So Much To See, So Little Time

It will not be easy for us to contain ourselves and keep this list to six for the weekend. There’s so much going on and in such compelling fashion, and yet we’ve got this artificial limit (I may cheat).

We’re getting off to a fast start, so deposit your heiner in the recliner and prepare yourself for hours of simulated exhilaration.

We open with the American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays-Cleveland Indians series at 8 p.m. ET Friday on TBS. Both were dominant in their first-round series. Toronto president and CEO Mark Shapiro was the driving force behind the renaissance of the Indians in the 1990s and early 2000s. There will be a doubleheader of playoff ball on Saturday and one more – the National League Championship series’ second game (the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs) – on Sunday night at 8 p.m. (Fox Sports 1). See, it’s hard to keep to the limit.

Moving on, ere are two goodies in college football for your lazy Saturday. No. 1 Alabama (6-0) visits No. 9 Tennessee (5-1) at 3:30 p.m. on CBS in a SEC matchup. Alabama is dominating, Tennessee is exciting. This could be worth four hours of your life. And No. 2 Ohio State (5-0) takes on a consistently-surprising No. 8 Wisconsin (4-1) at 8 p.m. on ABC in the Big Ten. Camp Randall Stadium in Madison will be rocking and more than a few beers will lose their lives.

Please check your local listings on NFL games as national coverage shifts often depending on what your home team is doing. Best bets: The surprising Atlanta Falcons (4-1) play the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) at 4:25 p.m. on Fox. It’s always a pleasure to watch Falcons receiver, Julio Jones. But before you buy into the Falcons too much, remember Atlanta was 5-0 last year and finished 8-8. Me? I’d like to see the San Francisco 49ers-Buffalo Bills (Fox) at 1 p.m. The 49ers (1-4) have lost four straight while the Bills (3-2) have won three straight, but that’s not why. Bills coach Rex Ryan is an admitted admirer of Donald Trump; Colin Kaepernick, leader of the movement to sit out the national anthem as a protest for racial equality, is again the 49ers’ starting quarterback.

NASCAR’s race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. on NBC shouldn’t mean much in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The top dozen drivers are tightly bunched and the guys at the bottom will be toast after Talladega when the field is cut from 12 to eight. But for tactical racing and trying to do well without messing up the chances of others (hello to Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano), this could be an interesting run.

Goodbye and good luck. As always, watch responsibly.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman