Sports on TV this weekend

Here’s my weekly sports on TV this weekend post. Only Saturday and Sunday this week, this post got up kind of late. This only includes sports I’m interested in and national TV networks only. All times Pacific, because I live out there.

SATURDAY

9 a.m., #5 Wisconsin at Illinois (ESPN)
9 a.m., Miami at North Carolina (ESPN2)
9 a.m., Bowling Green at #7 Boston College (ESPNU)
9 a.m., Eastern Michigan at Michigan (BTN)
9 a.m., Northwestern at Michigan State (BTN)
9 a.m., Minnesota at Indiana (BTN)

12:30 p.m., #10 Oklahoma at #19 Texas OR North Carolina State at Florida State OR Iowa at Penn State (ABC, one game on ESPN2)
12:30 p.m., #12 Georgia at Tennessee (CBS)
12:30 p.m., #6 South Florida at Florida Atlantic (ESPNU)

Another cool thing about the Rockies

It was touching to hear that the Rockies are going to donate a full share of the team’s playoff winnings to the widow of Mike Coolbaugh , who was fatally struck by a foul-ball while coaching first-base for the Rockies AA affiliate in Tulsa. Not that I already hadn’t adopted Colorado as my favorite National League team in this year’s playoffs already, but now, I’m really really going to be rooting for them to pull through.

Apparently, it was the players idea too, which I find to be refreshing in a day in age where athletes get so much negative press. The Rockies players are going beyond their team obligations to cheer up and help out an ailing family within their organizational family and that deserves commending.

Coolbaugh’s five and three-year old kids are apparently going to throw out the first pitches of game three as well, which is also pretty neat.

Quick playoff thoughts

Day 2 was so much different than Day 1. Just look at the final scores.

Wednesday: 4-2, 4-0, 3-1
Thursday: 10-5, 12-3, 8-4

Yeah, a lot more scoring on Thursday.

The team whose bandwagon I jumped on won again, meaning the Rockies and Diamondbacks are now each just one win away from advancing to the NLCS. Did anyone in America predict that NLCS matchup?

I wonder what the national interest and TV ratings would be like for a D’backs-Rockies NLCS. Not only are they two western teams, but two western teams people don’t really know much about and teams that aren’t in big markets. The interest could be even smaller if either the Yankees or Red Sox are involved in the ALCS (or heaven forbid, both).

I’ll be watching, that would be a great series. I just wonder how many others would be as interested as me.

The Indians dominated the Yankees. Let’s see how Yankee fans and the national media react. They’ll probably panic and mock the Yankees for being a horrible team, even though it’s just one game.

Today’s prediction: The Angels’ bats will come alive today against Daisuke Matsuzaka, and he won’t be in the game for very long. The Angels head back home with a split.

Yes, I’m a homer. What did you expect?

My weekly sports on TV post will be up later today.

When mascots attack

I know, I know, I like mascots a bit too much.

But this was pretty darn funny. Freddie Falcon gave a cheerleader a birthday present:

Hat-tip to Deadspin.