Kremer works on deadline

By ERNEST HOOPER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 26, 2000

ESPN reporter Andrea Kremer made a statement about dedication this week that resonated with anyone who has given birth.

Kremer, 81/2 months pregnant, was prepared to work Super Bowl week. She arrived in Atlanta on Friday hoping to complete work on a number of features related to the game, but on Saturday she began experiencing symptoms of premature labor.

She was admitted to a local hospital and joined by her husband John Steinberg. But just when ESPN thought it was going to have to find a replacement, Kremer decided to keep working.

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"Either I'm nuts or I'm trying to kill time before the most painful experience in my life," Kremer said Tuesday. "I'm joking. To be honest, I spoke to the doctors and they said there's nothing you can do, so if you want to do your work, do it and be smart.

"The scene in here yesterday was surreal. I had my cameraman here doing voice-overs. I was in this bad hospital gown. I told him if one frame of me gets on the air I'm going to kill him."

Kremer, 39, did exceptional work with several in-depth stories this season for NFL Countdown, so it wasn't surprising to learn she wanted to see her latest work through to fruition. She hopes to deliver a healthy boy in the next couple of days.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE: Monday Night Football often has found itself stuck with bad games late in the season. Who can forget that memorable Atlanta-San Francisco match that ended the regular season this year?

But ABC is hoping that will change in the future. ABC Sports president Howard Katz said the league is discussing a policy change that would allow the schedule to be altered in December. One proposal calls for each network to select the best game of the week on a rotating basis for the last month.

"One of the things I heard that they talked about at the meeting that CBS would get a first pick one week and Fox would get a first pick one week and we would get two of the picks," Katz said.

"You could argue that Fox and CBS might actually benefit if on one of those four weeks they wound up getting one of those games back the league would have otherwise given to us in the first place."

Katz said with free agency and salary cap implications, it will become more difficult to make a schedule in April that has the best teams playing in the league's marquee games in December.

COLD-COCKED: They thought they were going to the Deep South, but instead they got the deep freeze. Atlanta's frigid temperatures and the snow storm plaguing the East Coast has made this a difficult Super Bowl for networks.

ESPN and Fox Sports Net broadcast from outdoor facilities. ESPN is at Super Bowl City and Fox Sports Net is at Centennial Park. ESPN Radio also is outdoors in a semi-heated tent next to the Downtown Hyatt Regency.

"I'm not going to complain," Dan Patrick said between segments of his afternoon radio show. "This is the Super Bowl."

Of course, being cold is better than not being here at all. HBO is scheduled to tape Inside The NFL today, but as of Tuesday, its talent was snowed in in New York City. If the talent makes it, look for Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Minnesota receiver Cris Carter and Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson to appear on the show.

ABC's Boomer Esiason also is snowed in. He participated in a media conference via telephone Tuesday.

MEDIA DAY: MTV's Ananda Lewis was among the throng of reporters at the Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Continuing a tradition started by the network's Downtown Julie Brown, she asked several players about being a "Super Bowl virgin."

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