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Week Ahead
FRIDAY 7/4
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Purists, rejoice: This year's Coney Island wiener war, the 93rd, is a sprint, not a marathon. The contest's time has been cut from 12 minutes to 10 minutes, the traditional length before the late 1980s. The event also marks the return of six-time Nathan's winner Takeru Kobayashi, who missed the last eight months with a jaw injury. He'll try to unseat reigning champ Joey Chestnut (near right, with Kobayashi); after 10 minutes last year they were even at 57 dogs.
ESPN noon
SATURDAY 7/5
Tour de France
Defending champion Alberto Contador won't be in Brest for today's opening stage; his Astana team, which he joined last fall after the Discovery Channel squad was disbanded, was banned by Tour organizers because of a history of doping violations. So who's the favorite to take the yellow jersey? Contador has said it's Australia's Cadel Evans (left), last year's runner-up. If Contador is right, Evans will be the first Aussie to win the Tour.
Versus 8:30 a.m.
NASCAR Coke Zero 400
The annual nighttime dash at Daytona will have a new name—Pepsi gave up its sponsorship this year—and, if recent history holds, a new champ. Last year's winner, Jamie McMurray, hasn't visited Victory Lane since and doesn't have a top five finish in 2008.
TNT 8 p.m.
Sunday 7/6
AVP Crocs Slam Boulder Open
The crowd in Boulder will be behind Colorado resident Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, but chances are Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor (below) will be the last team standing after today's final. The pair has won six of nine AVP tournaments this year and is tuning up to defend its 2004 Olympic gold in Beijing.
NBC 4:30 p.m.
Baseball's Golden Age
This 13-week series will take a look at the national pastime from the 1920s to the '60s, when the players were only figurative giants and hot dogs were the performance enhancer of choice. The series will feature never-before-seen footage taken by fans and players' families; tonight's premiere episode will showcase rare color clips of Babe Ruth in action.
FSN 8 p.m.
SI PICK OF THE WEEK
SUNDAY 7/6
Wimbledon Men's Final
Top seed Roger Federer (above) coasted into the fourth round without dropping a set, but he had nothing to do with the most talked-about shots during Wimbledon's first week. Officials came under fire for hiring marksmen to rid the All England Club of aggressive pigeons. After complaints from PETA, the gunmen were called off, and hawks were set loose instead. (Perhaps U.S. doubles entrant Travis Parrott can help too.) Fans who take their eyes off the sky could witness history: Federer is gunning for his record sixth straight Wimbledon title.
NBC 9 a.m.
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SIMON BRUTY (FEDERER)
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BOB MARTIN (PIGEON)
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STANLEY LEARY /AP (WALSH AND MAY-TREANOR)
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NICO VEREECKEN/DPPI/ICON SMI (EVANS)
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BOBBY BANK/WIREIMAGE.COM (EATING)
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