Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

FRIDAY 5/18
College Baseball: No. 7 Texas at No. 10 Texas A&M
This Lone Star showdown should be all about pitching. For the weekend seriesthe Longhorns will bring two of the nation's best starters in Adrian Alaniz(12--2, 2.37 ERA) and James Russell (8--3, 3.53 ERA). The Aggies counter withversatile righthander Kyle Nicholson, who, while bouncing between starting andclosing this season, is 11--1 with a 1.74 ERA and four saves. Check listings7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY 5/19
Sacramento Monarchs at Detroit Shock
The WNBA kicks off its second decade with the Shock, the 2006 title winners,receiving its rings before a rematch of last year's finals. The Monarchs, the2005 champions, will face the formidable task of taking on a Ford in Detroit.The Shock's star forward, Cheryl Ford (right), the daughter of former NBAforward Karl Malone, was the league's leading rebounder last season. ABC 3:30p.m.

White Sox atCubs
In the fight for city bragging rights, the Cubs have had a solid edge on theirSouth Side brethren. Since interleague play began in 1997, the Cubs have won 12of the 18 series between the teams and also hold a 29--25 edge in games. TheWhite Sox think closer Bobby Jenks (left), who has the best arm in eitherbullpen, will help them get even. Fox 3:55 p.m.

Cory Spinks vs.Jermain Taylor
How desperate is Spinks (right), the IBF junior middleweight champion, to fighta marquee name? He's willing to move up a weight class to do it. Spinks(36--3), the son of former heavyweight champ Leon Spinks, is a serious underdogagainst WBC and WBO middleweight champion Taylor (26-0-1), who is regarded asthe best fighter at 160 pounds. HBO 10:15 p.m.

TUESDAY 5/22
On DVD: American Pastime
Roughly 110,000 Japanese-Americans were confined to internment camps in the1940s. American Pastime, a gripping drama, tells the fictional tale of one suchcamp in Utah, where a guard (Gary Cole) and a Japanese family find a commonbond in baseball. In the climactic scenes, a team of camp residents challengesCole's club in a game played for both money and respect.

SI PICK OF THEWEEK

THURSDAY 5/17
Living in Denial
Expect good hockey; just don't expect to see a lot of goals in Game 4 of theWestern Conference finals. Detroit and Anaheim, two of the NHL's stingiestdefensive teams, have a combined nine Norris trophies manning the blue lines.Then there's Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek (above); the Dominator, asix-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, has allowed just 24 goals in 14 games andhas a 1.62 GAA this postseason. His Anaheim counterpart, Jean-SébastienGigu√®re, has been just as tough, allowing only 14 goals in nine games for a1.51 GAA. VERSUS 9 p.m.

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GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES (HASEK)

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HEINZ KLUETMEIER (JENKS)

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (SPINKS)

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JED JACOBSOHN/GETTY IMAGES (FORD)