Vince Marriott: As a Philadelphia native, I always keep a particularly close eye on the sporting scene in the City of Brotherly Love. Recently, I have been astounded at how well the Phillies have been playing, pulling themselves up from near oblivion to become legitimate contenders for the National League wildcard berth. Even though they recently dropped three of four games to the historically bad Houston Astros and have traded or given away many of their most important players from the 2008 World Series run, I think that these guys are for real, but it may be too little, too late. Their series against the Atlanta Braves this weekend will do a great deal to determine the result of this race, and I won't be missing the first game on Friday night. (Friday, 7:05 p.m., MLBTV)
Dong Zhao: For the record, I'm not a big fan of Thursday Night Football it's unfair to the players who have to play on short rest and it's essentially another way for the money-printing machine known as the NFL to make more money. The matchups, however, are hard to resist. After a Packers beat-down of the Bears last Thursday, the New York football Giants and the Carolina Panthers two 1-1 teams with high hopes for the season will meet this week in North Carolina. The game will feature one electrifying signal-caller in Cam Newton and one two-time Super Bowl champ in Eli Manning. Looks like I just found myself something to do on Thursday night. (Thursday, 8:20 p.m., NFL Network)
Jonathan Gault: It's September, so that means it's time for me to tell everyone on campus (or everyone who reads this column) about the top soccer matches from the world's top league the Barclays Premier League. This Sunday is a neutral fan's dream, with a doubleheader featuring four of England's most famous clubs. Liverpool, which has yet to win its first game of the season, hosts Manchester United at Anfield. Another loss for the Reds could see them drop into the relegation zone an unthinkable position for a team with 18 league titles. The second match may be even better, though, with third-place Arsenal traveling to the Etihad Stadium to face fourth-place and defending champion Manchester City. Arsenal almost derailed City's title hopes last season with a 1-0 win on April 8. City will look to return the favor this season. (Sunday, 8:25 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Fox Soccer)
