The Lineup: Thursday, October 17

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De nada amigos. Send any suggestions to SI.TheLineup@gmail.com. (Bold indicates a national broadcast. All times Eastern.)

Pregame Reads

• Don Banks of MMQB with a Redskins solution that's so simple, it just might be right.
• The Cubs and their lousy play are going to cost them some serious coin in their next TV deal, so writes Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune.
• Sean McIndoe breaks down why the NHL's Western Conference is so dominant.

Starter

Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers, 8:00p.m. (Fox)

"You can say I'm crazy. You can say I'm nuts. You can say I'm dumb. You can say whatever the hell you want...Well, here it is: We can have a good time with it. We'll see how it plays out."

That's Tigers skipper Jim Leyland on his wacky lineup changes from yesterday's game that included having a Miguel Cabrera lead off and moving usual lead-off man Austin Jackson to 8th. Jackson broke his slump and helped the Tigers stomp the Sox, which caused Torii Hunter to put on his suit and tie.

Reserves

NFL

Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, 8:00p.m. (NFL Network)

Carson Palmer likes his sausages one inch longer than the competition. So says this 2007 ad for John Morrell hot dogs. There's a serious debate as to which is a more embarrassing artifact: this TV commercial or the magazine ad below.

NHL

Vancouver Canucks vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7:00p.m.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:00p.m.

Edmonton Oilers vs. New York Islanders, 7:00p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00p.m. (NHL Network)

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7:30p.m.

New Jersey Devils vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:30p.m.

Minnesota Wild vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30p.m.

Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers, 7:30p.m.

St. Louis Blues vs. Nashville Predators, 8:00p.m.

San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars, 8:30p.m.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche, 9:00p.m.

NBA Preseason

Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets, 8:00p.m. (TNT)

After an 0-9 shooting night in which he committed five fouls and five turnovers in 21 minutes against the Wizards, Mario Chalmers blamed his poor performance on bad crab dip from the arena vendors. In the same game, however, Lebron showed that no foul shellfish can slow him with two great dunks.

NCAA Football

#13 Miami (FL) vs. North Carolina, 7:30p.m. (ESPN)

Findlay vs. Ohio Dominican, 8:00p.m. (CBS Sports)

Under-17 World Cup

Brazil vs. Slovakia, 8:48a.m. (ESPN3)

Uruguay vs. New Zealand, 8:48a.m. (ESPN3)

United Arab Emirates vs. Honduras, 11:48a.m. (ESPN3)

Ivory Coast vs. Italy, 11:48a.m. (ESPN3)

NCAA Women's Soccer

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

Duke vs. Clemson, 7:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech, 7:00p.m. (ESPN3)

Squash

U.S. Open of Squash: Women's Semifinals, 5:00p.m. Men's Semifinals, 7:30p.m. (ESPN3)

NCAA Women's Volleyball

Michigan State vs. Minnesota, 7:00p.m. (ESPN2)

TV

Tailgate Fan- Michigan vs. Penn State, 6:30p.m. (CBS Sports)

Impact Wrestling, 9:00p.m. (Spike)

Birthdays

Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies Outfielder, 28

Kimi Raikkonen, Formula 1 Driver, 34

Andre Villas-Boas, Tottenham Hotspur Manger, 36