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The Lineup: Friday, September 20

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George Gojkovich/Getty Images

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders are so swag-gravating. TheLineup@gmail.com. (Bold indicates a national broadcast. All times Eastern.)

Pregame Reads

  • The sack is a pathetically weak statistic for judging the value of a pass rusher. SI's Greg Bedard tries to find players' true value with his own stat: pressure points.
  • Leigh Montville of Sports On Earth writes a stirring obituary for heavyweight boxer Ken Norton.
  • T.J. Simers unceremoniously left the L.A. Times a few weeks ago. His first column at the Orange Country Register serves as a strange statement of purpose, including shots at the Times' objectivity and a brutal attack on his son-in-law.

Starter

LT: The Life and Times, 8:00p.m. (Showtime)

Lawrence Taylor was an absolute defensive monster in the 80s. Unfortunately, he was at least part monster off the field as well. Showtime gives his life the serious look it deserves, while promising a wealth of "LT is a crazy person" stories along the way.

Reserves

MLB

Braves vs. Cubs, 2:20p.m.

Reds vs. Pirates, 7:05p.m.

Astros vs. Indians, 7:05p.m.

Marlins vs. Nationals, 7:05p.m.

Mets vs. Phillies, 7:05p.m.

Giants vs. Yankees, 7:05p.m.

White Sox vs. Tigers, 7:08p.m.

Orioles vs. Rays, 7:10p.m.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox, 7:10p.m.

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies, 8:10p.m.

Cardinals vs. Brewers, 8:10p.m.

Rangers vs. Royals, 8:10p.m.

Twins vs. Athletics, 10:05p.m.

Mariners vs. Angels, 10:05p.m.

Dodgers vs. Padres, 10:10p.m.

GOLF

Tour Championship, 12:30p.m. (Golf & Live Extra)

Champions Tour: Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, 6:30p.m. (Golf)

Italian Open, 9:00a.m. (Golf)

WNBA

Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever, 7:00p.m. (NBA TV)

Indiana's quest to repeat as champion starts against the curiously named Connecticut Sun (a strange name for a state that averages 40 inches of snow a year).

Minnesota Lynx vs. Seattle Storm, 9:00p.m. (NBA TV)

College Football

Boise State vs. Fresno State, 9:00p.m. (ESPN)

High School Football

Brother Rice (IL) vs. Mount Carmel (IL), 8:30p.m. (ESPN3)

Chaparral (AZ) vs. Desert Mountain (AZ), 10:00p.m. (ESPNU)

Canadian Football

Edmonton Eskimos vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 8:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Soccer

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 10:00p.m. (NBC Sports & Live Extra)

Brazil Leauge: Cruzeiro vs. Botafogo, 8:00a.m. (ESPN3)

Mexico League: Monarcas de Morelia vs. Rayados Monterrey, 8:25p.m. (ESPN Deportes)

Mexico League: Xolos de Tijuana vs. Cruz Azul, 10:25p.m. (ESPN Deportes)

NCAA Men's: North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech, 7:00p.m. (ESPN3)

NCAA Women's: Dartmouth vs. St. John's, 5:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Beach World Cup:Japan vs. Paraguay, 9:48p.m. (ESPN3)

Beach World Cup: Iran vs. Senegal, 11:18p.m. (ESPN3)

Basketball

FIFA Eurobasket Semifinals

Croatia vs. Lithuania, 11:35a.m. (ESPN3)

France vs. Spain, 2:50p.m. (ESPN3)

The two obvious squads face each other in one semi while a pair of surprise teams go head-to-head in the other. The team that wins the later game will be heavily favored in the final—especially Spain, which has learned how to harness Marc Gasol's Donkey Kong heave power. (Play #1 in the video)

Racing 

F1: Singapore Grand Prix Practice, 9:30a.m. (NBC Sports & Live Extra)

American Le Mans Circuit of The Americas Qualifying, 2:40p.m. (ESPN3)

AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals Qualifying, 6:15p.m. (ESPN3)

ARCA in Sparta, KY, 8:00p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

NCAA Women's Volleyball

North Dakota State vs. Kansas, 1:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Wisconsin vs. North Carolina State, 7:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Georgia vs. Kansas, 8:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Bull Riding

Beau Rivage Casino Invitational, 10:00p.m. (CBS Sports)

TV

Bellator MMA, 9:00p.m. (Spike)

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, 9:00p.m. (CMT)

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Guest Kate Upton, 12:35a.m. (NBC)

Today's TV schedule is offering up some serious search engine optimization opportunities that I'll never hesitate to take. For those of you who are only here because they blindly clicked on the words "Kate Upton": Welcome to the internet. We have information here. You can read things or buy things or learn things. Not interested? Fine, here's some sexy women dancing.

Birthdays

John Tavares, New York Islanders Center, 23

Juan Pablo Montoya, Former F1 Driver, 38

Guy Lafleur, NHL Hall of Fame Right Winger, 62

Henrik Larson, Former Swedish Striker, 42

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals Shortstop, 28

Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox Outfielder, 35