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Given that television is blamed for ills ranging from youth violence to undermining civil discourse (think South Park), it's nice to stumble across a brighter side of youth and TV. Check out the X Games on all-sport ESPN or, over the weekend, on ABC. The two networks are broadcasting 28 hours of the fifth annual festival of alternative sports from San Francisco. The X Games (for Generation X; get it?) are not your usual sports - and actually can be more visually enthralling than the bash and grunt of football, or the slooooowwww ballet of baseball.

THE WIFE of fired Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine claimed Wednesday that ESPN maliciously trampled her reputation by broadcasting salacious stories about her and about claims that her husband molested ball boys. Laurie Fine held a news conference and threatened to file a libel lawsuit in federal court against the cable network and two employees. ESPN in November broke the story of two former Syracuse ball boys, Robert Davis and Michael Lang, who claimed they were molested by Bernie Fine decades ago. "I'm here today as a wife and a mother who has had to endure the trauma of being smeared in the public as a monster," she said, reading quickly from a statement.

Superjocks Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky will be on the same team if plans for a new animated series take off, according to an industry publication. Representatives of the athletes are planning a weekly cartoon called "The Super Stars," and have approached ESPN to carry the weekly series, which could be launched as soon as next spring, Advertising Age reported in its May 14 issue. In the cartoon, the three athletes would be portrayed as superheroes, traveling the globe and spreading anti-drug and other moral messages to youngsters, a source familiar with the project told Ad Age. Though it would be a departure from the cable network's predominantly live sports format aimed primarily at male viewers, it would enable the network to attract advertisers that target younger audiences, the magazine said.

Have an extra supply of earplugs handy: Dick Vitale has signed a new contract with ESPN that will keep him blaring on the air through 2000. Vitale called his career with ESPN "a fantasy. " "I did the first game in 1979, De Paul at Wisconsin," he said yesterday. "I had just gotten fired (as the Detroit Pistons' coach) and didn't know where my career was going. "When this (contract) is completed, I'll be 60. I act about 12. I hope I keep that (enthusiasm). " During a conference call, I asked Vitale if he is concerned about his friend, Bob Knight.

ESPN has apologized for using a racial slur in a headline for a story on Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin. ESPN ran the headline "Chink in the Armor" after Lin had nine turnovers in New York's loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night on its mobile website. Lin is the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He has captivated sports fans with unexpected dominance on the court that sparked a seven-game winning streak. ESPN apologized Saturday and said it was conducting a review of editorial procedures.

The life of racing great Dale Earnhardt will be the subject of a made-for-TV movie produced by ESPN. The movie, "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story," is to air late this summer. Earnhardt died after crashing during the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. This will be the third original movie by ESPN, following projects on basketball coach Bob Knight and football coach Bear Bryant. Philly File Villanova freshman guard Mike Nardi was named Big East rookie of the week after scoring 24 points in both Wildcats wins.

Sunday is the biggest day of the year for draftniks. For the 12th consecutive year, ESPN is televising the NFL draft live from the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan. ESPN will be on the air from noon to 6:30 p.m. Chris Berman will be the host, supported by Tom Jackson, Joe Theismann and Mel Kiper. At another set, Mike Gottfried and Fred Edelstein will join Robin Roberts. Kiper's top five forecast is: wide receiver Raghib Ismail and cornerback Todd Lyght, from Notre Dame; defensive lineman Russell Maryland, Miami; wide receiver Alvin Harper, Tennessee; and running back Nick Bell, Iowa.

ESPN's reality television program "Sidelines" has been too real for Texas A & M officials and a bit of a disappointment to some of the players. Texas A & M officials gave the cable sports network total access to its football facilities for a 13-episode series dealing with the lives of those involved with the school's football program. But three weeks into the program that airs on Thursday nights, A & M officials have complained about several scenes depicted, including one at a College Station bar. "We've been led to believe there will be some changes," coach R.C. Slocum said yesterday.

ESPN has spoiled us. Distinguishing itself many times with its work, ESPN has raised the bar. Sports fans expect excellence from the cable network. However, its handling of the alleged Eric Lindros "bite" was disappointing. On "SportsCenter" after the Nov. 20 game, ESPN showed slow-motion tapes of Lindros scuffling face-to-face with San Jose's Marty McSorley. Suddenly, McSorley's head snapped back. Accompanying the tape were remarks suggesting Lindros was hungry because he must have skipped lunch.

American viewers showed about as much interest in Ted Turner's mission to Moscow (a.k.a. the Goodwill Games) as they do in a 4 a.m. movie. Now, one week later, the question is: Will the U.S. Olympic Festival on ESPN benefit from having the Goodwill Games as a warmup? Or, can viewers only handle Olympic- type events once every four years? Bill Fitts, ESPN's executive producer for the 10-day Olympic Festival that begins tonight in Houston, is concerned that the few who watched the Goodwill Games won't in inspired to stay with the Festival.

