Bonus sports TV/Radio news: Strawberry quits, Buck cancelled, Ochocinco stumbles

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Two of my favorite shows are "Celebrity Apprentice" and "Dancing with the Stars" and since both reality shows feature sports personalities, they are fair game for commentary in the sports TV columns.

On Sunday night's "Celebrity Apprentice" Darryl Strawberry basically quit and asked Donald Trump to fire him. It was not a graceful, noble exit.

I still have trouble understanding why he's a beloved figure in New York, but Strawberry offered nothing on the show, including any kind of personality. He seemed disinterested from the start, and then said he was tired from his book tour. (Even though the show is seen now, it was taped in the fall in New York).

While Sharon Osbourne and Cyndi Lauper seem to be the dominant personalities on the NBC show, sports figures remain the show's backbone with Olympic swimming champ Summer Sanders (pictured below), Olympic sprint champion Michael Johnson and Holly Robinson Peete, the wife of the former Eagles quarterback, all in strong contention.




As for DWTS, this season is just full of eye candy for men looking for something to watch between basketball games. It all starts with new co-host Brooke Burke, a past DWTS champion.

Pamela Anderson, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, Shannen Doherty, and one of the Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger, add to the appeal. Scherzinger, with her musical background and a strong partner, is the clearcut favorite. Andrews, a member of the dance team at the University of Florida in the late 1990s, is also well ahead of most competitors and destined to stick around a long while.

It's funny, during sporting events, Andrews (below) draws the oohs and aahs from macho row during her updates with coaches, but she doesn't stand out so much when stacked up against the likes of Anderson in this sequined competition.



The less said, the better about Kate Gosselin. I'm sure you'll continue to read and hear about her elsewhere as you have for more than a year now as one of the most overrated celebrities in U.S. history. No need for me to say much more. Seeing her argue with her dance partner during practice sessions, you can almost hear her shady, cradle-robbing, ex-husband saying "I told you so."

Although former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, understandable for a guy who is 80, has no dancing ability, I am hoping Gosselin is sent back to be with her eight kids after tonight's elimination show.

As for this season's NFL entry, Ochocinco; he had a great debut but had trouble waltzing on Monday night. He seems more interested in hooking up with his dance partner than learning new steps.

Because of Aldrin and Gosselin's more pronounced troubles, Ochocinco will probably make the first cut, but he doesn't seem capable of following the strong DWTS showings of previous NFL stars like Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Jason Taylor. Notice, too, who he brought along for support. Terrell Owens has been in the audience the first two weeks of the show.

Of more concern to Groller's Corner is the staying power of our longtime favorite pro dancer, Edyta Sliwinska. Once again, the producers haven't given the lovely Edyta (pictured below) a strong partner and sadly, she won't be around for long. When she goes, we'll shed a tear with her.



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Joe Buck's HBO show was cancelled after just three episodes. Artie Lange created a stir on the first one with his foul language, but the other two shows generated no interest whatsoever. In an interview in St. Louis, Buck seemed unfazed by the show's exit and as Fox's lead guy on the NFL and major league baseball, it's not like he doesn't have enough work.

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Classy play-by-play guy Dick Enberg has likely worked his last NCAA tournament game for CBS. He is actually picking up more work, however, as the TV play-by-play voice of the San Diego Padres. He lives in San Diego.

FROM KEITH GROLLER