Opening up and closing down

In college basketball, four teams are vying for number one.
In major league baseball, everybody's tied for first place.

The 2011 Major League Baseball season gets going on a Thursday this year, with three games on ESPN. The Tigers visit the Yankees at 1 p.m. and the Padres take on the Cardinals at 4 p.m.
The night closes with a big bang, as World Champion San Francisco Giants host the Dodgers by the Bay at 8 p.m.
ESPN continues the opening action Friday with a pair of games - Houston at Philadelphia at 1 p.m. followed by Boston-Texas. Weather permitting in Philly.
Sunday night on ESPN2, the Dodgers and Giants close out their series at 8 p.m.
The Nationals open the season at home against the Braves. MASN has the first pitch Thursday at 1 p.m., and the last two games of the series Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

The Orioles start the year in Tampa Bay, playing Friday at 7 p.m. on MASN. The teams play Saturday night on MASN and Sunday afternoon on MASN2.
NCAA basketball closes its season with the men's Final Four in Houston and the women's championship in Indianapolis.
Who had VCU playing Butler for a spot in the national championship game? It sounds more like a Bracket Buster game from February. But these two have advanced to Saturday's 6 p.m. game, and one will play either Kentucky or Connecticut for the title Monday.

On the women's side, Texas A&M plays Stanford in one semfinal Sunday and it's a Big East battle between Notre Dame and Connecticut in the other on ESPN. The victors meet Tuesday for the national championship.
Before the Final Four, the NIT crowns its champion Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Wichita State, which eliminated Virginia Tech, takes on Alabama.
NASCAR invades the paper clip this weekend, as the racers cruise around the Martinsville Speedway starting at Sunday 1 p.m. on FOX.
The PGA tour gets ready for the Masters with the Shell Houston Open on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
TNT returns Thursday NBA doubleheader action as the Celtics visit San Antonio at 8 p.m. followed by the Mavericks against the Lakers. ESPN offers a Friday twinbill, with the Celtics at the Hawks at 8 p.m. The Lakers visit the Jazz at 10:30 p.m.
The NBA on ABC opens April with the Suns at San Antonio Sunday at 1 p.m. Then the Nuggets face the Lakers.
A tough task faces the Wizards Friday - a Cleveland team coming off a win over LeBron and the Heat. Comcast has the coverage at 7 p.m., then Sunday at 6 p.m. the Wizards head to Charlotte.
The Capitals host Columbus Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Sabres Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. NBC has the Rangers facing the Flyers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Tennis stars compete at the Sony Ericsson Open this weekend. ESPN2 has coverage Thursday and Friday starting at 1 p.m., and Friday at 7 p.m., then CBS takes over Saturday and Sunday.
In college baseball, Florida meets Tennessee Saturday at 1 p.m. on Comcast. Sunday at 2 p.m., Alabama hosts Arkansas. If you want college football, ESPN has the Texas preseason finale Sunday at 3 p.m.
ESPN2 has a women's soccer match between England and the USA Saturday at 3 p.m.
The SEC women's gymnastics championship will be on ESPN2 Sunday at 3 p.m.

16...8...4

The Cinderella stories have enjoyed their moment in the sun - especially in Richmond. Now it's time to boil down the field to the Final Four.

CBS and TBS offer doubleheaders Thursday and Friday to get us ready for the regional finals this weekend. CBS covers the action from Anaheim, with San Diego State facing Connecticut in the early game at 7:15 p.m. followed by Duke-Arizona.

TBS gets to be in New Orleans, with Florida-BYU followed by Wisconsin-Butler.

Friday, the Cinderella stories from Virginia will be on TBS. Richmond takes on top-seeded Kansas at 7:27 p.m. before VCU meets Florida State in a 10-11 matchup that broke many brackets.
CBS has the games from Newark, with North Carolina playing Marquette in the opener before Ohio State takes on Kentucky.

