Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Thursday, Oct. 24

Oct. 24 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Thursday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Panthers at Buccaneers TAMPA, Fla. - The Carolina Panthers can climb to .500 for the first time since 2005. Tampa Bay is hungry to deal the Panthers a defeat as the Bucs strive for their first win in 2013. (FBN-BUCCANEERS-PANTHERS-FIRSTLEDE/, WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after the 0030 GMT/8:30 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Dieter Brock: Mythbusting the NFL's last 7-0 rookie QB In the midst of a crazy season for many NFL quarterbacks, Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs became the only one since 1985 to start 7-0 in his first year with a team. Dieter Brock did it last in his weird, rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams. Smith can only hope his fate does not continue to follow that of Brock. (FBN-NEWS/FEATURE, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 1,100 words) - - Favre passes on return with Rams Retired 44-year-old quarterback Brett Favre says the St. Louis Rams reached out to his agent, Bus Cook, but "no way in hell" is Favre planning to play in the NFL again. (FBN-RAMS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 450 words) - - Game Scout: Week 8 previews Dallas and Detroit is a matchup of the NFL's leaders in passing and pass attempts the past two seasons, but could the running backs determine the outcome? Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins take a trip to Denver, where coach Mike Shanahan makes his first appearance since being fired. Will RGIII and Company match Peyton Manning's high-scoring offense or be left in the dust? (FBN-TEAM-TEAM-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 2330 GMT/7:30 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by Derek Harper and Jeff Reynolds, 400 words for all Week 8 matchups) - - NFL announces expanded International Series The 2014 NFL International Series in London will include America's Team. The Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to host the Dallas Cowboys, in one three games the league announced will be played at Wembley Stadium next season. There were two games, including Sunday's meeting between the Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers, in London in 2013. (FBN-COWBOYS-RAIDERS-NEWS/ (PIX), moved, The Sports Xchange, 250 words) - - NFL notebook The latest news and notes from around the league. (FBN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL World Series Game 2: Cardinals at Red Sox BOSTON - John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox can jump ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the World Series, but must beat right-hander Michael Wacha, who has 0.30 ERA in his past four starts. (BBO-REDSOX-CARDINALS-FIRSTLEDE/WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after the 0007 GMT/8:07 PM ET game ends, The Sports Xchange, by John Perrotto, 400-word first lede, 750-word writethru) See also: BOSTON - Pregame notebook from Fenway Park. (BBO-REDSOX-CARDINALS-NOTEBOOK/ (PIX), expect by 2320 GMT/7:20 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by John Perrotto, 350 words) - - Beltran's status uncertain Carlos Beltran suffered a rib contusion robbing Red Sox DH David Ortiz of a grand slam in Game 1. His status for Thursday's game is uncertain, but X-rays were negative. (BBO-CARDINALS-NEWS/, moved; will be led, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - Japan's Uehara proves to be pleasant surprise for Red Sox BOSTON - After joining the Red Sox on a one-year deal, primarily as a setup man, Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara has transformed himself into Boston's super-reliable closer. (BASEBALL-WORLDSERIES/UEHARA, moved, by Larry Fine, 500 words) - - Cardinals rookie Wacha faces biggest test of young career BOSTON - Rookie sensation Michael Wacha will face the biggest test of his short but meteoric MLB career when he takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the World Series. (BASEBALL-WORLDSERIES/WACHA, expect by 1800 GMT/2 PM ET, by Julian Linden, 500 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION LeBron's Heat facing toughest road yet to NBA title We look ahead to the upcoming 2013-14 NBA season with a five-part package consisting of an overall preview, profiles of the Eastern Conference teams, Western Conference teams, five teams to watch and five players to watch. (NBA/ (PREVIEW), moved, by Frank Pingue, 650 words) See also: (NBA-PENPIX/EASTERN, moved, 1500 words) (NBA-PENPIX/WESTERN, moved, 1500 words) (NBA-TEAMS/, moved, 700 words) (NBA-PLAYERS/, moved, 600 words) - - - - COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2013 PREVIEW