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Sports Tonight: More proof that 'chicks dig the long ball'

Here is what's happening in sports on Friday, Sept. 1, including the weekend's TV schedule.

Giancarlo Stanton circles the bases after hitting a home run during a Players Weekend game against the Padres.
Giancarlo Stanton circles the bases after hitting a home run during a Players Weekend game against the Padres.Read moreAL DIAZ / Miami Herald

Oh, for the days when the sexiest video on the music scene was "Me So Horny" by 2 Live Crew.

Because of the song's X-rated lyrics, it wasn't surprising that back in 1989 the No.1-ranked Hot Rap Track was temporarily banned and the Miami-based group was prosecuted on obscenity charges. The video, however, even though it was shot largely in a strip club with dancers in thongs, is almost puritan compared to ones being produced these days.

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has caught the attention of the sports world as he continues to launch baseballs out of ball parks. Stanton has an MLB-leading 51 home runs entering tonight's game against the Phillies at 7:10 in Miami (TV: CSN; radio: 94 WIP).

On YouTube, Stanton is becoming an overnight sensation — not for his home runs but because singer Lexy Panterra released the video for her new song, "So Good" on Thursday.

Panterra doesn't do any of her typical "twerking," but stars with Stanton — they're "just friends" — who is stripped down to his underwear, in a steamy bedroom scene that leaves little to the imagination. I don't recommend watching on a computer at work.

As Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux once famously said, "Chicks dig the long ball."

The Big Apple finally gets a ‘big’ USA match

I guess not everyone loves New York.

In the 104-year history of the United States national soccer team, the men's senior team has played only 21 times in the New York City area since 1925. Still, unless you count three eliminations in the 2005 and 2009 Gold Cup, when many of the best players were not playing, Team USA has never truly played an international match that mattered with its "A" squad in or near NYC.

That changes tonight when the USA faces Costa Rica in a critical 2018 World Cup qualifying match at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. (6:30 on ESPN and Univision).

After losing the first two matches in CONCACAF Hexagonal and replacing Jürgen Klinsmann, the United States has bounced back under new coach Bruce Arena.

Unlike in this summer's Gold Cup, Arena is calling in players based professionally in Europe to go with the ones from Major League Soccer for this vital match.

What I’m reading

Roughly a year and a half after he quit, former Sixers president/general manager Sam Hinkie is still without a job in the NBA. Sports Illustrated puts together a list of seven floundering, rebuilding clubs. One might be open to accepting a "How to Tank" resume from Hinkie.

The folks at cbssports.com decided to rank the best fans in NFL. Eagles fans won't be happy with their placement or which group of fans they decided is No.1.

If Eagles rookie running back Donnel Pumphrey was an undrafted free agent, his lack of performance would have already gotten him cut. Staff writer Les Bowen wonders if the Birds would cut a fourth-round pick.

A brighter future is all Phillies fans have to look forward to. Columnist Bob Brookover reviews the seasons of some of the top prospects in the Phillies farm system.

The college football season is under way, but this is the first full weekend of games. Staff writer Joe Juliano previews the top games, the players to watch, and everything else.

The Phillies have been out the playoff race practically since the season opener, but other teams are fighting for the postseason. USA Today writer Jorge L. Ortiz discusses how Thursday's big trades affect the American League playoff race.

Sports stars are usually hesitant to criticize other athletes, especially when it comes to drug suspensions. At the U.S. Open, No. 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who was upset in the second round, wasn't quiet about the fact that she played on lesser courts while unranked Maria Sharapova, who is coming off a 1 ½-year drug suspension, has been featured on Center Court.

The riff

The playing career of Pat Tillman doesn't match up to that of a Mike Schmidt, a Michael Jordan, or any number of athletes who have been honored with statues in front of sporting venues. As an inspiration to citizens of the United States, however, Tillman, who played safety for the Arizona Cardinals, is one of the more important athletes in history.

After the terrorist attacks on Sept 11, 2001, Tillman walked away from a $3.5 million contract offer from the Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army and help protect the nation. In 2003, he became a Ranger, and a year later, he was killed in Afghanistan while defending the nation.

On Wednesday, Arizona State University, where Tillman was the 1997 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, dedicated a statue at Sun Devil Stadium to honor Tillman. It joins the one the Cardinals placed in front of University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006.

Pat Tillman didn't hit 500 home runs or win six NBA titles. He did so much more than that.

Tonight’s schedule

TV/Radio

Baseball
Phillies at Marlins, 7 p.m. (CSN; WIP-FM 94.1)
Red Sox at Yankees, 7 p.m. (MLB Network)

Golf on Golf Channel
LPGA: Portland Classic, 6:30 p.m.
Champions Tour: Shaw Charity Classic, 8:30 p.m.

