1988 NBC NFL Live Pregame Show (Week 2)
(c)1988 NFL; NBC Universal -- Comcast
First is a brief WAVY ID touting one of their Virginia Associated Press Award wins. Then we see the NBC Sports Olympic ID (more on that later); then the "Great Games, Great Moments" segment of the NFL Live! intro (featuring the Miami/N.Y. Jets AFC Championship Game; Philadelphia/Oakland in Super Bowl XV; and Denver/San Diego from a 1985 regular season match) prior to leading into the studio shot. But instead of Bob Costas, the first face we see is Bob's NBC pregame predecessor, longtime WNBC sports director Len Berman (Costas, along with regular pregame co-host Ahmad Rashad and contributor Gayle Gardner as well as most of NBC's top-tier play-by-play men were on their way to South Korea) and are replaced by Paul Maguire (who split his time between the #2 NBC crew {normally alongside rising star Marv Albert} and the pregame show that year) and WXFL (now WFLA) anchor Gayle Sierens.
STORIES
1.16 players (most notably, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor; but also several San Francisco 49ers including eventual Super Bowl XXIII hero John Taylor) suspended for drug use. Included is an interview by NBC/Sports illustrated contributor Frank Deford with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle; followed by a previously-taped interview between Berman and Chicago Bears defensive end/Super Bowl XX MVP Richard Dent (who had been suspended and un-suspended for not taking a drug test).
2. Picks by Paul Maguire. Maguire (whose role in the pregame was as a prognosticator ala Jimmy the Greek during the NFL Today glory years) picked Buffalo to defeat Miami (Bills won 9-6), Minnesota over New England (Vikings won 36-6), Cleveland over the N.Y. Jets (23-3 upset for Gang Green) and the Raiders over Houston (Oilers won 38-35); for a total of 2-2.
3. Legendary Commentators; Len Berman mentions how, for the next four weeks, several regular NBC broadcasters would be away to cover the 1988 Seoul Olympics (late start so as to avoid clashing with South Korea's rainy season). Thus we would see Curt Gowdy, Al DeRogatis; Marty Glickman relieving Marv Albert, Chuck Thompson, Merle Harmon and Ray Scott working games. Len interviewed DeRogatis, Gowdy and Scott for the piece; then-legendary baseball announcer/former NFL on CBS voice Lindsey Nelson is introduced as a guest (Nelson shows up, to Len's surprise, dressed quite conservatively compared to his infamous penchant for wild sportscoats).
4. The final segment picks up with that, and a mention of Gayle Sierens' (longtime news anchor for Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA) one-shot play-by-play gig (calling the Kansas City-Seattle game with Dave Rowe at the end of the 1987 season).
First is a brief WAVY ID touting one of their Virginia Associated Press Award wins. Then we see the NBC Sports Olympic ID (more on that later); then the "Great Games, Great Moments" segment of the NFL Live! intro (featuring the Miami/N.Y. Jets AFC Championship Game; Philadelphia/Oakland in Super Bowl XV; and Denver/San Diego from a 1985 regular season match) prior to leading into the studio shot. But instead of Bob Costas, the first face we see is Bob's NBC pregame predecessor, longtime WNBC sports director Len Berman (Costas, along with regular pregame co-host Ahmad Rashad and contributor Gayle Gardner as well as most of NBC's top-tier play-by-play men were on their way to South Korea) and are replaced by Paul Maguire (who split his time between the #2 NBC crew {normally alongside rising star Marv Albert} and the pregame show that year) and WXFL (now WFLA) anchor Gayle Sierens.
STORIES
1.16 players (most notably, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor; but also several San Francisco 49ers including eventual Super Bowl XXIII hero John Taylor) suspended for drug use. Included is an interview by NBC/Sports illustrated contributor Frank Deford with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle; followed by a previously-taped interview between Berman and Chicago Bears defensive end/Super Bowl XX MVP Richard Dent (who had been suspended and un-suspended for not taking a drug test).
2. Picks by Paul Maguire. Maguire (whose role in the pregame was as a prognosticator ala Jimmy the Greek during the NFL Today glory years) picked Buffalo to defeat Miami (Bills won 9-6), Minnesota over New England (Vikings won 36-6), Cleveland over the N.Y. Jets (23-3 upset for Gang Green) and the Raiders over Houston (Oilers won 38-35); for a total of 2-2.
3. Legendary Commentators; Len Berman mentions how, for the next four weeks, several regular NBC broadcasters would be away to cover the 1988 Seoul Olympics (late start so as to avoid clashing with South Korea's rainy season). Thus we would see Curt Gowdy, Al DeRogatis; Marty Glickman relieving Marv Albert, Chuck Thompson, Merle Harmon and Ray Scott working games. Len interviewed DeRogatis, Gowdy and Scott for the piece; then-legendary baseball announcer/former NFL on CBS voice Lindsey Nelson is introduced as a guest (Nelson shows up, to Len's surprise, dressed quite conservatively compared to his infamous penchant for wild sportscoats).
4. The final segment picks up with that, and a mention of Gayle Sierens' (longtime news anchor for Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA) one-shot play-by-play gig (calling the Kansas City-Seattle game with Dave Rowe at the end of the 1987 season).
Category
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Sports