Tnt

Lakers@Suns 10:30 p.m. [TNT] It's always nice when old pals (right) Shaq and Kobe get together. Maybe they'll discuss, oh, say, O'Neal's offseason efforts to expand his abilities in freestyle rapping.

1 Come to Papa: You have the NFL Network (left)? Then you have a game tonight - Broncos at Browns at 8:15. And, remember, Bob Papa has replaced Bryant Gumbel on play-by-play. 2 Hungry team: When the Terps play at Virginia Tech tonight (7:30, ESPN), they should know they're being scouted by the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Yum, what could be more incentive than that? 3 Hoop it up: The first game of TNT's NBA doubleheader features Philadelphia at Orlando (8 p.m.). Which reminds us of that old song by Pilot - "oh, oh, oh, it's Magic!"

One of the sadder aspects of this job is having to review the work of once-great writer-producers who are over the hill and merely recycling their old and tired tricks. That's the case with Steven Bochco's new series, Raising the Bar, premiering tonight on TNT. The man who helped change the face of network drama from soft-focus escapist fare to the hard-edged grit of Hill Street Blues in 1984 debuts a big-city legal drama that follows the same conventions of such series as his NYPD Blue and Brooklyn South.

BASEBALL Rangers@Orioles 7 P.M. [CH. 13, MASN]: It's probably the best pitching matchup of the weekend with the Rangers sending Vicente Padilla (12-5, 4.59 ERA) to the mound against Daniel Cabrera (7-7, 4.97). Cabrera has struggled recently, but you still have to hope he'll figure it out someday. Why not tonight? GOLF PGA Championship 11 a.m. [TNT], 2 p.m. [CHS. 13, 9]: Hey, golf might be an Olympic sport in the near future. Did you even realize a major was going on? Without Tiger Woods, you have J.B. Holmes to root for.

Orioles@Brewers 8 p.m. [MASN2] Radhames Liz, who has pitched well for the Orioles since being called up from the minors this month, gets his fourth start. Veteran Jeff Suppan is scheduled to start for the Brewers, who have won four straight. Movie The Longest Yard 8 p.m. [TNT] This is the remake, in which Adam Sandler is in the Burt Reynolds role as the inmate quarterback, although Reynolds is in the 2005 remake as the coach. It's tough to follow a classic.

Red Wings@Stars 8 p.m. [Versus] Mr. Flip plans to watch while wearing an understated ensemble from the Don Cherry collection. NBA playoffs Spurs@Hornets 8:30 p.m. [TNT] At least this Game 7 doesn't feature Sasha Pavlovic as a key player.

Typing up sports media notes while wondering why the pope is visiting the stadiums that are home to the Nationals and Yankees but not the Cardinals: There is no consensus among TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith on the major NBA awards, except for Sixth Man of the Year - the San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili. For Most Valuable Player, Barkley goes with the New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul and Miller with the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Smith wimps out and names them co-MVPs.

Capitals@Lightning 7:30 P.M. [CSN] Tired of NCAA tournament basketball? How about some nice ice hockey? The Capitals continue their push for the playoffs against the Lightning. Caps forward Alexander Ovechkin leads the NHL with 61 goals and 107 points. NBA Mavericks@Nuggets 8 P.M. [TNT] Baltimore's own Carmelo Anthony (Towson Catholic) could help the Nuggets' playoff drive in the Western Conference and put a hurting on the Mavericks' chances when the two teams meet.