Golf » Solheim Cup » Sunday, Golf Channel, 11 a.m.

Can the U.S. women make it three straight in their biennial Ryder Cup-style competition with Europe? Sunday singles matches should hold some intrigue with players such as Michelle Wie, Natalie Gulbis and Suzann Pettersen under the gun.

NFL preseason » Patriots at Redskins » Friday, CBS, 8 p.m.

The Skins are starting to get down to the home stretch and the starters are going to start to get even more playing time these games. Facing a repaired Tom Brady and the still sharp Patriots will hopefully show if this said-to-be great defense is for real.

MLB » Rangers at Yankees » Wednesday, ESPN2, 7:05 p.m.

Texas is still in the fight for the AL Wild Card while New York is starting to enter cruise control on its way to the AL East title. Should be a nice slugfest to watch, as the top two home-run hitting teams square off with October on their minds.

Bold Predictions


1. Syracuse’s Greg Paulus will finish the year with more interceptions than touchdowns » This isn’t a rant about one of Duke’s most despised basketball players. Paulus has potential. After all, he was the Gatorade national player of the year in high school. But the leap to college is much greater in football. If he were Percy Harvin, he wouldn’t have chosen hoops. There’s no doubt that Paulus will generate excitement and highlights at the Carrier Dome, and don’t be surprised to see him trying to earn his way onto an NFL roster next summer. But this fall, his individual success will come at the expense of the Orange, who under first year head coach Doug Marrone, are going to get pummeled. Not only are they predicted to finish last in the Big East, they’ll be 0-3 after opening the year against three straight Big Ten opponents: Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern. The most intriguing question is, when we see Paulus on the sidelines of a Syracuse basketball game this winter, what team colors will he wear?

2. The Cardinals will reach the World Series … if they use John Smoltz as a reliever » The National League playoff field is shaping into a race between five good (but not great) teams. The Phillies have closer issues. The Dodgers lack a dominant front-line starting pitcher. The Giants don’t have any firepower on offense. And we have a feeling that the Rockies (as hot as they are) are overachieving. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, behind the one-two pitching punch of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, and the one-two hitting punch of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, are a little bullpen help away from being the most balanced team in the NL. Ryan Franklin, in his first full season as a closer, is having a career year and the Cards would do well to pair him with Smoltz at the back-end of games. A shift back into a relief role could be exactly what Smoltz (2-5, 8.33 ERA this year as a starter with the Red Sox) and the Cardinals need going forward.

3. John Calipari won’t last three years at Kentucky due to a violation » Memphis’ 2007-’08 Final Four season has been erased, earning Calipari the honor of becoming the first head coach to have two Final Four appearances vacated by the NCAA. UMass lost its 1996 NCAA Tournament record due to Marcus Camby accepting money from an agent. Something just doesn’t seem right when a small mid-major school can consistently pull top-10 recruits. Now Calipari is coaching one of college basketball’s top programs and the coach has another great recruiting classes with two top-5 players — John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins — committed to the Wildcats. How does a coach with a controversial past get a job at one of the elite programs, and how long will the honeymoon last?

Player to watch


Steven Gerrard • Liverpool • MF

The insatiable English attacking midfielder continues to drive his club forward, an ever-present force all over the field who is hoping to end the Reds’ three-year drought without a single trophy. Liverpool last won the FA Cup in 2006, the UEFA Champions League in 2005 and a English league title in 1990. At 29, Gerrard is coming off his most productive season ever, one in which he tallied 16 goals in league play. He is also Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer in European competition with 29 goals. Despite a Gerrard goal, the Reds opened their 2009-10 campaign with a 2-1 loss to Tottenham before rebounding with a 4-0 thrashing of Stoke City — Gerrard had a hand in two scores in that one. On Monday afternoon (ESPN2, 3 p.m.), Gerrard’s club will host Aston Villa, home of U.S. goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan.

Five Up & Five Down

UP

1. Usain Bolt » Breaking his own record in the 100 and 200? Priceless.

2. Y.E. Yang » First major champion from Asia is a Tiger-killer.

3. Steven Strasburg » Signed record deal with the Nats. Now comes hard part.

4. Caster Semenya » I met her in a club down in Old Soho …

5. Mike Rizzo » Little shoes to fill as the Nationals’ GM.

Down

1. Memphis » John Chaney was right all along about John Calipari.

2. Rick Pitino » Are he and Calipari the same guy? 

3. Plaxico Burress » Does the time really fit the crime?

4. Vikings » With Favre signing, did they mess up a good thing?

5. Ben Roethlisberger » Big Ben adding injury to assault.