Sikahema joins NBC Olympic broadcast team WCAU's Vai Sikahema is one of the 100-plus commentators for NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics from Athens, Greece, beginning tonight. This is the first Olympic network assignment for the Channel 10 sports director who will work the sports desk. Before Sikahema left for Greece last week, he took some vacation time to help his oldest son get settled at Brigham Young University (his alma mater). Also of interest, former Sixers president Pat Croce will be a commentator for Tae kwon do, and former Sixers guard Doug Collins will be one of the men's basketball commentators. Other familiar names who will work the games are John Dockery, Al Trautwig, Andrea Joyce, Bill Clement, Joe Magrane, Mike Breen, Craig Sager, Ann Meyers, Karch Kiraly, Bob Papa, Teddy Atlas, Dot Richardson, Rowdy Gaines, Jim Courier, Len Berman, Mike Emrick, Tim Ryan, Dan Hicks, Melissa Stark, Tom Hammond, Dwight Stones, Marty Liquori and Carol Lewis. NBC and its various networks will air more than 1,210 hours of Olympic action and plenty of "Joey" promos. Scandal scoop Though CN8 now goes from Maine to Maryland, sports anchor Lou Tilley didn't forget about Philadelphia, when he had several scoops on the La Salle basketball scandal. Tilley was the first reporter in town to announce that men's coach Billy Hahn would be fired (forced to resign), name the players who got into trouble and announce the indictment news. Here we go again The NFL and the music world are teaming up for another extravaganza before the opening game of the season. "NFL Opening Kickoff" will air Thursday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC before the season opener between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child, Elton John, Toby Keith, Lenny Kravitz, and Jessica Simpson will perform. (Kravitz is my choice for who will most likely do something to bug the league.) This will be the first major NFL show business event since the infamous Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction." Laura Nachman covers television and radio sports for the Courier Times. She can be reached at lauranachman@aol.com. August 13, 2004 7:45 AM