The Lineup: Wednesday, October 2

Author:
Mike Bebernes
Publish date:
Oct 2, 2013

Dikembe Mutombo, at the Capitol Building, rejecting all legislation. Send any suggestions to SI.TheLineup@gmail.com. (Bold indicates a national broadcast. All times Eastern.)

Pregame Reads

Sometimes an athlete's image can be his worst enemy. Case in point: RGIII.
Kevin Guilfoile of Chicagoside tells a great story of friendship and the power of memorabilia.
Kanishk Tharoor of The Far Post tells of the madness that happens when Lionel Messi visits India.

Starter

AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians, 8:00p.m. (TBS)

Cleveland manager Terry Francona on how his team qualified for the playoffs: "We stayed away from chicken and beer. I know that." Perhaps the biggest proponent of a long Indians postseason run is Daniel Snyder, who'll be happy to have another questionable Native American mascot in the news.

NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7:30p.m.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Detroit Red Wings, 8:00p.m. (NBC Sports & Live Extra)

Anaheim Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche, 9:30p.m.

Tennis

Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, 10:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Soccer

Brazil League: Fluminense vs. Botafogo, 7:55p.m. (ESPN3)

NCAA Women's Volleyball

Missouri vs. Arkansas, 7:00p.m. (ESPNU)

Texas vs. Baylor, 9:00p.m. (ESPNU)

Back in the Game, 8:30p.m. (ABC)

This new show is not Bad News Bears. It's not. It's totally different. This time, the washed-up former athlete is a woman, so there's basically no connection.

There may be some potential in the casting of James Caan as the father figure. Caan has earned a huge amount of respect, according to the show's "about" page, for his work in classics like the show Las Vegas -- not, you know, TheGodfather.

Inside the NFL, 9:00p.m. (Showtime)

60 Minutes Sports, 10:00p.m. (Showtime)

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate, 10:00p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

The League, 10:30p.m. (FXX)

Deep Bench

Boundless, 10:00p.m. (Esquire)

Perhaps the most promising effort from the new network is this show that follows two friends, Simon and *cough* Turbo, as they travel the world competing in some of the planet's most extreme competitions. But do they even lift, bro?