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Remote patrol

By SHARON GINN
Published May 5, 2006

SHARPE ADDITION: NBC announced this week that five-time Pro Bowl player Sterling Sharpe will join its Football Night in America studio show Sunday nights in the fall as an analyst, joining host Bob Costas , co-host Cris Collinsworth and rookie analyst Jerome Bettis . Sharpe has been mostly out of the public eye since 2003, when he was let go by ESPN after eight years as a studio analyst and replaced by Michael Irvin . Sharpe spent the past two seasons at the NFL Network. "Sterling's audition at the end of October with Bob and Cris was one of the absolute best I have ever seen," NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said.

EMMYS: NASCAR on Fox was honored as the year's outstanding live sports series for the second time during Monday's 27th annual Sports Emmy Awards. Among the most notable winners were Fox's MLB and NFL lead announcer Joe Buck (outstanding play by play), Costas of HBO and NBC (outstanding studio host), John Madden of ABC's Monday Night Football (outstanding event analyst), Collinsworth of HBO (outstanding studio analyst) and HBO's Inside the NFL (outstanding weekly studio show).

NO STATUE, JUST BUZZ: Fox NFL Sunday analyst Terry Bradshaw is the highest-rated TV sports personality, according to the Davie-Brown Index, which measures celebrities' appeal, influence, popularity and relevance to a brand's image. Bradshaw was the top rated of 30 sports personalities included in the ranking of 1,500 celebrities. He was followed by Madden, ESPN analyst Mike Ditka , HBO's Bryant Gumbel and Fox analyst Troy Aikman .

NO NEWS DEPT.: Area Bright House subscribers remain unable to see the Rays games that are being produced in high definition because the cable company has not reached an agreement with Sun Sports to carry them. The network will broadcast 26 more games in HD, with the next one set to air June 3 vs. the Blue Jays (but not, as of now, on Bright House).

CHECK IT OUT

--Golfer John Daly talks about drinking, gambling and other unhealthy habits with Morley Safer of 60 Minutes Sunday (7 p.m., Ch.10). Daly prefers keeping beer on ice to water, he tells Safer: "Every time I drink a bottle of water, I make a bogey."

--Gators fans, relax: Sun Sports is continuing its Under the Lights series with a feature on UF spring football, premiering 8 p.m. May 15.

Like its FSU counterpart that debuted this week, the Gators' version goes behind the scenes for the three-week spring practice period, with coaches and players miked on and off the field.

Sun Sports also will air taped coverage of the Orange and Blue game at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

RATINGS WATCH

The NFL draft coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 Saturday and Sunday was the highest-rated and most-viewed in the network's 27 years of televising the event.

Saturday's eight hours on ESPN was seen by an average of 4.225-million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, which is 10 percent better than last year's record 3.844-million. Its 4.7 average household rating for the eight hours was 9 percent higher than last year's record 4.3 Saturday rating.

Sunday's ESPN coverage earned a 1.9 rating (up 5 percent from last year) and the new Saturday night coverage on ESPN2 earned a 1.5 rating.

[Last modified May 5, 2006, 02:52:28]