The Week Ahead
FRIDAY 6/3
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Long before extreme sports were mainstream, Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva and Jay Adams brought surf moves to the concrete swells of the Dogtown neighborhood in Venice, Calif., and, as the Z-Boys, revolutionized skateboarding. Those days come to life in Lords of Dogtown, a fictionalized take on the acclaimed 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. Written by Peralta and featuring a cast of talented newcomers that includes Emile Hirsch (above, as Adams), the film captures the energy and rebellious spirit of the Z-Boys' world. "We tried to make it as real as we could," says director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen). "The real skateboarders were on the set every day."
SATURDAY 6/4
Soccer: World Cup Qualifier, Costa Rica vs. U.S. Now it's serious. After a 2-1 loss to England in last Saturday's friendly, the U.S. plays the first of two 2006 World Cup qualifiers in five days, in Salt Lake City. (The Yanks visit Panama on June 8.) Costa Rica, which hasn't won in the U.S. since 1995, will try to make a winner of coach Alexandre Guimaraes, who returns to the side he left after the 2002 World Cup. ESPN2 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY 6/5
Prefontaine Classic The headline event in Eugene, Ore., is the men's two-mile, with 22-year-old U.S. Olympians Alan Webb (left) and Dathan Ritzenhein leading a deep field that includes Kenya's Joseph Koskei, the defending champ, and Eliud Kipchoge, the reigning 5,000-meter world champion. NBC 2 p.m.
Steamboat Marathon When the going gets tough, the tough look at stunning vistas. One of the country's most scenic marathons takes runners on a 1,400-foot descent through the Elk River Valley, ending on the courthouse lawn in downtown Steamboat Springs, Colo.
NFL Europe: Cologne Centurions at Berlin Thunder Texans backup QB Dave Ragone (right) is having a breakout season for the Thunder, leading the Euro league in yards (1,446) and touchdowns (12). Now he's trying to guide first-place Berlin (7-2) to its fourth title in five years. The Thunder already has a spot in the World Bowl; Cologne (5-4) was eliminated from contention last weekend. Fox 1 p.m.
MONDAY 6/6
Red Sox at Cardinals Edgar Renteria (left) is no longer singing the St. Louis blues. After bolting the World Series losers for the champs as a free agent last winter, the shortstop hit just .228 in April, but he rebounded with a monster May (a .363 average and a .495 slugging percentage). ESPN2 8 p.m.
TUESDAY 6/7
WNBA: Storm at Sun A rematch of last year's WNBA finals. The defending-champ Storm has the league's best point-pivot combo in All-WNBA guard Sue Bird (page 28) and 2003 MVP Lauren Jackson but lost two starters from last year. The Sun, virtually intact, won two of its first three games this year. ESPN2 8 p.m.
Where Legends Are BornMagic Johnson and Larry Bird were the LeBron and Carmelo of their day-only better. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of their NBA entrée with this look at the 1980 season, when Bird was Rookie of the Year and Johnson won the NBA title. NBA TV 7 p.m.
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ROBERT B. STANTON/WIREIMAGE.COM (WEBB)
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WAYNEPAULO.COM (RAGONE)
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CARLETON HALL/WIREIMAGE.COM (RENTERIA)
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JAIMIE TRUEBLOOD/2005 COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES INC. (HIRSCH)
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COURTESY OF TRISTAR PICTURES (POSTER)
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ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BIRD AND JOHNSON)