Ellington

Pro baseball, Jackson at Shreveport, 7 p.m. (1240 AM): The Senators play Game 2 of a four-game series in Sin City. … High school football, MPSA jamborees: The state's academies can start playing the glorified scrimmages they call jamborees. Check your local listings for head-knocking near you.

Friday, Aug. 13
Olympics, Opening Ceremony, 7 p.m. (NBC): It's a kitschy event that is actually a celebration of compromised ethics, corruption, cutthroat competition, and personal and corporate greed. It's the perfect warm-up act for the Republican National Convention. … Pro football, New York Jets at New Orleans, 7 p.m.: Talk about your glorified scrimmages, the Jets and Saints play an exhibition game the NFL insists on charging full price for.

Saturday, Aug. 14
Olympics, 7 p.m. (NBC): You can watch NBC's carefully edited replay of the day's events. Highlights will include track and field and swimming. If you love the gloves, check out the boxing on MSNBC starting at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 15
Pro baseball, Pensacola at Jackson, 7 p.m. (1240 AM): The Senators open their final home series of the 2004 season. … Movie, "Rocky III," 7 p.m. (ESPN Classic): I pity the fool who doesn't watch Sly and Mr. T tangle in the last good Rocky movie. … Olympics, men's basketball (11 a.m., NBC): The United States opens Olympic play against Puerto Rico. I smell a huge NBA backlash brewing if the America's team of young millionaires doesn't win the gold.

Monday, Aug. 16
Olympics, 7 p.m. (NBC): The rerun will be filled with swimming finals and the men's gymnastics team final, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Tuesday, Aug. 17
Pro baseball, Pensacola at Jackson, 7 p.m. (1240 AM): It's (sniff) the final home game for the Senators. And barring a major miracle in the division race, it's the last time we'll see the Sens at Smith-Wills until 2005. … Olympics, men's basketball, 2 p.m. (USA): The Americans play the Greek home-boys.

Olympics, 7 p.m. (NBC): The primetime replay will include lots of swimming finals. Will Michael Phelps make the rest of the world eat his foam?

The Slate is compiled by the Amazing Doctor S. You can choose not to accept his advice, in which case you're wrong.