Then CBS has coverage of the final seven contests - two Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m., two Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. and the Final Four next weekend.
The women's Sweet 16 fills the weekend on ESPN. Ohio State meets Tennessee at noon Saturday, followed by Oklahoma-Notre Dame. Out west, it's Gonzaga-Louisville at 9 p.m. with Stanford meeting North Carolina in the nightcap on ESPN2.
Sunday's contests start with Georgetown facing Connecticut at noon on ESPN, with the winner meeting either DePaul or Duke (2:30 p.m. on ESPN2) for the Final Four berth. The final regional kicks off with Georgia battling Texas A&M, followed by Green Bay against top-seeded Baylor.
NCAA Division II's Elite Eight concludes Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS. Division II crowns its women's champions Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
In the week between Bristol and Martinsville, where does NASCAR go? California.
FOX has the Auto Club 500 Sunday at 3 p.m., while the Nationwide drivers are on ESPN Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The IndyCar season opens in St. Petersburg, with ABC covering Danica and the other drivers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
MASN gets ready for opening day with the Nationals playing the Cardinals Friday at 6 p.m. The Orioles take on the Red Sox Sunday at 1 p.m.
ESPN has the White Sox against the Cubs Thursday at 5 p.m. and Braves taking on the Phillies Friday at 1 p.m. Saturday at 4 p.m., ESPN2 shows the Cubs against the Rangers.
Comcast offers college baseball Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. as Georgia Tech visits Miami.
After the college basketball quiets down Sunday night, ESPN shows Portland at Oklahoma City at 8 p.m. Dallas plays Phoenix in the nightcap.
The Wizards head west, facing Denver Friday at 9 p.m. on Comcast and Golden State Sunday at 9 p.m.
The Capitals take on Ottawa Friday on Comcast-plus and Montreal Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
Major League Soccer has started for the year, and Comcast has D.C. United's game at New England Saturday at 4 p.m. At 11 p.m., Houston takes on Seattle.
As time for the Kentucky Derby approaches, MASN shows Spiral Stakes Saturday at 5 p.m. and the Sunland Derby from New Mexico Sunday at 7 p.m.

68....64...32....16

It used to be called Court TV. This week, it's hardcourt TV.
CBS shares the NCAA tournament with the new contract, adding TBS, TNT and TruTV (formerly Court TV) so all games can be seen in their entirety on cable systems across the country.

You caught the first four tournament games on TruTV, didn't you? Play-in games Tuesday and Wednesday were on the channel. Hokie fans couldn't watch after being left out of the tournament again.
The field of 64 kicks off Thursday at noon when West Virginia meets the play-in winner Clemson on CBS. TruTV starts at 12:30 p.m. with Butler-Old Dominion, while TBS offers Morehead State against Louisville at 1:30 p.m. and TNT starts its day from Tucson at 2 p.m. with Temple taking on Penn State.
Each network has four games Thursday and four more Friday. TNT covers the formerly barren area between 5-7 p.m., when CBS shows local and national news. So race home from work and watch college basketball the rest of the night.
CBS continues its full weekend schedule starting Saturday at noon and Sunday at noon. TNT has two games Saturday beginning at 6 p.m., while TBS begins its weekend coverage at 7 p.m.
Then it's down to 16 teams, and likely no more basketball on TruTV until next year.
The women's tournament gets going Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. Play in the Charlottesville region starts Sunday at noon on ESPN2 when Miami faces Gardner-Webb. Local favorite James Madison plays Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m.
ESPN shows a second-round NIT game Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
For more top college athletes, ESPN shows the NCAA wrestling championships Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
NASCAR heads to Bristol this weekend, with the Sprint Cup race Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX. Danica Patrick and the Nationwide racers hit the track Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
The surging Capitals take on New Jersey Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast, while the Rangers visit Pittsburgh Sunday on NBC.
Comcast offers the Flyers against the Thrashers Thursday at 7 p.m. and at Dallas Saturday at 8 p.m.
The Wizards play at Toronto Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast-plus.
The PGA tour is on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. for the Transitions Championship.
MASN has a Nationals exhibition game against the Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m.

And the field is....

It's time for those mid-March traditions - waiting for the NCAA tournament field to be announced, and watching either Duke or North Carolina win the ACC championship.

