The Week in Sports: 4/26 – 5/2

The Week in Sports is back again for round two.  I’ve previewed the televised sporting events of next week, and compiled a list of “must see” sports tv.

Monday, April 26th:

• • Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers – 8:05pm – FSD
    – Assuming the Tigers don’t end up winning today (it’s not looking promising at this point), they’ll need to win this game to effectively split the four game series with the Rangers 2-2.  This is the last game in an eleven game road trip.  The Tigers return home Tuesday night for a three game series with the Twins.
  • Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns – 10:30pm – TNT
    – One of two Western Conference playoff matchups tied at 2-2.  If I were a betting man, I’d still side with Amare and the Suns.

Tuesday, April 27th:

• Detroit Red Wings @ Phoenix Coyotes – TBD – TSN
  – In a series that never deserved to go seven games in the first place, I believe the Wings will take care of business.  They’ve played well on the road in this series, and I fully expect Jimmy Howard to rebound from a rough game six with a gem to finish this series.
• Oklahoma City Thunder @ LA Lakers – 10:30pm – TNT
  – The Thunder tied this series at two games each, by beating the Lakers twice in Oklahoma City.  I doubt the Lakers will drop this series, but each extra game they’re forced to play is more wear on Kobe.  Bryant has been battling a bad back and broken finger throughout the second half of the season.  The Lakers needed to finish the Thunder in five or less, but their sloppy play is making this series interesting quickly.

Wednesday, April 28th:

• Minnesota Twins @ Detroit Tigers – 7:00pm – ESPN
  – After his longest outing of the season, which resulted in a loss, Max Scherzer returns to the mound for the Tigers before a national audience.  I’m rejoicing at the thought of watching one game without Mario Impemba’s play-by-play.  [Ed. note – blasphemy.]

Thursday, April 29th:

• 2010 Quail Hollow Championship – 2-6:00pm – The Golf Channel
  – Former tournament winners Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim are both part of the field this year.  Playing in his first tournament since returning to golf a few weeks ago at The Masters, Woods is looking to improve on his solid return at Augusta.  Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Angel Cabrera, Jim Furyk and Lucas Glover are all also slated to appear.  It’s rare to see so many big names show up to a non-major tournament, so I’ll enjoy
  this while I can.

Friday, April 30th:

• To be announced….  With several NBA and NHL series coming to an end this week, new series are scheduled to begin Friday and Saturday.  We’ll have to wait to see the results play out, before actual matchups and their respective air time’s are released.

Saturday, May 1st:

• • 136th Kentucky Derby – 6:24pm – NBC
    – Coverage begins at 5pm, but if you want to avoid being lulled to sleep by odds predictions, tune in at 6:24pm for the actual race.  If you’re looking to place a bet on the race itself, use the official bet placing website.  Last year’s Derby had an improbable finish, which made the four minutes I spent watching the race, time well spent.

Sunday, May 2nd:

• LA Angels @ Detroit Tigers – 1:05PM – FSD
  – Currently, Justin Verlander is slated to be pitching Sunday, in the third and final home game against the Angels.  Then back on the road for the Tigers, as they head to Minnesota to begin the first week of May.