The Lineup: Wednesday, August 21

Author:
Mike Bebernes
Publish date:
Aug 21, 2013

NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images

Guaranteed, made em jump like Rod Strickland. Send any suggestions to SI.TheLineup@gmail.com. (Bold indicates a national broadcast. All times Eastern.)

Pregame Reads

Part Pele, part petulant child, Mario Ballotelli is one of the most fascinating men in sports. Grant Wahl digs deep into the Italian enigma in the week's Sports Illustratedcover story.
Maggie Severns provides a perfect primer about the upcoming America's Cup in Mother Jones.
Tim Tebow has been as ubiquitous on social media in recent years. Ty Duffy explains how that happened for The Big Lead.

Starter

Soccer Spanish Super Cup: Athletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, 4:55 (ESPN2)

To be frank, I'm suffering a bit from soccer tournament fatigue. There has been a non-stop run of matchups between disjointed teams fighting for trophies with cumbersome acronyms carved into them. For that reason, I welcome this simple tournament with roots dating way back 70 years. Just the La Liga champ against the winner of the Copa Del Rey. It's like eating a hamburger after a month of foodie fare.

Reserves

MLB

Braves vs. Mets, 1:10p.m.

Cardinals vs. Brewers, 2:10p.m.

Mariners vs. Athletics, 3:35p.m.

Red Sox vs. Giants, 3:45p.m.

Pirates vs. Padres, 6:40p.m.

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

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

Rays vs. Orioles, 7:05p.m. (ESPN2)

Blue Jays vs. Yankees, 7:05p.m.

Twins vs. Tigers, 7:08p.m.

Diamondbacks vs. Reds, 7:10p.m.

Dodgers vs. Marlins, 7:10p.m.

Astros vs. Rangers, 8:05p.m.

Nationals vs. Cubs, 8:05p.m.

White Sox vs. Royals, 8:10p.m.

Soccer

CONCACAF Champions League: Heredia (Guatamala) vs. Montreal Impact, 10:00p.m.

MLS: Chivas USA vs. FC Dallas, 10:30p.m.

MLS: Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake, 11:00p.m.

EPL: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa, 1:45p.m. (NBC Sports & NBC Sports Live Extra)

UEFA Champions League Qualifying: Fenerbahçe SK vs. Arsenal FC, 2:30p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

WNBA

San Antonio Silver Stars vs. Indiana Fever, 7:00p.m.

Little League World Series

Tijuana, Mexico vs. Tokyo, Japan, 4:00p.m. (ESPN)

Westport, Connecticut vs. Chula Vista, California, 8:00p.m. (ESPN)

Each of the four teams playing today is undefeated in the World Series. No one will be eliminated come tomorrow morning, but there is certainly enough significance to make this guy go to even greater lengths for a souvenir.

Racing

Louis Vuitton Cup: Races 4 & 5, 4:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Cycling: U.S. Pro Challenge, 5:00p.m. (NBC Sports & NBC Sports Live Extra)

Camping World Truck Series: UNOH 200, 8:00p.m. (Fox Sport 1)

Poker

World Poker Tour: Los Angeles Poker Classic, 11:00p.m (CBS Sports Network)

The Challenge: Rivals II, 10:00p.m, (MTV)

Deep bench

Necessary Roughness, 10:00p.m. (USA)

Though I don't have a ton of faith in this show, the season finale draws extra points for tackling subject matter that's pretty de rigueur right now: A PED distributor having his misdeeds catch up to him. Only difference: In the TV world, this guy gets to look like this guy.