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UNDER REVIEW
Richard Deitsch
September 22, 2003
?Guerrero's Gaffes?Clemson Legend Dies?Celebrating the Deuce
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September 22, 2003

Under Review

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?Guerrero's Gaffes
?Clemson Legend Dies
?Celebrating the Deuce

?"[Lisa] Guerrero is quickly exposing herself to be the biggest ditz to star in an ABC prime-time vehicle since Suzanne Somers jiggled across the set of Three's Company." So said Denver Post sports columnist Mark Kiszla, who tossed the sharpest of many darts thrown at the Monday Night Football sideline reporter after a debut performance on Sept. 4 that made Eric Dickerson, one of her predecessors at ABC, look like Eric Sevareid. (Guerrero was castigated for asking Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey about a pregame conversation he had with "ex-teammate" Laveranues Coles. A dumbfounded Ramsey graciously answered the question about his current teammate.) Even fellow Disney colleagues have broken ranks; SportsCenter anchor Trey Wingo gave Guerrero's debut a thumbs down—"That's so far down, hell has a similar sign," he said—on ESPN Radio last week. Guerrero was unavailable for comment. "People are taking cheap shots at her," says network spokesperson Mark Mandel. "She has the total support of ABC."

?College football lost one of its distinctive voices last week when Clemson play-by-play man Jim Phillips died at age 69 after an aortic aneurysm. Phillips, who covered the Tigers in several sports over 36 years-he called his 401st Clemson football game on Sept. 6—had the longest tenure of any broadcaster in the ACC. "When he got in that booth," said Tigers football color commentator Will Merritt, "he was going to give the Clemson family everything he had."

? ESPN2, which debuted with Keith Olbermann's famous line—"Good evening, and welcome to the end of our careers"—celebrates its 10th anniversary on Oct. 1.

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