Tag: ESPN (Page 16 of 18)

Couch Potato Alert: 9/26

Alabama vs. Georgia
This game has actually exceeded all pre-season expectations, since the matchup now pits two top-10 teams against each other. Nick Saban is leading his Crimson Tide into Athens for a program temperature check. How much have they improved will be determined “between the hedges” against the undefeated Bulldogs on Saturday night. Coverage begins at 7:45PM EST on ESPN. Click here for the official Alabama-Georgia smack thread.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Both schools will open conference play on Saturday evening at Beaver Stadium. The key matchup pits swift-footed Fighting Illini quarterback Juice Williams against the #1 defense in the Big Ten. After throwing for over 400 yards against Missouri in the season opener, Williams has since struggled with his passing efficiency and will go against a defense that has only allowed two passing touchdowns on the season. Joe Paterno is trying to avenge a tough loss last year in Champagne. Regional coverage begins at 8 PM EST on ABC.

Major League Baseball
How exciting will baseball be this weekend? Well, considering five teams (Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers) are competing for three playoff spots, the excitement level is pretty high. The weather could be the biggest opponent for the teams on the East Coast, as the forecast calls for 80-90 percent chance of rain throughout the weekend. It’s difficult to imagine the amount of chaos several rainouts will bring to the end of the season. But there’s a good possibility that one, two, or three teams will have to play a 163rd or makeup game to break a tie on Monday or Tuesday. Check your local listing on ESPN, Fox Sports, and TBS on game coverage this weekend.

Couch Potato Alert: 9/19

37th Ryder Cup
The three-day match-play competition between the United States and Europe has a way of making the world’s elite golfers wilt under the pressure of trying to capture the Ryder Cup. Over the last 25 years, it has become a hotly contested event, with the U.S. record at four wins, seven losses, and a tie, including three straight match defeats to the Europeans (the Ryder Cup takes place every two years). The competition will begin this morning at 7 AM EST on ESPN from the Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and continue throughout the weekend on NBC.

Wake Forest vs. Florida State
Neither school has distinguished itself as a contender for securing a spot in the ACC championship game. Wake Forest would love to duplicate their last trip to Tallahassee, when they shutout the Seminoles 30-0 two years ago. Florida State has been playing short-handed due to player suspensions and will welcome back star wide receiver Preston Parker to the lineup on Saturday. Coverage begins at 7 PM EST on ESPN2.

LSU vs. Auburn
There’s no better way to start off the SEC season than with a LSU-Auburn showdown. The “Tiger Bowl” winner could establish itself as the team to beat in the SEC West, though Alabama might have a say in the matter down the road. LSU and Auburn have split their last four meetings, with each game decided by six or fewer points. Coverage begins at 7:45 PM EST on ESPN. Click here for the official LSU-Auburn smack thread.

Georgia vs. Arizona State
The luster has been taken off this game by the Sun Devils’ overtime loss at home to UNLV last week. It’s still a big game, as the Bulldogs are in the national title hunt despite being passed in the polls by USC and Oklahoma. ASU could get back in the BCS bowl picture with an upset in Tempe on Saturday night. Coverage begins at 8 PM EST on ABC.

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees
This Sunday night, the final major league baseball game will be played at historic Yankee Stadium. The House That Ruth Built has been the home office for post-season success come October, as 100 World Series games have been played at the Stadium. This event will be nationally televised on ESPN beginning at 8 PM EST.

Will The Mets Collapse Again?

I’m a lifelong Mets fan, and while they have been in four World Series and won two, they have been good enough to get there numerous times and have not. Most recently, the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention in 2007 on the season’s final day–to complete an epic collapse in which they were leading the Phillies by seven games with 17 to play. I remember those days vividly. My wife had just had our first child so I was up in the wee hours at least once a night, and every time I turned on ESPN News the Mets had lost while the Phillies had won. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about it. It doesn’t help that the year before that, 2006, the Mets were painfully beaten in a Game 7 in the NLCS by the upstart (and annoying) Cardinals.

Now, it appears that recent history will repeat itself. Despite that the Mets replaced Willie Randolph with interim skipper Jerry Manuel in June, and had that amazing run in July to get back on top of the division, they continue to build 3-4 game leads only to have the Phillies catch them. Right now they sit 1/2 game behind in the NL East, and 1/2 game up in the wild card standings only because Milwaukee has had their own collapse.

Is this a repeat of 2007? How can you say it’s not looking that way? Jay Schreiber of the NY Times parallels some eerie things from last year to this year in his blog.