The 58th edition of the ACC tournament kicks off Thursday at noon on NBC29 and other ACC Network affiliates with Virginia meeting Miami.

Boston College plays No. 12 seed Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m., and Virginia Tech tackles Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. ESPN2 has the 7 p.m. Thursday game between Maryland and N.C. State.

The top seeds get into the action Friday at noon, starting with North Carolina against either Virginia or Miami. Fourth-seeded Clemson plays at 2:30 p.m., with Duke tipping off the night session at 7 p.m. and Florida State in the final game at 9:30 p.m.

Saturday's semifinals start at 1:30 p.m., with the final Sunday at 1 p.m.

Outside the ACC area, ESPN2 has the Friday coverage and ESPN shows the semifinals and final.

The Big East tournament opened Tuesday, but the top four seeds get to wait until Thursday to play. Top-seeded Pittsburgh has its first game at noon against Connectiuct on ESPN, then fourth-seed Syracuse plays St. John's at 2 p.m. Notre Dame and Louisville are the top seeds for the evening contests. The semifinals are Friday night and championship Saturday at 9 p.m.
As the home of the NCAA tournament, CBS gears up with some big games. Conference USA crowns its champion Saturday at 11:30 a.m., then it's the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The PAC-10 conference final will be at 8 p.m.
Sunday, the Atlantic 10 title tilt is at 1 p.m. followed by the Big Ten championship. Then it's wait to see who's in, who's not and who's going where at 6 p.m.

ESPN2's tournament coverage includes Thursday's opening round of the Big Ten tournament, starting at 2:30 p.m. between Minnesota and Northwestern. Iowa faces Michigan State in the second contest. There's also Big 12 games at 12:30 p.m. (top-seed Kansas vs. Oklahoma State) and 9 p.m.
The Big Ten goes to ESPN Friday afternoon, with games at noon and 2:30 p.m. (Illinois vs. Michigan). After the ACC tournament finishes its day, there's a contest from the WAC at midnight on ESPN2.
Friday, Lafayette and Bucknell battle for the Patriot League crown at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Six leagues crown their champs on ESPN2 Saturday - America East at noon, followed by MEAC, Southland, MAC, Big West and WAC. The Big 12 championship game is Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN before the Big East finale.
ABC offers the Southeastern Conference final Sunday at 1 p.m.
Comcast heads west Thursday for three of the four quarterfinal contests in the Pac-10 tournament. The day begins at 3 p.m. and both games of the night session are on the channel starting at 9 p.m. The 5:30 p.m. game will be seen on Comcast-plus.
The first two games of the Atlantic 10 tournament take the stage Friday at noon. The Pac-10 semifinals will air after Capitals' ice hockey Friday, with the first game joined in progress at 10 p.m.
MASN gets into the tournament fever Thursday with a pair of games from the Big 12 tournament - 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The second semifinal tips Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Versus brings the mens and womens final from the Mountain West Saturday. The women tip at 4 p.m. and the mens teams battle at 7 p.m.
The women's field will be announced Monday on ESPN, and there's plenty of tournament action this weekend. Comcast has the Big 12 championship Saturday at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Pac-10. Sunday at 1 p.m., the CAA crowns its champion.
MASN shows a Big South semifinal Saturday at 4 p.m. and championship game Sunday at 2 p.m.
The pros play this weekend also. TNT has its doubleheader Thursday, with the Lakers at Miami at 7 p.m. with the Knicks taking on the Mavericks in the nightcap. ABC has Orlando at Phoenix Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Wizards host the Clippers Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
Spring training takes the air Friday on MASN, with the Nationals playing the Astros at 6 p.m. Saturday, it's the Yankees playing Washington at 1 p.m.
TPC Blue Monster hosts the PGA tour this weekend, with the WGC-Cadillac Championship on NBC Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Capitals are home this weekend, hosting Carolina Friday on Comcast and Chicago Sunday afternoon on the NBC Game of the Week.

Start filling the dance card

Want to know which teams will be playing in Dayton when the NCAA tournament opens in two weeks?
They're the ones who will be cutting down the nets this weekend.

