Let the Games begin; the NFL games, that is
We're 10 days away from the 2008 Beijing Games (give or take an early event or two).
I could be wrong, but you should expect TV ratings to drop from the 2004 Games in Athens, and it's not just because of the proliferation of the Internet or that Beijing is 15 hours ahead of Pacific time.
The collective psyche of the American sports fan is thousands of miles away – literally. By the time the Opening Ceremony begins, the NFL exhibition season will be in full swing.
Nearly every American sports fan pays attention to the NFL, even during the preseason.
Yes, the casual TV viewer will be drawn to the drama and the pageantry of the Olympics. But the die-hard sports fan will be more interested if Brett Favre is playing for the Green Bay Packers, if Darren McFadden will start for the Raiders or if Shaun Hill can wrestle the 49ers' starting quarterback job away.
NBC doesn't want the die-hard sports fan, though. The network, and all of its tentacles, will aim for the casual viewer.
The bottom line is the NFL has become the dominant sport in this nation, especially on TV. The NFL should easily beat the Olympics at the TV ratings game, even though the league will be in practice mode.
What to watch
"City on Fire: The Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers"
When: 7 p.m. HBO (cable), 4 p.m. (satellite). Forget live baseball tonight. HBO has a riveting documentary on how the '68 World Series Champion Tigers united a city divided by race riots.
What to surf
Training camp reports, www.nfl.com. Go to the league's Web site for video updates on all 32 teams during training camp.
What to do
Who: California Cobras vs. Lodi Grape Sox.
Where: Sacramento City College, 7 p.m. Check out a Sierra Baseball League game. It's summer collegiate baseball with teams from all over the state. The Cobras have a roster stacked with kids from the Sacramento area.
Monday's results
American League Royals at A'S, late Angels 7, Red Sox 5 Orioles 13, Yankees 4 Indians 5, Tigers 0 Blue Jays 3, Rays 1 Mariners 7, Rangers 5 Twins 7, White Sox 0 National League GIANTS at Dodgers, late Pirates 8, Rockies 4 Marlins 7, Mets 3 Cardinals 12, Braves 3 Cubs 6, Brewers 4 Astros 5, Reds 4 D-Backs at Padres, late
Today's poll
Who should have been the U.S. Olympic men's basketball coach? • Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. • Spurs' Gregg Popovich. • Knicks' Mike D'Antoni. • A different college coach. • Any pro coach.
To vote, go to www.sacbee.com/sports.
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments section:
"I had a feeling the Monarchs' win streak would end, but a seven-game win streak is sure welcome since it puts Sacramento back in the playoff chase."
– MisterMarc on "Storm rains on Monarchs' win streak"
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