new deal with ESPN that takes us through 2010," said Jeffrey Pollack, the de facto WSOP commissioner who two years ago left NASCAR's new media division to take charge of the event owned by Harrah's properties.

"The tone and structure of our deal is no different than a deal ESPN has with the NBA or Major League Baseball or NASCAR. We are partners in production, programming and promotion, and no one produces poker (better) than ESPN. The World Series of Poker on ESPN says something about where we fit in the sports and entertainment landscape. And we're evergreen programming."

The technological development of the lipstick cam under the table to show viewers the cards each player was trying to keep secret took the shows to a new level of entertainment a couple of years ago. Miking up players to hear them banter is another TV tweak that has paid off, helping to develop personalities. The latest innovation for the upcoming broadcast is having it all delivered in high definition.

"For poker?" asks Chad, going back into a media critic mode. "We need to see high def on the queen of hearts? She looks good even in black and white. High def would have been great for Neil Armstrong planting a flag on the moon. But for the flop on a 3-6-10? Maybe I'm behind the curve."

And by the way, both Pollack and Chad know poker is as much of a sport on ESPN's programming schedule as the World Stacking Competition (which airs today at 10 a.m.) or the Scrabble Championship (Saturday at noon). But did ESPN devote 40 cameras to them as they did with the WSOP? That's more than it used on the Kentucky Derby.

"It's non-athletic competition," Pollack admits, "but I think we're a sport in that we're what sports fans like to watch. Our demos fit with ESPN's demos."

"The sports question to me is stupid," says Chad. "No, it's not a sport. It's a competition, or a game. It doesn't need to be a sport to be on ESPN. MTV stopped showing all videos years ago and HBO stopped showing all movies long ago. ESPN still has 65 different sports, and poker.

"It's a game people love to watch. Poker is in the sports section of USA Today, with the lottery numbers. That's where logic dictates. Not the purple section or the green section. It's the red section. That says enough."

Radio voice opens for Clippers

Matt Pinto has pulled out of the Clippers' radio play-by-play job after two seasons to take a similar spot with the Seattle SuperSonics.

"I'm thrilled for the opportunity," Pinto said in a statement released by his new employers. "I'm overjoyed and very excited to contribute to the broadcast in the Seattle marketplace."

Both Paul Sunderland, the former Lakers' TV play-by-play man who has radio experience from doing the former simulcast, and KNX-AM (1070) sportscaster Paul Olden, who did UCLA basketball in the early '90s and also filled in for the New Jersey Nets, have stepped up immediately to say they're very interested in filling the Clippers' opening.

The team, however, hasn't announced which station will be their home base for the upcoming season. KSPN-AM (710) did the games last season and could pick up the package again, but it's also hoping to hear soon if the Dodgers are willing to switch over from KFWB-AM (980) after the Angels go to KLAA-AM (830) starting next season. ...

Steve Physioc, whose contract as the Angels' top TV play-by-play man runs out at the end of this season, has been informed he'll be replaced on the top Fox Sports Net Pac-10 basketball broadcast team this fall. Ted Robinson, the voice of Stanford sports, will now be the primary broadcaster, with Physioc doing secondary games. ...

FSN West has replaced Jerry Weinstein with Mark Shah as the producer on Lakers telecasts this coming season. Shah, a former FSN employee, has been producing the Lakers' games for KCAL-Channel 9. ...

Bob Borgen, who produced the Kings' games for more than 15 years on FSN West and worked within the organization for 30-plus years, will switch over to produce the Ducks' games on FSN Prime Ticket this season, replacing Aaron Teats.

Teats will focus on his job as the Ducks' director of broadcasting. D'Aulaire Louwerse, an associate producer for the San Jose Sharks, will replace Borgen on the Kings ...

Lakers guard Derek Fisher is scheduled for his last game as an analyst for the WNBA Sparks, on the FSN Prime Ticket telecast Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The team will be playing its season finale against Houston.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

ESPN commentator Norman Chad interviews 2007 World Series of Poker winner Jerry Yang on July 18.

Phil Ellsworth/ESPN

Box:

(1) WHAT SMOKES

(2) WHAT CHOKES