Chicago Tribune (Sunday)

There’s some sports on TV

- Phil Rosenthal

How much do you miss watching basketball, golf, hockey, spring training baseball, even the XFL right now?

Jonesing for live TV sports, did you, too, find yourself watching horse racing from crowdless tracks around the country on cable’s TVG?

Ultimate Fighting Championsh­ip bouts from a fan-free Brazilian arena on ESPN scratch your itch?

Everyday life has been upended as the United States, like so much of the world, seeks to slow the spread of the new coronaviru­s.

For those who consider sports a central part of their routine, COVID-19 has disrupted still more.

Yet even without the NBA, NCAA, NHL, MLS, auto racing, MLB and pro golf to watch, you still have live viewing options.

As recent days have made abundantly clear, plans can change abruptly without warning, but it looks as though the World Series of Bowling championsh­ip will run live on FS1 at 12:30 p.m. Sunday from Las Vegas.

The fall of pins will never seem louder, but don’t get too excited. Next week’s USBC Masters tournament in Reno, Nev., already has been postponed indefinite­ly.

Mexican Liga MX soccer interest you? Toluca versus Atlas should be available on Univision-66 and ESPN Deportes at 12:30 p.m., along with Santos Laguna-Necaxa on ESPN Deportes at 6:30 p.m. and Club America-Cruz Azul at 9 p.m. on UniMas-60.

If you’ll settle for same-day tape-delay, Profession­al Bull Riding’s Gwinnett Invitation­al from Georgia is scheduled for cable’s CBS Sports Network at 4 p.m.

Absent live sports, a lot of channels are raiding their libraries.

You might want to set your DVR to ESPN on Sunday. The overwrough­t but sometimes entertaini­ng “30 for 30” take on former Bulls star Dennis Rodman is set for at 2 p.m., followed by the moving story of Chicago’s own Dwyane Wade, “D. Wade: Life Unexpected,” at 4 p.m., then the fourhour look at notorious Michael Vick at 6 p.m.

ESPN2 expects to fill its Sunday night schedule with college basketball reruns from the just-ended season, including the Dayton-Kansas men’s matchup from the Maui Invitation­al at 7:30 p.m. and the

Stanford women at Oregon at 9 p.m.

(Don’t spoil it for yourself by Googling how they turned out.)

ABC-7 will fill much of its Sunday afternoon schedule beginning at 2 p.m. with repeats of ESPN’s “College Football 150” series. Looking ahead, Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs’ new channel in partnershi­p with Sinclair Broadcast Group, hopes that viewers find value in reruns of games from the Cubs’ 2016 postseason nightly at 7 beginning Wednesday.

Completist­s might be disappoint­ed to learn Marquee isn’t bothering with the Cubs’ one playoff loss to the Giants or two losses to the Dodgers en route to the National League pennant.

The seven-game World Series against the Indians runs in its entirety, however, March 25-31. Sorry to say the spoilers are everywhere on this one.

Seriously, did you ever think you would be disappoint­ed that the XFL’s BattleHawk­s-Vipers game wasn’t on TV?

Might be time to learn how to handicap the ponies. This could be a long spring.

 ?? JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGO TRIBUNE ?? TVs air reruns of auto racing, mixed martial arts and bowling at a Buffalo Wild Wings.
JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGO TRIBUNE TVs air reruns of auto racing, mixed martial arts and bowling at a Buffalo Wild Wings.
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States