SI View The Week in TV Sports
DON'T MISS
Sunday 9/26
Ryder Cup, Final Day
NBC 10:30 AM
Will the Yanks get the yips yet again? Supposedly dominant U.S.
teams have won only two of the last seven Ryder Cup jousts with
European squads, leading to the same type of red-white-and-blue
hand-wringing seen when Japanese kids outscore American students
in standardized math exams. After Saturday's four-ball and
foursome matches (NBC, 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.), the weekend concludes
with today's 12 singles matches from Brookline, Mass. Will U.S.
captain Ben Crenshaw place his best, Tiger Woods, against
Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia (right, with Woods) in the
transatlantic tee-off everyone wants to see? Or will the
heavyweights avoid one another as if Don King were orchestrating
the pairings?
HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday 9/25
Michigan at Wisconsin
ABC 3:30 PM
The good news for the Badgers last Saturday: Bulldozing Heisman
hopeful Ron Dayne (page 84) rushed for 231 yards on 28 carries.
The bad news: For the first time this season the Great Dayne had
to play in the fourth quarter, because Wisconsin was losing to
underestimated Cincinnati, which upset the Badgers 17-12. Expect
Dayne to go the distance again today as the No. 20 Badgers host
the fourth-ranked Wolverines, who limited Dayne to 53 yards on
16 carries last season in a 27-10 Michigan win.
Sunday 9/26
Vikings at Packers
FOX 4 PM
Call it the Lambeau Weep. Last October in front of a Monday Night
Football audience and 60,000 stunned Packers backers, Minnesota
eviscerated the two-time defending NFC champs. The Pack's 37-24
loss--it trailed 37-10 at one point--was its first on the tundra in
30 games. The Vikings, auguring their divisional domination,
manhandled their NFC Central nemesis behind quarterback Randall
Cunningham's 442 yards passing and wide receiver Randy Moss's two
touchdown receptions.
Tuesday 9/28
Braves at Mets
TBS TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 7:05 PM
Try to remember that time last September: New York needed to win
one game in the season-ending three-game set at Turner Field to
qualify for a spot in a wild-card playoff. No luck. Then again,
fellow Queens denizen George Costanza had better luck with women
than the Mets have had against the Braves in recent times. As of
Sunday (and preceding a three-game showdown Sept. 21-23 in
Atlanta), the Braves had won eight of the last 11 meetings
between the National League East rivals, with five of those
victories having been shutouts. New York, one game back, was
primed for revenge and potent at the plate with the 100-RBI trio
of second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, catcher Mike Piazza and third
baseman Robin Ventura.
Friday 10/1
Cubs at Cardinals
WGN 8 PM
HR. Human Resources. Home Run. The best homer sequel since The
Odyssey concludes this weekend in St. Louis, as the superhuman
resources of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are pitted against each
other. Sosa (61 homers as of Sunday) was in rightfield in Busch
Stadium when McGwire (58 homers) broke Roger Maris's
single-season long ball record last September. This weekend, if
Sammy somehow gets to No. 71, the Cards' first baseman would be
the first--literally--to shake his hand.
ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. SOURCE:
NIELSEN SPORTS MARKETING SERVICE.
COLOR PHOTO: ROBERT BECK
THE RATING
59
Percent of homes watching TV in Cleveland that were tuned to the
first-year Browns' opener, a 43-0 thrashing by the Steelers on
Sept. 12. The game attracted 69% in Pittsburgh.
THE ZAPPER
The sixth sense? That may be the only one that ESPN's Dan
Patrick has yet to assault. Having used TV to pitch everything
but Kevin Costner's perfect game, now Patrick--or at least his
prerecorded voice--is telemarketing his new ESPN Radio show to
selected homes. Having conquered sight, hearing, (good) taste
and smell (his signature "whiff"), Patrick should worry more
about touch, as in, not losing touch with what got you here:
anchoring.