The Week Ahead
FRIDAY
29
Tigers at White Sox 8 p.m. | Injured Detroit slugger Magglio Ordoñez won't be returning to Chi-town, where he played eight years. It wasn't an amicable parting--last week he called Sox manager Ozzie Guillen his "enemy." Guillen's response: "Shut the [bleep] up and play."
SATURDAY
30
Professional Bull Riders Nassau Open OLN 8 p.m. | "Bulls and the cowboys who love them, on the next Springer." Well, not quite, but bullriding meets daytime TV as fans can audition to cohost an episode of The Jerry Springer Show at today's PBR event in Long Island.
SUNDAY
1
NASCAR Nextel Cup Aaron's 499 Fox 12:30 p.m. | Watch that mouth. After last October's win here, a jubilant Dale Earnhardt Jr. let slip an expletive on TV, which cost him 25 points. Five Boro Bike Tour | More than 30,000 riders take a 42-mile tour of New York City.
MONDAY
2
Top Five Reasons You Can't Blame Kobe Bryant for the Break-Up of the Lakers ESPN2 8 p.m. | Try telling that to Phil Jackson. 2005 Bassmaster Elite 50 ESPN2 4 p.m. | Local angler Gerald Swindle is the favorite at Smith Lake near Jasper, Ala.
TUESDAY
3
UEFA Champions League Soccer, Chelsea vs. Liverpool ESPN2 2:30 p.m. | It's an all-England matchup as upstart Liverpool takes on the mighty Blues in the first leg of a two-match semifinal. AC Milan and PSV Eindhoeven play in the other semi.
WEDNESDAY
4
On this date | In 1957 Bill Shoemaker's premature celebration cost Gallant Man the Kentucky Derby. Said Shoemaker, "I confused the 16th pole with the finish pole." The Tonight Show with Jay Leno NBC 11:35 p.m. | Sylvester Stallone talks about The Contender.
THURSDAY
5
NCAA men's volleyball national semifinals ESPN2 10 p.m. | UCLA, which last won the title in 2000, looks like the team to beat. Led by senior quick hitter Paul Johnson, who leads the team in kills, the Bruins are No. 2 in the country, and they'll be playing at home.
COLOR PHOTO
RVP (GUILLEN)
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TOM WHITMORE/ICON SMI (EARNHARDT JR.)
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ACTION IMAGES/WIREIMAGE.COM (CHELSEA)
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STAN LUI/ICON SMI (JOHNSON)
B/W PHOTO
BETTMANN/CORBIS (SHOEMAKER)
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LISA BLUMENFELD/GETTY IMAGES (BRYANT)
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JERRY SPRINGER SHOW