Tennis
U.S. Open, 1 p.m. (ESPN); 6 p.m., 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

College Football
Fordham at Army, 6 p.m. (CBS-SN)
Navy at Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
Washington at Rutgers, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Utah State at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Boston College at Northern Illinois, 9:30 p.m. (CBS-SN)

Soccer
United States vs. Costa Rica, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Track & Field
Diamond League from Brussels, 7 p.m. (NBC-SN)

High School Football
Souderton at Quakertown, 7 p.m. (WNPV-AM 1440)

Local Events

Minor League Baseball
Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Scranton-W.B. RailRiders, 7:05 p.m., Coca-Cola Park, Allentown
Trenton Thunder vs. Reading Fightin' Phils, 7:05 p.m., Waterfront Park, Trenton
Lakewood BlueClaws vs. Kannapolis Intimidators, 7:05 p.m., FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood, N.J.
Wilmington Blue Rocks vs. Lynchburg Hillcats, 7:05 p.m., Frawley Stadium, Wilmington

Saturday’s schedule

TV/Radio

Baseball
Red Sox at Yankees, 1 p.m. (MLB Nertwork)
Cardinals at Giants, 4 p.m. (FS1)
Phillies at Marlins, 7 p.m. (CSN; WIP-FM 94.1)
Angels at Rangers, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Dodgers at Padres, 10 p.m. (MLB Network)

Golf on Golf Channel
European PGA: Czech Masters, 7 a.m.
PGA: Dell Championship, 3 p.m.
LPGA: Portland Classic, 6:30 p.m.
Champions Tour: Shaw Charity Classic, 8:30 p.m.

Tennis
U.S. Open, 11 a.m., 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

College Football
Akron at Penn State, noon (6ABC; WNTP-AM 990, WNPV-AM 1440)
Kent State at Clemson, noon (ESPN)
Bowling Green at Michigan State, noon (ESPNU)
Maryland at Texas, noon (FS1)
North Carolina State vs. South Carolina, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Michigan vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. (6ABC)
Texas-El Paso at Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m. (Fox29)
Temple at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. (NBC10; WPEN-FM 97.5)
Troy at Boise State, 3:45 p.m. (ESPNU)
Kentucky at Southern Mississippi, 4 p.m. (CBS-SN)
Appalachian State at Georgia, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Southern Alabama at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Louisville vs. Purdue, 7:30 p.m. (Fox29)
Florida State vs. Alabama, 8 p.m. (6ABC)
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m. (CBS-SN)
BYU vs. LSU, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Montana State at Washington State, 10:30 p.m. (FS1)

Soccer
NWSL: Washington Spirit at Portland Thorns FC, 3:30 p.m. (LIFE)

Auto Racing
Formula One: Italian Grand Prix qualifying, 8 a.m. (NBC-SN)
NASCAR Xfinity: VFW 200 qualifying, noon; race at 3:30 p.m. (NBC-SN; WNPV-AM 1440)
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup: Southern 500 qualifying, 1:30 p.m. (NBC-SN)
IndyCar: Grand Prix at The Glen qualifying, 7 p.m. (NBC-SN)

Horse Racing
Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, 6 p.m. (NBC-SN)

WNBA
San Antonio Stars at Indiana Fever, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)

Rugby
English Premiership: Saracens vs. Northampton, 9:30 a.m. (NBC-SN)

Local Events

Minor League Baseball
Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Scranton-W.B. RailRiders, 6:35 p.m., Coca-Cola Park, Allentown
Trenton Thunder vs. Reading Fightin' Phils, 7:05 p.m., Waterfront Park, Trenton
Lakewood BlueClaws vs. Kannapolis Intimidators, 7:05 p.m., FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood, N.J.
Wilmington Blue Rocks vs. Lynchburg Hillcats, 7:05 p.m., Frawley Stadium, Wilmington

Horse Racing
Parx Racing, 12:55 p.m., Bensalem

Sunday’s schedule

TV/Radio

Baseball
Phillies at Marlins, 1 p.m. (CSN; WIP-FM 94.1)
Diamondbacks at Rockies, 3 p.m. (TBS)
Red Sox at Yankees, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Golf
European PGA: Czech Masters, 7 a.m. (Golf Channel)
PGA: Dell Championship, 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); 3 p.m. (NBC10)
LPGA: Portland Classic, 5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Champions Tour: Shaw Charity Classic, 7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Soccer
World Cup qualifying match, 11:50 a.m. (ESPN2)

Auto Racing
Formula One: Italian Grand Prix, 7:30 a.m. (NBC-SN)
IndyCar: Grand Prix at The Glen, 1:30 p.m. (NBC-SN)
NASCAR Trucks: Chevrolet Silverado 250, 2:30 p.m. (FS1; WNPV-AM 1440)
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup: Southern 500, 6 p.m. (NBC-SN; WNPV-AM 1440)

Track & Field
Diamond League at Brussels, Belgium, 1 p.m. (NBC10)

College Football
South Carolina State at Southern, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
West Virginia at Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. (6ABC)
Texas A&M at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. (Fox29)

Beach Volleyball
AVP Tour: The Championships, midnight (NBC-SN)

Local Events

Minor League Baseball
Wilmington Blue Rocks vs. Lynchburg Hillcats, 1:35 p.m., Frawley Stadium, Wilmington
Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Scranton-W.B. RailRiders, 6:35 p.m., Coca-Cola Park, Allentown
Trenton Thunder vs. Reading Fightin' Phils, 7:05 p.m., Waterfront Park, Trenton
Lakewood BlueClaws vs. Kannapolis Intimidators, 7:05 p.m., FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood, N.J.

Horse Racing
Parx Racing, 12:55 p.m., Bensalem

Harness Racing
Harrah's Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack, 12:40 p.m., Chest