DICK TRACEY LEAVING RCN CABLE

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Some changes are happening at RCN 4 sports television and the Lehigh Valley is losing one of its icons with the retirement of Dick Tracy from the broadcast booth.

Tracy has been working games at the cable company, originally known as Twin County, since the 1960s and sunk his teeth into TV after retiring as Whitehall basketball coach following the 1982-83 season.

''We have some old black-and-white video of him working games with Johnny Daday and Johnny Howard in the '60s,'' said Rick Geho, RCN's video production manager. ''He's a Lehigh Valley sports legend, there's no question about it, and we appreciate all he has done for us and we'll miss him.

''We hope he'll still be popping in from time to time and won't make himself a stranger from our facility.''

Tracy was best known as the basketball coach at Whitehall who led the Zephyrs to the 1982 PIAA 3A title.

However, Tracy knows his stuff regardless of the sport. He also had a vast background in both baseball and football.

But what made him a successful analyst was also what made him a successful coach -- preparation.

No one worked harder at knowing the teams, the kids, the coaches, and their tendencies better than Tracy.

Tracy has had some health issues in recent years and has been taking care of his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, wife Mary, who has been ailing.

''He's gone through some tough times, but he also never lost his enthusiasm for high school sports and the kids,'' Geho said. ''He knew everybody. He was like a little boy when it came to high school sports. He looked forward to the games.''

Tracy is also a well-known Yankees baseball and Notre Dame football fan, which was the source of considerable razzing over the years.

However, at least with the Yankees, Tracy often got the last laugh.

To me, a future Chris Michael ''Sports Talk'' show should be turned into a ''Tracy tribute show.''

Geho agreed, but said: ''The only person who would stop that from happening would be Dick himself because he never liked to talk about himself very much. He really doesn't want attention. It was always about the kids and the games.''

As for other changes at RCN, Geho couldn't comment, saying only that ''any time there is a change in management there's bound to be some restructuring.''

Geho would not confirm it, but sources indicate that Dennis Laub and Tony Cocca will no longer be game analysts, although Laub has been offered the chance to continue as an anchor on RCN's Friday night high school football call-in show.

Because I am at games on the same night, I didn't get to hear Laub or Cocca often, but both are likeable guys with great personalities. If either wants to get back into TV, I hope they'll get a chance.

Did you notice? An outstanding feature by ESPN's Rick Reilly on Denver Nuggets coach George Karl on Sunday night's ''SportsCenter.'' Karl is battling throat and neck cancer and it's heartbreaking to see what he's going through. Reilly sat with Karl as he watched his team's playoff game with Utah and it was interesting to see that Karl, just like a typical fan, can't stand to watch sometimes. Â… I used to think that a graphic telling who's leading an NBA playoff series was unnecessary. But I have to admit that when I tuned in the Lakers-Thunder game briefly on Saturday night, I didn't know where the series stood. Now I know it's tied 2-2. Â…The move to primetime for the NFL Draft was a big ratings success. First-round coverage drew a combined viewership of 23.3 million on ESPN and the NFL Network, an increase of 43 percent from the 15.7 million who watched in 2009 when the first round began at 4 p.m. on a Saturday. Overall, the three-day draft attracted 45.4 million viewers, up 16 percent from last year's record of 39 million. In the past decade, draft viewership has nearly doubled from 23.5 million in 2001 to 45.4 million in 2010. Â… The difference of sports priorities between New York and Philly were on display again on Sunday night. In Philly, the late-night sports talk shows on NBC10 and CBS3 led with a recap of the Eagles' draft. On Mike Francesa's WNBC ''Mike'd Up'' show, it was all about the Mets and Yanks. He didn't get to the Jets and Giants until 20 minutes had passed. Â… NASCAR's Sprint Cup race at Talladega on Sunday drew a 9 percent ratings increase for FOX. That's the largest increase of the season for any NASCAR race and the third in a row to show a ratings rise from the previous year. What the sport still needs is a rivalry and one seems to be brewing between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, both members of the Hendrick Motorsports team and the two dominant drivers of this era.

FROM KEITH GROLLER