SI View The Week in TV Sports

Highlights

SATURDAY 1/27

Sharks at Blues
ESPN2 8 PM Was it a fluke when the Blues floundered against the
Sharks last spring? It seemed awfully fishy when St. Louis,
owner of the NHL's best record, lost to lowly San Jose in the
first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season, through
Sunday, the Pacific Division-leading Sharks had the league's
third-best record (the Blues, best in the Central, were second)
and the midseason Calder Trophy favorite in rookie goalie Evgeni
Nabokov.

SUNDAY 1/28

Lakers at Knicks
NBC 2:30 PM Follow along: Because of his inability to temper his
anger, New York center Marcus Camby is serving the last of a
five-game suspension today. For the same reason, Knicks fan Alec
Baldwin has been asked for a divorce by wife Kim Basinger, who
starred in L.A. Confidential, which would be an inaccurate way of
characterizing the public squabbling of Lakers stars Kobe Bryant
and Shaquille O'Neal. Even with such tempestuousness, why do we
get the feeling that this is an NBA Finals preview?

THURSDAY 2/1

North Carolina at Duke
ESPN2 9 PM Advice for the man at O'Hare Airport last week who
spoke on his cell phone while seated on the toilet: Answer one
call at a time. Take the Tar Heels' Ronald Curry and Julius
Peppers, for example, who didn't join the basketball team until
football season ended. Through Sunday, Curry, a quarterback
turned point guard, and Peppers, a defensive end turned reserve
power forward, had helped the Heels to 12 straight wins and a No.
6 ranking heading toward their showdown with the No. 2 Blue
Devils.

Don't Miss

SUNDAY 1/28

Super Bowl XXXV
CBS 6 PM Here it is: Baltimore versus New York, Homicide versus
Law and Order, Andre Braugher versus Jerry Orbach (and Angie
Harmon, of course), Diner versus Annie Hall, Babe Ruth's boyhood
versus Babe Ruth's adulthood, Inner Harbor versus South Street
Seaport and Schwab investor Shannon Sharpe versus Schwab investor
Jason Sehorn (a.k.a. Mr. Angie Harmon). The Giants have history
(2-0 in Roman Numeral games) on their side, while the Ravens have
a record-setting defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis (above) that
has allowed them to win 19 straight games in which they've scored
at least seven points. Worth noting: No team has been shut out in
a Super Bowl (fewest points: three, by Miami in Super Bowl VI).

ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

COLOR PHOTO: BRAD MANGIN

THE ZAPPER

With three networks--CBS, ESPN and Fox--strip-mining the NFL for
every last schmaltzy pregame show profile, it's amazing that
Lifetime uncovered a pristine gem as part of its NFL Stories:
Straight from the Heart special (Friday, 7 p.m.). Buccaneers
special teams coach Joe Marciano, 45 and a bachelor, recently
adopted an infant son, Joseph, whom he plans to raise solo.
You'll be touched and even amused by this NFL Films entry,
especially when the gruff gridiron lifer claims, "I'm no
different than any mom."