Under Review

Since 1920 the Curse of the Bambino has plagued the Red Sox, but
perhaps never more so than in 2003. Luckily, three sports
documentary makers chose that year to follow a diverse group of
eight fans--including a firefighter and a wheelchair-bound young
man--from February to Game 7 of the ALCS, when the Yankees won
the championship. Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie,
which was released on DVD on July 6, portrays with warmth and
spirit the passion of the fans, whose love for their team is not
diminished by the Sox' habit of breaking their hearts annually.
Paul Constine, a sales manager who calls in regularly to sports
radio shows as Angry Bill, sums up a Sox fan's despair when he
looks into the camera and says, "I wouldn't know what to do if
they won. Would you know what to do?" --Nancy Ramsey

Maybe this shouldn't be so startling--it is, after all, the
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network--but the 6 p.m.
SportsCenter is squeezing more and more showbiz into what was
once a fairly traditional news program. A game show segment,
"Heresay," has been part of the mix recently. And last week the
network announced that from July 26 through July 30 SportsCenter
will include in-studio performances from Kid Rock, Alanis
Morissette and others. "This is the evolution of SportsCenter,"
says ESPN senior vice president Norby Williamson. "You'll still
get highlights and journalism and all of that. But we should also
be experimenting and taking risks." The TRL-like segments will be
followed in August by "Old School Week," featuring appearances by
such anchors of yore as Craig Kilborn and George Grand. What's
next, "Where in the World Is Stephen A. Smith?" Hey, maybe this
isn't such a bad idea.