The first part of the 2013 CBK preview package moved Wednesday morning (outlined below) - - ACC preview: Duke tops loaded new-look league Mike Krzyzewski likes the roster assembled for the 2013-14 season. He also thinks the ACC, with Syracuse and Pittsburgh around, could have 10 NCAA Tournament teams. (BKC-DUKE-SYRACUSE-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 1,100 words) - - AAC preview: Louisville one and done Defending national champion Louisville brings cachet to the remodeled "American" but the Cardinals won't be sticking around. (BKC-LOUISVILLE-CONNECTICUT-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 1,100 words) - - Big East preview: Newcomer Creighton tops remodeled conference For 33 years, Big East basketball looked pretty much the same. It was dramatically remodeled in the offseason, with Creighton moving in and immediately claiming favorite billing. (BKC-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 1,000 words) - - Big Ten preview: Talent in ample supply The Big Ten should boast superiority in all the usual metrics - defense, rebounding and overall talent. (BKC-MICHIGANSTATE-MICHIGAN-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 1,000 words) - - COMING FRIDAY: Conference Previews for Big 12, CUSA, Pac-12, SEC COMING MONDAY (Nov. 27) -Feature: Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart -Five unknown coaches to know **Additional CBK preview content to be delivered throughout next week. Will be outlined in Monday's budget. - - - - GOLF Guthrie grabs BMW lead ahead of Daly, McIlroy in touch Illinois native Luke Guthrie leaves a quartet of former world No. 1s trailing in his wake with a blistering start to the BMW Masters in Shanghai, firing a seven-under 65 to sit three shots ahead of fellow American John Daly. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, moved, 550 words) - - Olazabal: Seve Trophy should be worth Ryder points Jose Maria Olazabal is calling for Ryder Cup qualifying points to be made available at the Seve Trophy in order to entice the top golfers to play in the biennial match between Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/OLAZABAL (INTERVIEW), moved, by Tony Jimenez, 750 words) - - LPGA: Pettersen Grabs Lead With 68 World No. 2 Suzann Pettersen fires a 4-under 68 to hold the first-round lead at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship in Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan. (GLF-NEWS/, moved, 375 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE *The Sports Xchange covers all NHL games. Key matchups outlined below - - Sharks at Bruins BOSTON - San Jose (8-0-1) is the lone team with no regulation losses. They're rested after arriving in Boston Wednesday, awaiting a Bruins team coming off of an emotional game at Buffalo. (HKN-BRUINS-SHARKS-FIRSTLEDE/WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after the 2300 GMT/7 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Ducks at Canadiens MONTREAL - It's reunion night at Bell Center. Saku Koivu spent 10 seasons as the Canadiens' captain before signing with Anaheim in 2009. Both teams blew a 2-0 lead in their last game. (HKN-CANADIENS-DUCKS-FIRSTLEDE/WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after the 0000 GMT/8 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Rinne out at least one month Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne will miss at least a month recovering from hip surgery. (HKN-PREDATORS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 125 words) - - NHL Wrap: Sharks look to stay on top The NHL-leading San Jose Sharks, the only team yet to lose in regulation, visit the Boston Bruins while Cory Schneider gets the start in goal for the New Jersey Devils when they host his former Vancouver Canucks team. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - - - AUTO RACING Vettel a loser at tennis, if nothing else GREATER NOIDA, India - Sebastian Vettel can be beaten and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner knows it. The bad news for the German's Formula One rivals, as he gears up for an Indian Grand Prix likely to secure him a fourth successive title, is that defeat is more likely on the tennis court than at the racetrack at present. (MOTOR RACING-PRIX/VETTEL (PIX), moved, by Alan Baldwin, 650 words) - - - - TENNIS WTA Championships, Istanbul (to Oct. 27) Serena faces Kvitova, Jankovic loses to Li Na ISTANBUL - World No. 1 Serena Williams takes on Petra Kvitova looking to win her third round-robin match and reach the semi-finals. Early today, Jelena Jankovic fails to back up her win over Victoria Azarenka by losing to Li Na. (TENNIS-WTA/ (PIX), expect by 2100 GMT/5 PM ET, by Ece Toksabay, 400 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0001 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)