Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

THURSDAY 5/29
Women's College World Series: Arizona vs. UCLA
The two-time defending champion Wildcats have won eight NCAA titles; the only program with more championships is this year's first-round opponent, UCLA (10). The Bruins took two out of three from Arizona in the regular season, but Wildcats ace Taryne Mowatt (right), who will likely start this game, awaits them. The senior righty has 400 strikeouts in 272 2/3 innings this season.
ESPN 9 p.m.

SATURDAY 5/31
Reebok Grand Prix
The men's 100-meter dash at this meet on New York City's Randall's Island could be an Olympic preview: The U.S.'s Tyson Gay (left), the reigning world champion, will defend his Reebok title against Jamaica's Usain Bolt. At the Jamaica International Invitational on May 3 Bolt ran the 100 in 9.76 seconds, just .02 of a second shy of the world record.
ESPN2 8 p.m.

EliteXC Saturday Night Fights
In the Tiffany Network time slot once occupied by The Mary Tyler Moore Show, no-holds-barred mixed martial arts makes its prime-time network debut. The bearded—and undefeated—Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice (right), will get in the cage with James (Colossus) Thompson in the headline bout at the Prudential Center in Newark.
CBS 9 p.m.

TUESDAY 6/3
On DVD: Semi-Pro
If you liked this comedy about a fictional ABA team (the Flint Tropics) but felt Will Ferrell didn't show enough skin, you're in luck: The DVD is unrated and labeled the Let's Get Sweaty edition. Extras include an informative history of the ABA, and the hilarious, improvised outtakes by Will Arnett and Andrew Daly, who play Tropics broadcasters, are a slam dunk.

WEDNESDAY 6/4
Prelude to the Dream
There are no points on the line, and the proceeds will go to charity, but NASCAR's biggest names will get down and dirty on the clay track at Eldora Speedway for this annual throwback race. Carl Edwards won in 2007; this year attention will be focused on Jimmie Johnson, who's making his Prelude debut.
HBO PPV 7 p.m.

SI PICK OF THE WEEK

TUESDAY 6/3
Rays at Red Sox
Very few of the locals can vouch for this themselves—Tampa Bay's average attendance through Sunday was 18,687, second-lowest in the AL—but Evan Longoria (above) and the Rays have been superb at home this season: After sweeping the Orioles last weekend, they were 19--8 at Tropicana Field, the AL's second-best home mark. They were also in first place in the AL East and set for a showdown with their closest pursuers. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay the three-game series is in Boston, where the Rays were swept earlier this month and the Red Sox have the majors' best home record (21--5).
ESPN 7 p.m.

PHOTO

J.P. WILSON/ICON SMI (MOWATT)

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SCOTT AUDETTE/REUTERS (LONGORIA)

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TOM CASINO/© 2008, ELITEXC (SLICE)

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KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT/US PRESSWIRE (GAY)