SI View The Week in TV Sports

Highlights

SATURDAY 5/19

--NHL and NBA Playoffs
ABC 3 PM (NHL); NBC 6:30 PM (NBA) Mario Lemieux's
made-for-Disney comeback story continues in the Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference finals, in which the Penguins host the Devils
in Game 4. An Avalanche-Blues Western Conference finals Game 5,
if necessary, will be played on Monday (ESPN, 8 p.m.). For pro
basketball fans, it's playoff viewing roulette: Today, you could
be watching a Game 7 of a conference semifinals and/or Game 1 of
the Western Conference finals.

SUNDAY 5/20

--Indy 500 Bump Day
ESPN 12 PM, ESPN2 6 PM Racing fans who can't get enough of cars
circling a track will eat up this full day of time trials, so
named because drivers are bumped from the field for the May 27
race once their qualifying times drop below 33rd place. The rest
of us would probably be more entertained if, instead of Bump
Day, this were the Indy 500 Bump and Grind Day. Picture Sir
Mix-a-Lot grabbing the P.A. mike to proclaim it time to "get
this party started, yo!" at which point droves of halter-topped
women flood the track, Soul Train camera angles kick in, and all
the Unsers, Andrettis and pit crew grease boys get their freak
on.

--Indians at Angels
ESPN 8 PM Tune in for ESPN's newfangled (and very cool) Dead
Center camera, which provides a view of home plate from directly
above the pitcher's head. It should be the perfect vantage point
from which to see Juan (Gone)zalez (10 homers through Sunday)
and the rest of the Indians' sluggers tee off. Anaheim counters
with its own fence-buster, American League home run champion
Troy Glaus, who had hit nine so far this season.

Don't Miss

SATURDAY 5/19

--The Preakness Stakes
NBC 5 PM Practice? Monarchos don't need no stinking practice. At
least that was the thinking of trainer John Ward, who didn't
work the colt during Kentucky Derby week, a tactic no trainer of
a Derby winner had employed since Laz Barrera kept Bold Forbes
inactive before the race in 1976. As a result, a still-fresh
Monarchos (above) might have a little extra kick for another
charge in the stretch as he aims to win the second leg of the
Triple Crown at Pimlico. Even so, the pick here, by a snout, is
Congaree, who was ridden to a third-place Derby finish by Victor
Espinoza but will have the peerless Jerry Bailey aboard for the
Preakness.

ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

COLOR PHOTO: BILL FRAKES

THE ZAPPER

Sure, ESPN's miking of Penguins star Mario Lemieux for Game 1 of
the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals seemed like a nice
idea, but mild-mannered Mario gave a predictably tame audio
performance. Next time, why not wire up a loose cannon like
Pittsburgh's Kevin Stevens or the Blues' Keith Tkachuk?... It
wasn't quite Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs, but it was
good fun watching San Diego Spirits midfielder Julie Foudy boot
a soccer ball past goalie Charles Barkley as she shilled for the
WUSA on TNT's Inside the NBA last Friday.