Another Weekend, Another Sports-Packed Lineup

The officers and gentlemen who play college football at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy spend most of their time getting an education that will help them help and defend us. Few become professional athletes; some die in wars. These players do not take courses in general studies – they study thermodynamics, chemical engineering, advanced physics. They are the model of which we have lost sight.

So we salute them when the Army-Navy game takes center stage on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. CBS carries the game from Philadelphia. It is one of those odd years where both teams sport winning records – Navy is 6-5, Army 8-3. The sight of the Cadets and Midshipmen in the stands is always inspiring, as is the desperate nature with which these rivals try to win.

That’s the gem of the Weekend TV Six-Pack. But we have a few more things that will glue your heiner to the recliner.

We haven’t thrown much basketball your way this fall, but we like the Boston Celtics-San Antonio Spurs game on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Celtics (22-4) are the class of the Eastern Conference; the Spurs (17-8) built that record with Tony Parker out for most of the start of the season and Kawhi Leonard still working on his injured quad. You can warm up for this one with the Golden State Warriors (20-6) at Detroit Pistons (14-10). Warriors guard Stephen Curry is out with a sprained ankle, so be forewarned. ESPN shows this at 7 p.m.

For your NFL fix, please check your local listings. But games we recommend are: Minnesota Vikings (10-2) at Carolina Panthers (8-4) at 1 p.m. on CBS; the Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) at Los Angeles Rams (9-3) and the Baltimore Ravens (7-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-2). All of these games will impact playoff berths or seeds.

Choose wisely.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman