By Howard Manly, Globe Staff, 03/31/00

Having the Red Sox as a television partner has not been an easy proposition.

Four years ago, Channel 38 carried the games and lost $8 million. Two years ago, Channel 68, then owned by Boston University, carried the games and lost as much as $6 million. Last year, the JCS New England Television Network had over-the-air rights and ended up owing the Red Sox about $5 million. The team fired JCS and awarded the rights to Channel 25 for three years.

Channel 25 general manager Gregg Kelley has promised to increase ratings and improve production. Kelley couldn't have picked a better time. The Red Sox won 94 games last season and reached the American League Championship Series. By all accounts, it's still the Yankees' world, but the Sox are definitely in it. The Sports Illustrated cover proclaiming that Boston will win the World Series was just the beginning of the coverage.

ESPN will carry more major league games than any other national network, having signed a six-year, $850 million contract. The new deal calls for more than 1,000 hours of baseball - at least 65 games on ESPN, at least 45 on ESPN2. It starts with a tripleheader on ESPN/ESPN2 Monday. ESPN has Ken Griffey and the Cincinnati Reds against the Milwaukee Brewers at 1 p.m., followed by the Chicago Cubs at the St. Louis Cardinals (Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire) at 4. ESPN2 has San Diego at the New York Mets at 1, followed by the Colorado Rockies against the Atlanta Braves. At 10:30, ESPN2 airs the New York Yankees against the Anaheim Angels.

The sports cable giant settles down the next day when its first exclusive Tuesday night game features the Red Sox' opener in Seattle, featuring Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, arguably the best announcing team in baseball.

ESPN also will have a Red Sox-Yankees game on May 28, but it won't be the only national network to carry Sox games during prime spots. Fox, for instance, has a Saturday afternoon Sox-Yankees game on April 27, as well as several other Sox contests. In September, Fox will have the Sox three Saturdays in a row.

The bulk of Boston's games, of course, will be on New England Sports Network and Channel 25. NESN has 85 games, starting Wednesday in Seattle. The premium cable station has added a pregame show after a three-year hiatus. NESN sports anchor Bob Rogers hosts the 30-minute show, which will include the standard fare of player interviews and features. As an added twist, NESN will station Rogers on Fenway's right-field roof. Bob Kurtz and Jerry Remy call the games for NESN.

The remainder of the games are on Channel 25; Sean McDonough and Remy reunite there as well.

The question is whether Kelley can deliver on his promise to increase ratings. He paid considerably less in rights fees - about $9 million - than the $14 million the Red Sox sought. Kelley's argument at the time was that, after three years, the rights would be worth more because of higher ratings.

Viewership for Sox games has remained at about 150,000 households, but during the playoffs the number grows to about 735,000. That is quite a gap, and Kelley must find a way to capture those elusive casual fans.

"We are the natural home for the Red Sox,'' Kelley said. "We are the only ones that can grow the ratings.''

He just might be right.