I watched this episode again the other night and I was interested in your opinions...

There are many enjoyable aspects to this episode as listed:

1. The plot is refreshingly original by Columbo standards (general manager of sports franchises bumps off lazy, unambitious and wasteful owner).

2. The script adds a nice twist a little way in, which explains why Paul Hanlon (Robert Culp) secures an alibi in a telephone conversation with Eric Wagner (Dean Stockwell); i.e. Wagner's lawyer bugs the phones suspecting Hanlon of betraying Wagner...

3. The consistently stern-faced and oddly humourless performance from Robert Culp whose determination to get what he wants at all costs comes through in his largely underestimated performance. His scenes with Columbo are increasingly confrontational.

4. The scene when Columbo goes to call-girl Eve Babcock's home to question her about the phone tap. Great scenes as she thinks Columbo is one of her customers.

5. One or two of the clues - I really liked the way Columbo noticed the fresh water around the steps of the pool. This was of course done by Hanlon using a hosepipe to wipe out his foot-prints.

What are it's minus points - some aspects of the script rely too heavily on coincidence and luck? For instance, Eric Wagner was obviously a stubborn person - Hanlon's pestering manages to ensure that he is the pool so he can orchestrate his murder. This happens too easily for my liking...

Of course, the other thing is well-documented: the sound of the chimes at 2.30p.m. on the tape. It breaks Hanlon's alibi but nothing else. Columbo's reinactment of the crime also just happens to compliment the chiming of the clock in Hanlon's office at exactly 2.30!!! This makes the script look a little contrived and artificial.

A very curious episode on reflection with more good than bad...what do you think?

I also like Robert Culp, but 2 of the 3 episodes he appeared in had weak stories (this one and "Death Lends a Hand").
There are numerous problems with this one.
Among them are the water from the hose that Columbo detects on the pool decking. Believe me, in the Los Angeles climate, that water would have dried up long before Columbo arrived at the scene. That part where he tastes it is ridiculous.
Another problem is that we are never given a clear motive for the murder.
A third problem is what you said about the chimes--a good, (or even mediocre) lawyer would get the case laughted out of court....suppose the time recorded by the PI of the telephone call was off by a minute or two, or suppose Hanlon's clock was off the same amount, or suppose Hanlon claimed the clock wasn't plugged in, or the batteries were dead, or whatever.
Also Hanlon was taking a big chance (one that he would be aware of) by phoning Eric Wagner from the phone booth, knowing the call is being recorded, after all, what if a car or truck drove by and made a lot of noise you wouldn't expect to hear in his office.
Still, Culp makes it a watchable episode.

Good points about the water around the pool (being from the UK I am not used to the weather being so hot as to dry up anything around a poolside) and also, about the phone call from an outside booth - in all the time he made the call, not one bit of traffic came past! I didn't think of that...

All valid points about this episode. My two cents: Hanlon doesn't seem smart enough to come up with this murder. The hooker is not gonna live very long. She might try blackmail, or if confronted by the cops, tell what happened when she bugged Hanlon's phone. Which she will/does. The joy of this episode is having the alibi first save and then destroy Hanlon. The family lawyer is darn right about Hanlon being a rotter. He must be shocked when his bugged phone tape saves Hanlon. The problem (at least for me) is ...uh, motive? Hanlon is not in league with the owner's widow to get rid of the owner. Even though he made darn sure she was out of town with a genuine alibi when he killed the guy. And there appears to be no way they will marry. So...uh, motive?

i see about the motive...hmmm...well, theres alot of unclear things about this episode but i got the impression that the victim was probably going to blow the whistle on hanlon (illegal activity maybe?)or selling the franchise and hanlon was not going to be able to do his dirty deeds anymore...i remember (havent seen it in awhile) that the victim told hanlon he couldnt be bullied around anymore or used by hanlon anymore...could be???

I figured either (a) Hanlon's ego was big enough that he'd convinced himself he'd eventually get the widow Wagner to the altar, or (b) he figured she'd say something like, "Gosh, I may own this whole sports empire, but I don't know anything about running it. Paul, you were always so good at your job when Eric was alive, why don't you run it for me." We did see that she trusted Hanlon a great deal, certainly more than she trusted that lawyer who did have her best interests at heart.

i always wondered how Eric Wagner's "date" the night before he was murdered left in the morning without her shoes, brassiere, and clothes.

I must admit I have always found this episode enjoyable. It has a very weak plot and ending, even weaker than "The Most Dangerous Match" (an episode I've been having issues with lately), but for some reason I always found it highly entertaining. That does seem a bit inconsistent, but as Dale Kingston would say, "Life is full of inconsistencies."

"The Most Crucial Game" was a terrific episode. In my opnion, it is the best of Robert Culp's three appearances as a Columbo killer. The interaction is intense and the surprising nab at the end makes for an exciting final clue.

Agree!
I think the chimes is a good clue.
Remember, LT. visited Hanlon after the.murder and heard the.clock chiming.
So, it couldn't be easily explained away.
What is Hanlon going to say when asked " Why did you pretend to be at the stadium when you called the owner? Why didn't you remove the phone taps when you caught Rogorjak? Why did you pay her off?
Did he prove MURDER?
No.
Did he have reason to arrest.him and put him on trial?
Yes.

[Of course, the other thing is well-documented: the sound of the chimes at 2.30p.m. on the tape. It breaks Hanlon's alibi but nothing else. Columbo's reinactment of the crime also just happens to compliment the chiming of the clock in Hanlon's office at exactly 2.30!!! This makes the script look a little contrived and artificial.]

You made some excellent points about this episode, but I disagree that Columbo's reinactment at 2:30 seems contrived. Columbo deliberately planned to be in the booth at that time in order to drive home the proof that Hanlon's alibi was toast.

Yes, the timing was "contrived," if you want to call it that, but contrived by Columbo.