Give CBS 4's Gary Miller and Reggie Rivers high marks for their Saturday night coverage of the Broncos' lopsided loss to the Cowboys.

They didn't search for "homer" alibis about Denver's lackluster performance. And Rivers, a former Broncos running back, deftly analyzed the Broncos' problems, particularly in the defensive line.

Contrast CBS 4's coverage with that provided by ESPN on Aug. 13 during the Broncos' preseason opener against the 49ers.

I've viewed a lot of lousy performances in the broadcasting booth down through the years, and that ESPN telecast ranks with the worst, mainly because of detached attitude and often-humorless prattle between Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski.

Granted, comparing a CBS 4 broadcast to a network production is an apples-and-oranges situation - local vs. national coverage.

But Miller and Rivers were professional enough to realize they were in the booth to report and analyze what was happening on the field.

Kornheiser and Jaworski often performed like happy-go-lucky sports fans, sitting at a bar watching the game on TV while concentrating on their own stories, opinions and attempts at humor.

Occasionally, they'd talk about what was happening on the field.

The ESPN telecast also spent too much time with often-meaningless, split-screen interviews.

The same distracting formula was used Thursday night during the Miami- Kansas City game.

The one bright spot: play-by-play man Mike Tirico, who, at times, appears to be a bit agitated about the chatter of his partners.

ESPN producers obviously remain enamored by the troika broadcasting style that dates to the network's Sunday night trio of Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire and the departed Joe Theismann.

While awkward at times, that trio at least focused on the game.

The main problem now is Kornheiser, who too often displays an elitist attitude.

And his newspaper humor seldom transfers to broadcasting, partially because he doesn't have a dominating voice.

ESPN will try again tonight with the Super Bowl XLI rematch between the Colts and the Bears.

TEEN TEAM COVERAGE: FSN Rocky Mountain isn't ignoring the local high school football scene this fall.

The sports cable outlet has scheduled live coverage of six games and also will air 4A and 5A playoff action.

The regular-season lineup: Cherry Creek vs. Mullen (Sept. 20); Arvada West vs. Columbine (Oct. 4); ThunderRidge vs. Golden (Oct. 11); Highlands Ranch vs. Douglas County (Oct. 12); Highlands Ranch vs. Ponderosa (Oct. 19); and Bear Creek vs. Columbine (Oct. 26).

All games start at 7 p.m., with pregame programming at 6:30 p.m.

Marcia Neville, an integral part of local high school coverage while at CBS 4, might be involved. She's moved to KDVR-Channel 31.

THE BROWN FILE: There's nothing trivial about Irv Brown's knowledge of sports trivia.

The KKFN-AM (950) sports personality, seemingly on the local scene since football players wore leather helmets, hosts High School Trivia, a weekly half-hour premiering at 7 p.m. Tuesday on KWHD-Channel 53.

Two local high school coaches square off weekly in competition based on high school football. The eventual winner gets $1,000 that will be given to the school's athletic program.

The first two competitors: Scott Yates of Kent Denver and Mike Wolford of Regis.

Meanwhile, Brown continues to host Colorado Sports Trivia (10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Comcast Channel 5), which pits local newspaper and broadcast sports personalities in one-on-one competition.

AROUND THE DIALS: The first two University of Colorado football games on FSN Rocky Mountain will be in high definition. The Colorado-Colorado State game at Invesco Field (10 a.m. Sept. 1) will be followed by CU-Arizona State from Tempe, Ariz. (8:15 p.m. Sept 8.)

• Former NBA player-turned-actor Rick Fox is producing (and possibly starring in) a future weekly drama series for AMC cable, centering on life in pro basketball. A suggested story line: What happens when a referee gets involved in a gambling scandal?

• Is the broadcasting studio large enough for the egos of former Dallas Cowboys coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer? They'll be featured often on Fox's NFL pregame show this fall.

AN UNANSWERABLE QUESTION: How many times during the season will football announcers say: "He did a nice job . . . "?

Dusty Saunders writes periodically about sports broadcasting. Contact him at tvtime@comcast.net.

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