With the expansion of the field to 68 teams, there will be four NCAA tournament games in Dayton March 15-16 - two to find first-round opponents for the top-seeded teams and two other battles between the bottom four at-large teams.

The first automatic qualifiers earn their tickets to the field Saturday, and could likely face a trip to Dayton on the road to an impropable national title. ESPN2 shows the Big South tournament final Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by the Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley Conference.

CBS shows the Missouri Valley Conference championship Sunday at 2 p.m. as part of its regular season finale weekend. There's four games on Saturday, beginning at noon when Kansas heads to Missouri. There's a split national window at 2 p.m., with either Oregon at Arizona or Michigan State-Michigan on the air. It's off to the Big East at 4 p.m. when Villanova plays Pittsburgh, then in primetime Duke visits North Carolina.

Sunday, Kentucky plays Tennessee at noon and top-ranked Ohio State hosts Wisconsin at 4 p.m.

Virginia closes out its regular season at Maryland Saturday at 2 p.m. on NBC29. Sunday at noon, Wake Forest heads to Boston College followed by Miami at Georgia Tech at 2:30 p.m.

ESPN starts its Thursday basketball in the SEC, with Tennessee at South Carolina at 7 p.m. Wisconsin visits Indiana at 9 p.m. ESPN2 offers St. John's taking on Seton Hall followed by UCLA-Washington. Friday, it's off to the Mid-American Conference as Akron faces Kent State.

Virginia Tech looks to secure its spot in the NCAA tournament at Clemson Saturday at noon on ESPN2. Then South Carolina meets Mississippi State at 2 p.m.

ESPN opens Saturday with a pair of games from the Big East - Louisville-West Virginia at noon followed by Notre Dame against Connecticut. Then it's off to the Big Ten for Purdue-Iowa and Florida facing Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. The GameDay crew has the Big 12 matchup between Baylor and Texas.
ESPN2 closes the weekend with a pair of games from the West Coast Conference tournament Sunday starting at 8 p.m.
MASN offers four Big East games Saturday. Georgetown visits Connecticut to start the action at 2 p.m., followed by DePaul at Syracuse. Marquette heads to Seton Hall at 6 p.m. then South Florida takes on St. John's.
There's a game from the MAAC tournament Saturday at 10 p.m.and the second semifinal Sunday at 4 p.m.
Comcast has a Pac-10 game Thursday at 10:30 p.m., and another Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Versus offers UNLV at Utah Saturday at 4 p.m.
The ACC women's tournament starts Thursday on Comcast, with games at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday there's quarterfinal games at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., the two semifinals Saturday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. and the final tips Sunday at 1 p.m.
MASN shows a game from second round of the Big East womens' tournament Saturday at noon.
ESPN2 has a pair of championship games Sunday - the Big Ten at 3:30 p.m. and SEC at 5:30 p.m.
NASCAR heads to Las Vegas for the weekend, with FOX dropping the flag at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Nationwide Drivers are on ABC Saturday at 3 p.m.
Hang on, baseball's coming. ESPN has spring training action Thursday at 1 p.m. with the Tigers playing the Braves. Sunday, MASN shows the Nationals playing the Braves at 1 p.m.
TNT opens Thursday with the battle of Florida - Orlando visiting Miami at 8 p.m. - and has Denver at Utah as the nightcap. ESPN continues the Florida theme Friday, with the Bulls at Orlando in the first game and Heat at the Spurs at 10:30 p.m.
ABC's Sunday doubleheader starts with the Bulls facing Miami at 1 p.m., and the Lakers play San Antonio at 3:30 p.m. ESPN adds two more games in the evening - Knicks-Hawks at 6:30 p.m. and the Celtics in Milwaukee for the nightcap.
The Wizards meet Minnesota Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast, and visit Detroit Sunday on Comcast-plus.
The Capitals host St. Louis Thursday on Comcast, then head south to play Florida Sunday at 5 p.m. NBC shows the Flyers at Rangers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
The PGA tour heads to the East Coast, with the Honda Classic on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. both days.
ESPN offers college gymnastics between Alabama and Georgia Sunday at 2 p.m.