THE WIFE of fired Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine claimed Wednesday that ESPN maliciously trampled her reputation by broadcasting salacious stories about her and about claims that her husband molested ball boys. Laurie Fine held a news conference and threatened to file a libel lawsuit in federal court against the cable network and two employees. ESPN in November broke the story of two former Syracuse ball boys, Robert Davis and Michael Lang, who claimed they were molested by Bernie Fine decades ago. "I'm here today as a wife and a mother who has had to endure the trauma of being smeared in the public as a monster," she said, reading quickly from a statement.

NEW YORK - Eleven high school quarterbacks represented Pennsylvania in the Randalls Island ESPN Elite 11 Regional camp on April 29 in New York. The camp invites the best high school quarterbacks in the country to show off their skills, with the top performers moving on to the final Elite 11 event in July. Sixty-two quarterbacks participated in the event, coming from as far as California and Utah. The group was largely made up of rising seniors, but with a privileged few underclassmen, including two freshmen, sprinkled in. Participants hailing from Pennsylvania included Timothy DiGiorgio of Frankford, Chris Geiss from Great Valley, Pat Moriarty from Harriton, Bryan Schor of Delaware Valley, Brennan Scott from Manheim Township, Nick Shafnisky from Whitehall, Matthew Voytik from Hickory, Alec Warner of Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg)

Comcast Corp. made available to its cable-TV subscribers the WatchESPN service for iPhone and iPad devices, part of the TV Everywhere initiative. The WatchESPN app is free and allows Comcast subscribers to stream ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU to the mobile devices. Comcast subscribers also can watch the channels on WatchESPN.com if they provide their Comcast credentials. Later this week, Comast says WatchESPN will be available on XfinityTV.com. Comcast acquired the mobile-streaming rights to ESPN content in a 10-year rights deal, valued at about $26 billion, with the Disney Co in January.

    Danny Granger scored 29 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 118-109, Thursday night and clinch home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. George Hill had 22 points and eight assists and David West added 21 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists for the Pacers, who won their seventh straight and 11th of 12. The Pacers have scored at least 100 points in 12 of their last 13 games. Brandon Jennings scored 27 points and former Pacer Mike Dunleavy added 23 for the Bucks.

The NFL will reveal its schedule for the upcoming season on Tuesday at 7 p.m., the league announced. The NFL Network and ESPN both plan to broadcast specials around the schedule, starting at 7. The ESPN "SportsCenter Special" is from 7 to 10 p.m. At home, the Eagles will face Dallas, Washington, the Giants, Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit, Baltimore and Cincinnati. They will travel to Dallas, Washington, the Giants, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The league has already announced that the season opener will be Dallas at the Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Sept.

The news that NFL players are paid for being able to deliver hits capable of hurting an opponent isn't much of a revelation when you get down to it. That's the nature of the game. Hard hits are celebrated, and just as the NHL and NASCAR owe some popularity to the promise of potential violence at any moment, the NFL puts away a lot of dough because its players smack each other around with great frequency. The league has no problem licensing video games in which the mayhem is taken to cartoonish levels, and has never been bothered by the slavering mythology that NFL Films built around the exploits of guys like Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, and Mike Singletary, who were all nice enough when they weren't dismembering opponents.

The final top 25 teams in the USA Today-ESPN men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec   Pts   Pr 1. Kentucky (30) 32-2   774   1    2. Syracuse 31-2   730   2    3. Missouri (1) 30-4   715   5    4. Michigan St. 27-7   660   8    5. N. Carolina 29-5   652   4    6. Kansas 27-6   586   3    7. Ohio State 27-7   578   7    8. Duke 27-6   557   6    9. Murray State 30-1   502   10    10. Baylor 27-7   481   11    11. Marquette 25-7   452   9    12. Florida State 24-9   442   17    13. Wisconsin 24-9   348   12    14. Michigan 24-9   319   13    15. Georgetown 23-8   307   14    16. St. Mary's 27-5   268   18    17. Indiana 25-8   252   15    18. Louisville 26-9   245   –    19. Wichita St. 27-5   231   16    20. Creighton 28-5   199   22    21. Florida 23-10   189   19    22. New Mexico 27-6   125   –    23. San Diego St. 26-7   99   21    24. ...

TWO PEOPLE familiar with the decision told the Associated Press yesterday that the Cowboys and Redskins will lose salary-cap space over the next two seasons because they paid exorbitant amounts 2 years ago to get more spending room for the upcoming season. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the league did not identify the teams. Both teams say they complied with NFL rules during the uncapped year. ESPN reported that the Redskins will lose $36 million in space, and the Cowboys will forfeit $10 million.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Peyton Manning era in Indianapolis is expected to end Wednesday, according to a report. Citing anonymous sources, ESPN reported Tuesday that the Colts plan to hold a news conference to announce the long-expected decision. Manning is expected to attend. Team owner Jim Irsay and Manning's agent, Tom Condon, did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press. Manning turns 36 later this month, and missed the entire 2011 season after a third neck surgery.