TV tells wet story at Wrigley // Rain throws WGN a curve

The first problem in televising the first night game at WrigleyField was the Goodyear blimp.

The second problem was the remote microphone that wouldn't workin the bleachers for the fellow who caught Ryne Sandberg'sfirst-inning homer.

And the third problem was a wind shift that brought the rain.

Not that the millions of home viewers who were watching the gameon WGN-TV would have known.

Long years of experience, 12 cameras compared to the usualseven, guests like comic Bill Murray in the booth and a well-seasonedknack for staying calm in the midst of panic served Arne Harris wellMonday night.

The veteran director of Cub games had his hands full with aspecial pre-game show, making sure there were cutaways to HarryCaray's restaurant and a tasteful capture of Morganna's abortedassault on Sandberg, but night time at Wrigley really was notdifferent for him than the days.

NBC gets its chance today when the first network night telecastfrom Wrigley Field takes place against the Mets, but Monday night wasfor the hometown WGN vets. Considering Mother Nature picked 8-8-88for a rainstorm, it might have been a good thing.

"I called our weatherman Tom Skilling three times in the lasthour and he guaranteed no rain," Harris said two hours before gametime. By 7:30, when the Goodyear blimp had long been groundedbecause of the severe weather warnings and his crew was telling himthe wind shift had put the storm "15 minutes away," Harris wasremembering a thing or two about Chicago climes.

The weather, he couldn't control. The slow pace of 91-year-oldHarry Grossman's turn-on of the lights, he couldn't control. Thewalkie-talkie putting him in touch with the blimp camera, he couldn'tkeep from breaking.

Still, he kept things rolling along smoothly, like these nightgames have been going on all along.

"Is it raining?" Harris asked at 6:20 p.m. "It won't rain," heanswered himself immediately. "Tom Skilling says it won't rain tillafter midnight."

Except that midnight came at 8:15 p.m. But by then, thepre-game show, a third of the game and a handful of guests, hatshots, light shots and "firsts" had all been recorded. And he evengot in his opening with Caray to Frank Sinatra's rendering of ColePorter's "Night and Day."

"I think that tells the story of it at 7:05 p.m.," Harris said. Harris was telling that story to as big an audience the Cubs and WGNhave ever had.

"All I know was our pennant-clincher (in 1984 in Pittsburgh) hada 35 rating, our highest ever, so who knows what this will be? We'reon more cable outlets than in 1984.

"I kind of like this," Harris said about Wrigley's new look. "Ithink it will be fun. I wouldn't want to see 60 night games a yearhere, but 18 should be fun.

"The only problem we've had tonight is the remote mike in theoutfield and the cockamamie blimp. If it rains, we have interviewsplanned. We'll be OK."

Night or day - even when it rains.