Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

FRIDAY 5/16
Sybase Classic
With five wins already in 2008, Lorena Ochoa (right) is on pace to shatter theLPGA's 45-year-old record of 13 victories in a season, set by Mickey Wright.The odds that Ochoa will make it six in Clifton, N.J., are in her favor: She's2 for 2 at this tournament.
ESPN2 Friday 1:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 2 p.m.

SATURDAY 5/17
Preakness Stakes
The 133rd Battle for the Black-Eyed Susans will give Big Brown a chance to beatup on a whole new pack of ponies. None of the 19 horses he whipped at theKentucky Derby will make the trip to Pimlico. Kentucky Bear, who finished thirdin the Blue Grass Stakes, and Holy Bull winner Hey Byrn might draw someinterest from bettors, but Big Brown should be a heavy favorite to become the11th horse since 1978 to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
NBC 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAY 5/18
Adidas Track Classic
At last year's world championships it took a photograph to determine thewomen's 100-meter winner; Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown edged out LaurynWilliams of the U.S. They'll meet again in Carson, Calif., in a field that willinclude five other top 10 sprinters.
ESPN 4 p.m.

Mets at Yankees
Is Carlos Beltran (left) waking up? The slumping centerfielder drove in eightruns last weekend against the Reds—his first RBIs since April 26. "Myproblem is timing," said the Mets' cleanup hitter, who has hit .210 sinceApril 6. He could continue to get well in the Bronx: He's a career .291 hitteragainst the Yankees.
ESPN 8 p.m.

SI PICK OF THEWEEK

THURSDAY 5/15
Penguins at Flyers, Game 4
Philadelphia spent much of Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finalschasing Evgeni Malkin (above), to little avail. But that's nothing new. ThePittsburgh center scored twice and now has 12 goals and 15 assists in 17 careergames against the Flyers. Behind Malkin, Sidney Crosby and goaltenderMarc-André Fleury (page 34), the Penguins won both games at home to take a 2--0lead, but the trip across I-76 hasn't been a pleasant one for them this year.Pittsburgh lost all four regular-season meetings at the Wachovia Center.
Versus 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY 5/21
UEFA Champions League Final: Chelsea vs. Manchester United
The first all-England final in Europe's top club competition takes place inMoscow. That should give Chelsea, owned by Russian oil magnate RomanAbramovich, a bit of a home field advantage. The locals are likely to pull forthe man who has poured nearly $1 billion into the team since buying it in 2003.Chelsea's task: shutting down Cristiano Ronaldo (right), who has scored 41goals in 48 games this year for Man U.
ESPN2 2:30 p.m.

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DAVID DENOMA/REUTERS (MALKIN)

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BOB MARTIN (RONALDO)

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HEINZ KLUETMEIER (BELTRAN)

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ROBERT BECK (OCHOA)