USA is ready to let the dogs out
The way the folks at USA Network look at it, everyone who owns a dog, would like to own a dog, lives in a home with a dog, or just likes dogs is a potential dog show viewer.
With roughly 55 million dogs in this country (about a third of them purebreds), that's a huge potential audience, one that encompasses all of America, caring not a whit about race, gender, sexual orientation, age, social status, or economic standing. Mankind's best friend is a true common denominator.
That brings us to Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show CXXVIII, the Super Bowl of the canine world, which airs on USA from 8-11 p.m. the next two nights. It's an event that dates back to 1877, meaning it's been around for a mere 90 more years than football's big game. Best of all -- and especially in the wake of the Super Bowl halftime follies -- it's guaranteed family entertainment.
History? The show is older than the Boston Marathon, the automobile, and the electric lightbulb. Among major sporting events, only the Kentucky Derby, dating to 1875, is older.
In the 20 years USA has televised the event, ratings have grown slowly but steadily (except when it goes up against the Winter Olympics). Last year, the show did a 3.7 national rating and posted a 200 percent increase in the 25-54 demographic.
Whatever stories develop out of the show, they'll be hard-pressed to top a legendary (and true) tale from the Globe files. The late Clif Keane was a Globe baseball writer who was assigned to cover the Ladies' Dog Show in the '50s. He filed his early story and arranged to have the show organizers call the paper with the Best in Show winner later that night. It turns out that the winning dog collapsed and died at the show, a fact that wound up well down in Keane's updated story.
Called on the carpet Monday, the wisecracking Keane came up with a memorable -- possibly job-saving -- line. "The dog died, and I buried it," he told editor Laurence Winship.
The USA announcing crew of host Mark McEwen, expert David Frei, and reporter Charlsie Cantey will come up with plenty of stories of their own over the next two nights.
Frei explains the nuances of judging and handling, but constantly reminds viewers: "These dogs are pets. They go home and dig holes in the backyard, sleep on the couch, steal food off the counter, and occasionally even drink water out of the toilet. They go home to be loved and live with us."
When terriers are lifted off the table partly by their tails, Frei will assure viewers that it's OK, that these hunters were bred to chase animals into burrows, often getting stuck and needing to be pulled out by their tails.
"It was before my time," said Frei, "but the legend goes that one year, during the terrier judging at one of the previous Madison Square Gardens, a rat fell out of the rafters onto the floor. And most of the terriers reacted appropriately for the breed, going after it."
They say every dog has its day. For these purebreds, it's the next two days.
Get closer
The way ESPN/ABC hockey analyst Barry Melrose sees it, there's no better place to watch a hockey game than from the bench.
No, he's not lobbying to return to coaching; he's lobbying the NHL and individual teams to let him set up between the benches during games. No team has allowed him that access yet, but he's getting closer. He worked a recent Bruins-Islanders game at the FleetCenter from ice level at one end of the rink.
"The press boxes are so high in the new buildings that you lose much of the game," he said. "At ice level, I'm looking for the stuff behind the play that you don't normally see on screen because the camera always follows the puck. There are things you only can see at ice level.
"And, by the benches, it's awesome. You can see the strategy of matching lines, what goes on there with the coaches when play is on and the camera isn't watching, and how chaotic it gets during line changes with five players going on the ice and five coming off.
"Sooner or later it will happen."
Melrose is in St. Paul for the weekend's NHL All-Star festivities. He'll work the studio with John Saunders for ABC's coverage of the game today (Channel 5, 3 p.m.). Gary Thorne does play-by-play with analysts John Davidson and Bill Clement.
Owner off-guard
To these eyes, it appeared to be an unguarded moment on the Reliant Stadium field after the Super Bowl. Channel 4's Bob Lobel gave Patriots owner Robert Kraft the news that the team would be feted with a Boston parade on Tuesday. Lobel had gotten the word from Ted Wayman, standing by with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, for an interview that wound up being preempted when several Patriots players wandered by and went on camera. Kraft clearly was surprised at hearing the news, and reacted like a man who'd just gotten a second-hand invitation, asking, "Where did you hear that?" or words to that effect. The moment passed in a flash, but not without touching memories of the Patriots being told their money and stadium weren't wanted in South Boston as part of a "megaplex," but coming to town for a victory parade is another story . . . The Red Sox website indicates the April 4 season opener in Baltimore will be an ESPN game. However, ESPN sources say the game will be on ESPN2 around the country but seen on NESN in the Boston market. The move thus won't count as one of the team's maximum of four ESPN "national" appearances . . . Tomorrow's Celtics-at-Cavaliers game is a TNT exclusive telecast at 7 p.m. The studio show with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley will originate from Universal Studios as TNT sets up in Los Angeles in advance of All-Star Weekend . . . Channel 56 is expanding "Sports Zone" tonight (10:30) to show a half-hour Patriots special . . . ESPN's "Sunday Night Football" crew of Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, and Suzy Kolber, plus Michele Tafoya, is vacationing in Hawaii this week, er, working the Pro Bowl tonight at 7:30. ESPN will have quarterbacks and coaches miked and access to the huddles and locker rooms.
Bill Griffith's e-mail address is griffith@globe.com
