SI VIEW THE WEEK IN TV SPORTS
Saturday 3/29
GOLF
Nabisco Dinah Shore
Going into this tournament, Sweden's Sorenstam sisters, Annika,
26, and Charlotta, 23, are running hot (on the course) and cool
(toward each other). In a little more than three years on the
LPGA tour, Annika (right) has earned a smorgasbord of honors,
including 1994 LPGA rookie of the year and '95 player of the
year. In '97 she is off to the most torrid start the tour has
witnessed in 28 years, winning twice and finishing second and
third once each. Charlotta, meanwhile, is second on the money
list among rookies. Yet in their relations with each other,
Annika and Charlotta are emulating another Swedish sensation and
doing a mutual Garbo, rarely speaking to each other.
ABC, 4:30 PM Sat; 4 PM Sun
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA Men's Final Four
It all comes down to who will be in the last scene of the One
Shining Moment montage. Will it be one of the three No. 1 seeds:
Kentucky, Minnesota or North Carolina? Or will gritty Arizona
take the monkey off coach Lute Olson's back? Expect the best
game to be Saturday's nightcap: defending champ Kentucky against
senior-laden Minnesota.
CBS, 5:30 PM Sat; 9 PM Mon
Sunday 3/30
DOCUMENTARIES
Ted Williams: A Baseball Life
As this revealing biography shows, the 78-year-old Splendid
Splinter (right, in 1941) is still as enthusiastic about hitting
as the San Diego lad who would arrive at school before the
janitor so that he could grab a bat and ball from the classroom
the moment the custodian unlocked the door. Watch during the
closing credits as the Kid demonstrates for narrator Al Michaels
the nuances of his historic swing. According to A Baseball Life,
the mastery of Williams is not found in stats, such as his .406
average in '41, but in the self-assuredness of his always
knowing who he wanted to be: baseball's best hitter.
ABC, 3 pm
Sunday 3/30
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA Women's Championship Game
"I don't even remember this game being televised when I was a
little girl," says former Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo. Two
years ago Lobo helped put the women's game in the limelight by
leading the Huskies to a 35-0 season. Now she'll provide
commentary for a prime-time telecast whose stars will likely
join Lobo (who signed with the New York Liberty of the WNBA) in
the pro ranks.
ESPN, 8:30 pm
Tuesday 4/1
BASEBALL
Opening Day Tripleheader
Play ball! The 1997 season opens with many questions: Can new
Chicago White Sox slugger Albert Belle hit 62 home runs and no
humans? If the Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. is called
Junior, will rookie teammate Jose Cruz Jr. go by Senor Junior?
And what position, exactly, does Chuck Norris play for the
Rangers? This TV triple dip includes Belle's White Sox visiting
the Toronto Blue Jays, followed by the Chicago Cubs at the
Florida Marlins and the world champion New York Yankees at the
Juniors' Mariners.
ESPN, 1 pm
Wednesday 4/2
PRO BASKETBALL
Hawks at Hornets
Charlotte forward Glen Rice insists that his luminous season is
no Hale-Bopp phenomenon. "I want to make it clear that I'm not
in a 'zone,'" says Rice (left), a seven-year pro whose
26.5-point average at week's end was 6.1 points higher than his
career standard. "A zone is something that happens for one or
two games. I'm just playing the way Glen Rice is capable of
playing." With Hornets forward Anthony Mason expected to be out
with a torn right plantar fascia, Rice can ill afford a fall to
earth if the surprising Hornets are to end up ahead of the
equally surprising Hawks in the Eastern Conference.
TBS, 8 pm
COLOR PHOTO: J.D. CUBAN [Annika Sorenstam playing golf]
B/W PHOTO: AP [Ted Williams batting]
COLOR PHOTO: JOHN BIEVER [Glen Rice in game]
THE ! ZAPPER
The McDonald's All-American Game (CBS, Saturday, 2 p.m.) is as
close as the Golden Arches ever comes to serving hot dogs. Two
dozen of the nation's most gifted high school seniors will
provide a clinic on playground hoops as well as a preview of NBA
All-Star Games to come. In this 20th annual showcase, the Big
Mac will be 6'9" Tracy McGrady of Mount Zion Academy in Durham,
N.C., who plans to bypass college and take the drive-through
lane directly to the NBA. Trivia question: Who holds the record
for most points scored (30) in this game? Answer: (Surprise!)
Michael Jordan in 1981.
All times Eastern. Schedules are subject to change.