SI View The Week in TV Sports

Highlights

MONDAY 10/30

Titans at Redskins
ABC 9 PM Certainly the locker room chemistry has improved since
Denzel Washington assumed Jeff Fisher's coaching duties in
Nashville. "I love when we sing the Supremes' hits," says one
Tennessee star, "but if Eddie George tries to kiss me, there's
going to be trouble." The NFL Titans (6-1), unlike their
celluloid namesakes, may not be in the midst of an unbeaten
season, but they enter FedEx Field with a six-game winning
streak. Washington (the team, not the actor) has won five
straight.

TUESDAY 10/31

76ers at Knicks; Lakers at Trail Blazers
TBS 8 pm and 10:30 pm Trick or treat! As the NBA season
premieres with a Halloween doubleheader, the question is, Is
this a league or a masquerade ball? More than 120 players have
changed costumes since June 20. Patrick Ewing is now a Madison
Square Garden ghost. Glen Rice is a Knick, Shawn Kemp a Blazer,
Horace Grant a Laker. The 76ers' Allen Iverson is Dr. Dre.

FRIDAY 11/3

Players Choice Awards
ESPN 9 PM Merge the glacial tempo of postseason baseball with the
pokey pacing of an awards telecast, and you get this ESPY-like
affair, hosted by actor-comedian Robert (Arli$$!) Wuhl. Little
wonder that it's being staged in Las Vegas, where clocks are as
easy to locate as Rick Ankiel's curve. The Cardinals lefty, along
with Braves infielder Rafael Furcal and Mets outfielder Jay
Payton, is up for National League Outstanding Rookie, one of 10
awards bestowed on the basis of votes of major leaguers.

Don't Miss

SATURDAY 10/28

Nebraska at Oklahoma
ABC NOON Call it a covered bandwagon. Nearly every pundit has
jumped aboard the No. 3 Sooners' Conestoga after Oklahoma's
convincing smackdowns of Texas and Kansas State. For the first
time since 1997 the Sooners (6-0) play the Cornhuskers (7-0, No.
1). From 1971 to '88 the teams met 14 times when both were
ranked in the Top 10, including '78 (above), when Nebraska
dumped Billy Sims (20) and Oklahoma 17-14. Today the focus will
be on two Heisman-worthy quarterbacks, Oklahoma's pure passer,
Josh Heupel, and the No. 1 Huskers' lightning-legged Eric
Crouch. Rearrange the letters from the respective helmet decals
(O, U and N), add some salsa and you have UNO. That's Spanish
for where today's winner almost certainly will appear in the
polls.

ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

COLOR PHOTO: RICH CLARKSON

THE ZAPPER

Jay Walking is a popular Tonight Show bit in which host Jay Leno
demonstrates the dumbing down of America by stumping random
passersby with third-grade-level queries. Last Thursday, on the
UCLA campus, Leno happened upon Freddie Mitchell, the Bruins'
star wideout and a history major. Mitchell didn't know how many
U.S. senators there are (100) or who America's first President
was (look at a dollar bill) but said, "I do know who we play
this week."...Non-Series MVP (Most Visible Player)? Nomar
Garciaparra, who this postseason showed up on Saturday Night
Live and Two Guys and a Girl.