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The Lineup: Thursday, August 22

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Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The type is dark and full of errors. Send any suggestions to SI.TheLineup@gmail.com. (Bold indicates a national broadcast. All times Eastern.)

Pregame Reads

  • Wright Thompson goes deep on wrestling legend Dan Gable's quest to keep the sport in the Olympics for ESPN.
  • The BCS isn't the only unsatisfying way to determine a champion. Aram Gyan explains how cricket can often end in an anticlimax for The Classical.
  • Andrew Brandt looks into the conflict that happens when doctor's orders and a player's wishes conflict for Monday Morning Quarterback.

Starter

Little League World Series
Tijuana, Baja California vs. Aguadulce, Panama, 4:00p.m. (ESPN)
Sammamish, Washington vs. Westport, Connecticut, 8:00p.m. (ESPN2)
The grown-ups will probably swallow up the sporting spotlight while these kids finish up the World Series over the weekend. So let's take a night to celebrate the little tykes. The winners of these games move on to the semifinals. Last night saw an extra-innings homer that felled the team from Connecticut, despite an earlier dinger by CT that led to this celebration.

little

Reserves

MLB
Diamondbacks vs. Reds, 12:35p.m.
Dodgers vs. Marlins, 12:40p.m.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees, 1:05p.m.
Twins vs. Tigers, 1:08p.m.
Nationals vs. Cubs, 2:20p.m.
Rockies vs. Phillies, 7:05p.m.
White Sox vs. Royals, 8:10p.m.
Braves vs. Cardinals, 8:15p.m. (MLB Network)
Pirates vs. Giants, 10:15p.m.

NFL
New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions, 7:30p.m.
Carolina Panthers vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:00p.m. (ESPN)
Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy has christened his team's defensive front MonStrz Inc, which is already pretty interesting. But it gets better. He also tweeted out individual monster names for each of his D-line teammates. The gems include Star Lotulelei as the Hydra, Kawann Shortas the Minotaur, and Hardy himself at the Kraken.

Soccer
UEFA Champions League: FC Schalke 04 vs. PAOK FC, 12:00p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
UEFA Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais vs. Real Sociedad, 2:00p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

GOLF
The Barclays: First Round, 2:00p.m. (Golf & NBC Sports)
Johnny Walker Championship:First Round, 9:30a.m. (Golf)
Cox Classic: First Round, 12:30p.m. (Golf)

WNBA
Minnesota Lynx vs. Connecticut Sun, 7:00p.m.

Tennis
Winston-Salem Open, 3:00p.m. (ESPN2)

TV
Celebrity Game Night, 8:00p.m.(NBC)
Impact Wrestling, 9:00p.m. (Spike)
Hell Week, 7:30 (ESPN2)
The roots of Hard Knocks are explored in this miniseries by Dick's Sporting Good Films (which is apparently a thing) that follows the first grueling week of practice for a high school football team. My only beef is with the name, which forgets that every week is hell week when you're 16.

Deep bench

Ghost Shark, 9:00p.m. (SyFy)
G-G-G-Ghost Shark! Clearly the success of Sharknado has caused the folks a SyFy to step up their game. I'll be pretty disappointed if it isn't revealed that the ghost shark was really just Old Man Jenkins, the evil amusement park owner, all along. (Have some patience with the clip below, the end is worth it. I promise.)

Birthdays

Jimmy and Jey USO, WWE Wrestlers, 27
Carl Yastrzemski, Baseball Hall of Famer, 73
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver, 22
Steve Davis, 5-time Snooker World Champion, 55
Paul Molitor, MLB Hall of Famer, 56
Bill Parcells, Hall of Fame NFL Coach, 71
Mats Wilender, Former World #1 Tennis Player, 48
Andre Blatche, Brookyln Nets Forward, 26