Me, I just feel it. The middle of the order has stopped hitting, though they did wake up last night against Washington. Still, the Mets had an 8-2 lead and won 9-7. The bullpen is maybe the worst in baseball, and are responsible for a minimum of 10 losses already. And even the starting pitchers have started slipping a little. Not even Johan Santana makes you feel like they are going to win for sure.

Throw in the fact that guys like John Lannan look like Cy Young against the Mets, and guys like Anderson Hernandez, Jorge Cantu and So Taguchi look like Ted Williams against them….and you just can’t feel good. Oh, and every day I look at the morning paper and the Phillies have won.
Seriously, do they ever lose in September?

Despite all of my negativity here, there is a good chance the Mets wind up as the wild card. They would face the Dodgers, who they match up well against. Well yeah, but don’t think someone like Casey Blake won’t hit .800 in that series. Plus, they haven’t face the Manny Ramirez Dodgers yet.

If the Mets do wind up choking here down the stretch, I won’t say I told you so. And if they make it, I’ll root for them like crazy. But I still don’t feel very confident.

Couch Potato Alert: 9/5

U.S. Open semifinals and finals
The men’s semifinals start at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday and the women’s final takes place at 8:00 PM ET that evening. The men’s final will take place on Sunday, starting at 4:00 PM. All matches will be broadcast on CBS. Here’s the TV schedule and Christopher Glotfelty’s preview of the matches.

San Diego State at Notre Dame
Both programs are reeling, hanging on for dear life, and just trying to find players to line up on the field. The Irish are on a roll, sort of, coming into this year’s opener with a modest two-game winning streak from last season. SDSU is coming off an embarrassing home-opening loss to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, which was their second home loss to the Mustangs in three seasons. This contest will played on Saturday in front of a nationally-televised audience on NBC at 3:30 PM ET.

Miami at Florida
This prime-time matchup used to be circled on the calendar of all college football fans as a must-see game with the winner gaining the advantage in the battle for the top recruits from the state of Florida. But times have changed; the Canes are coming off a 5-7 season, and just trying to get the program back on its feet. Oddly enough, Miami has a 12-8 all-time record at “The Swamp.” Tune in Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN for another chapter in this in-state rivalry. [Official Smack Talk Thread]

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
Less than a week ago, the Dodgers seemed to be free falling in the NL West pennant race. They lost 9-3 in the opener of a three-game series in Arizona, and things didn’t look good with the Diamondbacks starting Dan Haren and Brandon Webb that weekend. But the Dodgers turned their season around by scoring 13 runs against the Arizona’s top two pitchers and were able to win both games. The rematch is set for this weekend at Dodger Stadium, with Friday night’s game on ESPN and Saturday’s contest on Fox’s regional baseball telecast.

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns
You could call this encounter “The Battle of the Media Darlings.” With five prime-time games this season, the Browns are trying to prove that their 10-6 record last season was no fluke. They play host to the Cowboys, who seem to be everyone’s fashionable Super Bowl pick. And if you’ve been watching “Hard Knocks” on HBO, you know that the Boys’ roster depth has taken a big with several pre-season injuries. Dallas fans shouldn’t be concerned, however, as every one of their 13 Pro Bowlers will be in uniform on Sunday. Check your local Fox listings to see if they are televising this game at 4:00 PM ET. [Anthony Stalter’s preview of the game.]

Couch Potato Alert: 8/29

Labor Day has traditionally been the last weekend to wear white, but it is now time to don your school colors for the start of the college football season.

– Al Groh wishes he still had Chris Long anchoring his defensive front this weekend. His Cavaliers could still give USC some trouble if they can exploit the young, inexperienced Trojan offensive line. University of Virginia will host Southern Cal on Saturday in front of a nationally televised audience on ABC beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.

– All eyes will be on The Big House on the University of Michigan campus, as the Rich Rodriquez era begins in Maize and Blue. This game might depend on whether or not Utah’s inexperienced front seven can control Michigan’s playmakers at the line of scrimmage. The Wolverines will host the Runnin’ Utes late Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU.

– A In a classic border war, Illinois travels to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis to play host Missouri. Heisman Trophy candidate QB Chase Daniels will show off his throwing skills in the primetime matchup, and he will have a lot of firepower to throw to on the Tigers side of the ball. But do not underestimate the Missouri defense, which has 10 starters returning. The Fighting Illini will miss the leadership of Rashard Mendenhall this season, as they rely on freshman WR Regis Benn to lead their offense. Check local listings on which ESPN/ABC family of channels will be broadcasting this game on Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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