Under Review

? Bob Costas isn't normally associated with boxing, but at the Oscar De La Hoya- Fernando Vargas fight last Saturday night he proved yet again that no broadcaster is better at anchoring a live sporting event. In his first foray as the host of an HBO pay-per-view boxing telecast, Costas was well-prepared on the history of bad blood between the two Mexican-American fighters, whom he had interviewed extensively. Costas peppered his prefight conversation with fellow commentator Emanuel Steward with details from those talks and excelled in his role as the show's traffic cop.

?One of sports TV's most desirable free agents came off the market last weekend when Fox Sports coaxed Jimmy Johnson to return to its NFL pregame show for the rest of the 2002 season. ( Fox Sports chairman David Hill had spent months trying to persuade the former coach to return to the studio as a full-timer instead of as a guest.) The 59-year-old Johnson, an original member of the Fox NFL Sunday cast in 1994, begins his assignment next Sunday and will work through the 2002 NFC championship. What makes Johnson so good on television, besides his perfectly coiffed hair, is his sheer confidence in front of the camera. He was the star of ESPN's draft coverage in April, blending humor with strong opinions, and gave the Fox pregame show a jolt of energy two weeks ago when he made a guest appearance on the set.

?Notre Dame's win over Michigan on Saturday produced a 5.5 overnight rating, the highest for a Notre Dame game on NBC since the two teams met in September 1998. Last year the network averaged a 2.4 rating for six Irish games.