SI View The Week in TV Sports

Highlights

SATURDAY 11/27

Georgia at Georgia Tech
ABC 1 PM Introducing Joe Hamilton, your 1999-model Cade McNown.
Last year quarterback McNown led UCLA to a 10-2 record and
finished second in the Heisman voting behind then NCAA career
rushing leader Ricky Williams. This season Hamilton, the
nation's passing-efficiency leader, has sparked the Yellow
Jackets to a 7-3 mark. In two weeks, however, he likely will
find himself congratulating Ron Dayne, the new NCAA career
rushing leader and Heisman favorite, at the Downtown Athletic
Club. Today, Hamilton will be tested by the Bulldogs, also 7-3.
The last two installments of this y'all brawl have been decided
in the final minute.

The Skins Game
ABC 4:30 PM; SUNDAY 3:30 PM Unlike Jerry Garcia, who also
attracted a cult following wherever he played, Sergio Garcia
tries to avoid the weeds. In the 17th edition of this event
(shown on tape delay), Sergio, the 19-year-old who was smokin' at
the PGA Championship (finishing second) and the Ryder Cup, will
be the most charismatic member of a foursome that also includes
David Duval, two-time winner Fred Couples (taking the place of
the late Payne Stewart) and defending champ Mark O'Meara.

WEDNESDAY 12/1

Michigan State at North Carolina
ESPN 9 PM All Spartans coach Tom Izzo wants for Christmas is
Mateen Cleaves, his senior All-America point guard. Cleaves, who
led Michigan State to the Final Four last March, suffered a
stress fracture in his right foot in October and will miss
pre-Yule road games at Arizona, Kentucky and tonight in Chapel
Hill. His temporary replacement is 6'7" junior David Thomas, who
before this season had never manned the point and who tonight
will face one of the nation's best in Tar Heels senior Ed Cota.
Thomas and his No. 2-ranked mates figure to be in for an
Advent-ure against No. 5 North Carolina.

THURSDAY 12/2

Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards
CBS 9 PM Either this is the greatest roster in the history of
sport or Bill Bradley is hosting another fund-raiser. Here are
the nicknames of just a few of those assembling tonight for the
two-hour show from Madison Square Garden: the Greatest, the
Great One, the Golden Bear, Hammerin' Hank, Arnie, Air, Magic,
Chrissie, Tiger, the King, the and Hondo. Not to mention Roger
Bannister, Jim Brown, Carl Lewis and Bill Russell. Do you
believe in miracles (them, too)? Yes!

ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

COLOR PHOTO: OTTO GRUELE

Don't Miss

SUNDAY 11/28

Buccaneers at Seahawks
FOX 4 pm They're talking playoffs at the Cafe Nervosa. Bulldog
is barking up a storm on his sports-talk radio show, and Niles
may use his opera glasses at the Kingdome soon. In Seattle,
whose only birds of note the last few years have been the
Cranes, the AFC West-leading Seahawks (8-2) are attracting a
flock of believers. Quarterback Jon Kitna (above), the
conference's No. 2-rated passer, has thrown only six
interceptions while the Seattle secondary has picked off 21
passes. Seahawks defensive backs could be birds of prey against
the Bucs (6-4), who are minus-13 in turnovers. Historical note:
Tampa Bay is 0-4 against its 1976 expansion brother.

the zapper

To watch 11 p.m. highlights shows is to know that we're in the
age of preinformation. There's Vince, Kenny or Keith keeping the
outcome a mystery until the end of the highlight--even though the
ticker flashed the score 30 seconds earlier. "I'm literally being
undermined by the ticker," says CNN's Vince Cellini. "It's like
wrapping Christmas presents in cellophane." Does Cellini consider
it beneath him to complement what's beneath him? Hardly. "The
ticker is a necessary evil," he says. "I just hope that the
viewer wants to see and hear how [a team] won."... What once
looked like a ratings touchdown--Packers at 49ers (ABC, Monday, 9
p.m.)--now just has us asking, When is The Sopranos returning?