The Lineup: Monday, June 17

Author:
Mike Bebernes
Publish date:
Jun 17, 2013

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

What to look at today. (All Times Eastern)

Starter

NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Game 3: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins, 8:00p.m. (NBC Sports and NBC Sports Live Extra)

One of the wonderful things about hockey is the serendipity involved. All of that effort, sweat and blood comes down to a shot like this goal from Game 2, when Patrick Sharp missed Kaspars Daugaviņš' nuts by mere inches and found the net instead.

Reserves

MLB Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7:00p.m. (ESPN)

The Cubs somehow found a way to lose yesterday despite the comedy of errors that was the Mets' defense. Things won't get any easier today when Chicago faces the Cardinals' Shelby Miller, who has managed to produce a 2.21 ERA this season while having a name that makes him sound like a 1970's soap opera star.

NCAA Baseball Coll(l)ege World Series: Oregon State vs. Louisville, 3:00p.m. (ESPN2 & ESPN3)

This year's CWS has been full of upsets, as each of the perceived favorites has lost its first game. The Beavers and Cardinals were popular picks to take the whole thing, but now they face each other in an elimination game. Louisville has the apparent advantage with ace starter Jeff Thompson, which, based on how things are going, means OSU is going to move on.

NCAA Baseball Coll(l)ege World Series: Mississippi St. vs. Indiana, 8:00p.m. (ESPN2)

"I must have gotten some shot as soon as I exited my mother's womb, it must have been a 'Bulldog Mania Injection.'" If you don't have a horse in the CWS, read this profile of Mississippi State super fan Jimmy Jon Josey on the fabulously-named For Whom the Cowbell Tolls blog and meet your new rooting interest.

Soccer Confederations Cup, Group Play: Tahiti vs. Nigeria, 2:45p.m. (ESPN & ESPN3)

If Tahiti could have chosen a team to face in its first Confed Cup game, it may well have picked a Nigeria squad torn by in-fighting, money gripes and so much discontent that they almost didn't even show up. Perhaps an upset is brewing.

Cricket ICC Champions Trophy: Australia vs. Sri Lanka, 7:45a.m. (ESPN3)

The age-old argument of whether sports can be just sports rises again with this Sri Lankan team, which has been greeted at each of their matches by protestors railing against ethnic violence back in their home country. This instance provides a new wrinkle, as the cricket team has proven a stepping stone to political office in the past.

Deep Bench

TV Movie Lee Trevino: An American Champion, 10p.m. (Golf Channel)

This Golf Channel promo takes a surprisingly long time to get to its point, but it eventually lets you know that tonight's documentary is about Trevino besting Jack Nickalaus in an 18-hole playoff in the 1971 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, the site of this year's tourney.

The doc originally aired on NBC last week, and makes its Golf Channel debut tonight. Does Lee himself think that you have any excuse to miss it?