Friends Make Kaze’s Last Call

Irv Kaze called at least once a week. Even though he also sent a fax, he always wanted to make sure we knew who his guests would be on his KRLA (870) radio talk show, “Irv Kaze on Sports.” And he always had time to chat.

There was no such call this week.

But there was a fax in the mailbox Monday morning, sent Friday at 4:23 p.m. It noted that the guests on his show coming up in eight days would be Jerry Buss and rookie NASCAR race driver Jimmie Johnson.

The fax, for some reason, was even more jolting than the call from the office late Saturday night. The fax struck a nerve and brought some tears.

Kaze, 75, suffered a heart attack at a Glendale restaurant not long after doing last weekend’s show. He was pronounced dead at Glendale Memorial Hospital later that night.

Kaze had been doing his show since April 1992 and six times was named best radio talk show host by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters.

There will still be a show in Kaze’s 6-7 p.m. time slot Saturday on KRLA. And you won’t want to miss it, whether you knew Kaze or not. Keith Olbermann, KRLA operations manager Larry Marino and Kaze’s 35-year-old son, Benjie, a coordinating producer for Fox Sports Net, will host a one-hour tribute.

Olbermann, operating from New York, did most of the work, taping interviews with an impressive list of guests, one that would have made Kaze proud.

The early list included John Wooden, Al Davis, Bob Costas, Tom Lasorda, Ross Porter, Rich Marotta, Times Sports Editor Bill Dwyre, Angel announcer Rory Markas and Tim Mead, the Angel vice president of communications. More might be added.

There might be so many guests that there will be a Part II the following Saturday.

And Marino said KRLA is planning to run a “best of Irv Kaze” series at least through the end of the month.

Kaze, who grew up in the New York area, was the Angels’ first PR director and went on to executive positions with a number of teams. At one time he was the commissioner of the Continental Basketball Assn.

He worked for, among others, Davis and George Steinbrenner.

Maybe even more impressive than working for both is not being fired by either. “Irv was a good person who always made you feel good,” Wooden said on the phone from his home in Encino. “He made everyone around him feel at ease.”

Wooden said he talked to Kaze only last Friday.

“He called me to remind me we would once again be doing a special for my birthday this year,” said Wooden, who will turn 92 Oct. 14.

Of Kaze, Davis said, “He was the ultimate professional.... He loved his work, his family, his religion, and he loved people. And he did it with a passion and admirable qualities that made him an inspiration to all. He was my friend, and I don’t know anyone who didn’t like Irv Kaze. I will miss him.”

NBC reporter Jim Gray, who was on the same flight as Kaze returning from this year’s Super Bowl, recalled asking Kaze why he still traveled so much and went to so many events.

“He told me, ‘I love sports and I love media people,’ ” Gray said.

Kaze’s widow, Barbara, and Benjie are planning a public service for the first week in August. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Irv Kaze Memorial Sanctuary Fund, Ohev Shalom Synagogue, 525 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles 90036. Or to the Jewish Home for the Aging, 7150 Tampa Ave., Reseda 91335.

At a private service Monday, Benjie may have summed up his father best. He called him “a true gentleman.”

All-Star Tidbits

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will be Fox’s game announcers for Tuesday’s baseball All-Star game.... Jeanne Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy will serve as pre- and postgame hosts.... Pregame coverage starts at 5 p.m....Fox, which has won Emmy awards for sound, will use more than 60 microphones for the game. There will be microphones on both managers and some players. Fox is also planning to use a Catcher Cam.

Monday’s Home Run Derby will be on ESPN at 5 p.m.

Local Emmys

At last weekend’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, Chick Hearn won the Governors Award, Channel 4’s Fred Roggin won two Emmys, including one for his excellent work during the Lakers’ championship run, and Fox Sports Net won a record five Emmys. Fox Sports Net 2 won for its Dodger telecasts, Laker and Angel director Doug Freeman won an Emmy, “Inside Cal-Hi Sports” won its fourth Emmy and the “Southern California Sports Report” won its first. Jonathan Lababit won for writing.

NASCAR News

Fox finishes up its part of the NASCAR season Saturday with the Pepsi 400 at 4 p.m. at Daytona, although much of the crew will continue on with Speed Channel and cable coverage.

With Fox’s first year of NASCAR coverage in 2001 came a ratings surge of 16% (5.8 from 5.0) and that 5.8 average held steady this year.

The return to Daytona this weekend brings back some vivid memories of Dale Earnhardt’s death there at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500 for many members of the Fox crew.

“I don’t think I will be able to walk into that booth and look back down at that fourth turn and not have some thoughts about what happened,” Darrell Waltrip said. “That was one of the most emotional and chilling days in my whole life.”

Waltrip got choked up just talking about it on a conference call this week.

Wimbledon Woes

NBC already had been plagued by upsets and rain delays at Wimbledon. Then came Thursday’s two big news events in Southern California, and Channel 4 pushed back its Wimbledon coverage from noon to 6:30 p.m.

Tennis fans planning to spend the afternoon watching Venus and Serena Williams along with the men’s quarterfinals probably weren’t too pleased, but what was Channel 4 to do? The station covered the breaking news of the shootings at LAX and the small-plane crash in San Dimas.

“Originally we planned to cover the shooting at LAX and then pick up Wimbledon coverage,” said Chris Myers, Channel 4’s assistant news director. “But due to chaos at LAX and the tragedy at Bonelli Park, we felt we had to stay on the air with the breaking news. There’s also safety issues to consider.”

Short Waves

At least NBC is on a hot streak with golf. This weekend the network has the U.S. Women’s Open, which got a boost when Tiger Woods withdrew from the Western Open, which is on ABC.... NBC’s coverage of Don Pooley’s thrilling playoff victory over Tom Watson in the U.S. Senior Open Sunday earned a 2.5 national rating, the highest for the event since Hale Irwin’s victory in 1998 earned a 3.1.... ABC angered soccer fans Sunday when it cut away from the World Cup championship game as soon as it ended, missing the postgame celebration. A spokesman said the network had an obligation to get to regular programming.... Last Sunday’s Dodger-Angel game was not televised because it started at 5 p.m. and contractually couldn’t compete against ESPN’s baseball telecast. ESPN televised the New York Mets and Yankees at 5 p.m.

In Closing

Robert Wuhl, the star of HBO’s “Arli$$,” was at Minneapolis’ Metrodome recently to film scenes for an upcoming episode. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he asked several Twins where he

could find third baseman Corey Koskie.

Was he seeking out Koskie for an upcoming role on the show?

“No,” Wuhl said. “I’ve got him on my rotisserie team, and I wanted to know why he wasn’t stealing.”