Ellington

Thursday, Dec. 11
NFL football, New Orleans at Chicago (7 p.m., NFL Network/620 AM): The Saints-Bears loser will be out of the playoffs. The forecast: snow and 12 degrees at game time. An NFL Network audience of dozens will be watching. Most of you will have to listen on the radio.

Friday, Dec. 12
NBA basketball, New Orleans at Boston (7 p.m., ESPN): The Hornets try to sting the defending world champions. Losing to the Celtics last season cost the Hornets the No. 1 seed in the West in the playoffs.

Saturday, Dec. 13
College football, Jackson State vs. Grambling State in the SWAC Championship Game (1 p.m., Birmingham, Ala., ESPN Classic/1300 AM): This is the kind of rerun that Doctor S enjoys: watching the Tigers and G-Men battle for the conference crown for a second straight year. Hopefully we will see the Tigers take home the trophy again. … Ole Miss at New Mexico (3 p.m., Albuquerque, N.M., Versus/97.3 FM): Hopefully the Rebels won't make a wrong turn at Albuquerque the way Bugs Bunny always did.

Sunday, Dec. 14
College basketball, LaGrange at Millsaps (women, 1 p.m., and men, 3 p.m., Jackson): Millsaps manhandled LaGrange in football. Will basketball produce more of the same? … NFL football, New York Giants at Dallas (7:15 p.m., Ch. 3): Eli Manning and the Giants try to end their two-game losing streak and knock the Cowboys out of the playoffs.

Monday, Dec. 15
Men's college basketball, Alabama State at Ole Miss (7 p.m., Oxford, CSS/97.3 FM): How come the Rebels are playing these scrubs instead of a SWAC team from Mississippi? … William Carey at Southern Miss (7 p.m., Hattiesburg, 1180 AM/103.3 FM): The Crusaders and Iggles collide in a cross-town mismatch.

Tuesday, Dec. 16
Women's college basketball, Mississippi State at Southern Miss (7 p.m., Hattiesburg): MSU playing USM? What a great idea. How about football and men's basketball, too?

Wednesday, Dec. 17
NBA basketball, Boston at Atlanta (6 p.m., Atlanta, ESPN/SportSouth): The defending-champ Celtics face the surprisingly good Hawks. But will anybody actually go to the game?

Doctor S compiles the Slate in groovy Room 222 in the JFP Tower.