2008 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SOCCER

The more it rains in China, the more intriguing women's soccer is to
watch on TV. Heather Mitts, in her fourth month rehabbing a torn ACL and
unable to join the U.S. team that has reached the quarterfinals of the
Women's World Cup, has taken the "all things happen for a reason"
approach to being stuck in a Bristol, Conn., studio doing the next best
thing: Talking about it all on the pregame, postgame and halftime shows
that ESPN2 folds into live coverage of every game, most of which has
taken place overnight. "We know we're up against the baseball playoffs
races and the NFL and it's not the most ideal time, but fans tell me
they're waking up at all hours to watch," Mitts said Thursday. "The
rainy weather just adds to the drama. That's why the first three U.S.
(group) games have been so competitive, because the rainy conditions
equalize a lot of things." When told that NFL games on TV tend to draw
more viewers when there's snow involved, Mitts replied: "We've already
had a typhoon. Why not add snow?" Mitts, who also gravitated to TV work
when she had to miss the 2003 Women's World Cup with a broken leg, will
be back in the studio at 4 a.m. (PDT) Saturday for the pregame to the
U.S.-England quarterfinal (4:55 a.m.). JPDellacamera and Julie Foudy
flew to China on Thursday to do the games live on site. Weather
permitting, the semifinals are set for Wednesday and Thursday (ESPN2,
4:55 a.m.), with the final Sept. 30 (ESPN2, 4:55a.m.).