If you??re not captivated by the NBA playoffs, place a bet on who will coach the Knicks next year and how many games they will lose. Expect coaching and executive rumors to heat up with the league finals as the backdrop. Over in the NHL, the end of the season will mean a huge amount of player movement as the new collective bargaining agreement continues to create turmoil. *All times Eastern Monday, May 22 Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., local/satellite)
The season isn??t even half over, and these two teams have traded the division lead half-a-dozen times. Expect this to continue at least until October because neither the Sox nor the Yanks have the pitching to break away from the other one. Tuesday, May 23 WNBA, Connecticut at Minnesota (9 p.m., ESPN2)
Take a break from the long baseball season by watching this game and be a true maverick among sports fans. The most surprising bet on this game would be whether anyone outside of hardcore fans watches it. Still, if you want to see high school level basketball played by unattractive women, this is the sport for you. Wednesday, May 24
Tigers at Royals (8:10 p.m., local/satellite) The Tigers have to be considered a major success story this year as nobody expected that Jim Leyland would have them playing this well this fast. The Royals, on the other hand, continue to be one of the most predictable teams in sports. Still, even lousy teams win sometimes, and Detroit intends to be a real contender, they have to fatten up on teams like Milwaukee. Thursday, May 25 Senior PGA Championship (2 p.m., USA)
The Masters tour now has so many recognizable faces that if the cameras don??t get too close, you??ll think its 1980, and the sport was back in its good old days. It may not be 1984, but these guys can still play, and Masters tournaments have a depth of potential winners that rivals even the main tour. Friday, May 26 Soccer, U.S. versus Venezuela (7 p.m., ESPN2)
The U.S. squad prepares for the World Cup with this tune-up against Venezuela. The American squad actually has a shot at making it pretty far into the tournament this year, so these warm-up games should help the coaching staff make some important player decisions. Saturday, May 27
NASCAR Busch Series (8 p.m., FX)
Kyle Busch has dominated the Carquest Auto Parts 300, winning it each of the last two years and finishing second in 2003. Expect the competition to be stiff as more and more Cup drivers moonlight in Busch cars. Sunday, May 28 Indianapolis 500 (12 p.m., ABC) Though the race has lost a lot of its luster in recent years, it gained some attention last year with Danica Patrick??s attempt at becoming the first woman to win the race. Patrick didn??t win and still hasn??t won a race, but she has been competitive and will be the story again. Daniel Kline??s book, 50 Things Every Guy Should Know How to Do, is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com. |
