The Week In Tv Sports

Highlights

SATURDAY 9/16
?Florida at Tennessee
CBS 3:30 PM
When it comes to his quarterbacks, Gators coach Steve Spurrier is about as patient as a hyperglycemic six-year-old on Christmas Eve. Last week, during No. 6 Florida's 55-0 rout of Middle Tennessee, the visored one yanked Jesse Palmer in the middle of a series. Palmer's crime: missing two open receivers, which left him a horrid 15 of 23 for 193 yards. One statistic in this SEC rivalry that should worry the 11th-ranked Vols: Spurrier owns Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, who's 2-6 against him.

SUNDAY 9/17
?DuraLube/ Kmart 300
TNN 12:30 PM
Not since Richard Petty led a boycott of the first Talladega 500, in 1969, over concerns that the new track was too steep, has a NASCAR venue been under as much scrutiny as New Hampshire International Raceway. Two drivers—Kenny Irwin and Petty's 19-year-old grandson, Adam—have been killed at the track in the past four months, prompting NASCAR to take the unprecedented step (for such a small track) of ordering that cars in this race be equipped with restrictor plates.

MONDAY 9/18
? Mets at Braves
TBS MONDAY AND TUESDAY 7:35 PM
History's first train wreck occurred in September 1830. For two years New York has done its best to commemorate that occasion by crashing into Atlanta during the season's final month and derailing. The Mets, through Sunday only 2� games behind the front-running Braves in the National League East, look to stay on track in the three-game series beginning tonight.

Don't Miss

SATURDAY 9/16-FRIDAY 9/22
?Olympic Games
NBC, CNBC, MSNBC
G'day! Or rather: G'yesterday! NBC's 441�-hour, tri-network coverage of the Olympics commences this week, but because the 15-hour time difference between the East Coast of the U.S. and Sydney has prompted the network to show everything on tape delay, a viewer in Boston will watch Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe in the men's 400-meter freestyle on Saturday ( NBC, 7 p.m.) while Thorpe actually is competing in the 200 free heats on Sunday. Three other must-see events this week: The U.S. women's soccer team will take on China ( MSNBC, Sunday, 9 a.m.); U.S. swimmer Megan Quann (above), 16, will look to topple South African world-record holder Penny Heyns in the 100 breaststroke ( NBC, Monday, 7 p.m.); and the unofficial darling of the Games will be crowned at the women's all-around gymnastics final ( NBC, Thursday, 7 p.m.).

ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.