It's Wednesday!

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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More on the passing of baseball legend Ernie Harwell from Fox Sports.

Also, more from mlb.com.

And from the Detroit Free Press.

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Hockey Playoff Roundup ----

NHL:

Eastern Conference

Last night --

Western Conference Semifinals

San Jose 4, Detroit 3, OT (San Jose leads series 3-0)

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Pittsburgh 2, Montreal 0 (Pittsburgh leads series 2-1)

Tonight --

Eastern Conference

Boston at Philadelphia 7:00pm EDT (Boston leads series 2-0)

Western Conference

Chicago at Vancouver 9:30pm EDT (Series tied 1-1)

WHL:

WHL Championship Finals

Last Night --

Calgary 4, Tri-City 1 (Calgary leads series 3-0)

Tonight --

Calgary at Tri-City 10:05pm EDT (Calgary leads series 3-0)

OHL Championship Finals:

Last night --

Windsor 6, Barrie 2 (Windsor wins series 4-0)

(Note: Windsor, defending Memorial Cup Champions, open play at 2010 Mastercard Memorial Cup in Brandon, Manitoba against the host Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, May 14th)

QMJHL Championship Finals:

Last night --

Saint John 6, Moncton 4 (Moncton leads series 2-1)

Tonight --

No games

USHL Clark Cup Championship Finals:

Last night --

No games

Tonight --

No games

(Note: Fargo leads best-of-five series 2-0)

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U.S. Men's National Team Downs France, 3-1, in Tune-Up
for IIHF World Men's Championship


Team USA Opens IIHF World Men's Championship against Germany on Friday

AMIENS, France - Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn./New York Islanders/Univ. of Minnesota) netted two goals as the U.S. Men's National Team downed France, 3-1, here tonight in Team USA's lone exhibition game prior to the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Championship, May 7-23, in Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim, Germany.

After Yorick Treille gave France a 1-0 lead at 11:01 of the first period, Okposo knotted the score with his first marker 4:52 into the middle frame. Matt Greene (Grand Ledge, Mich./Los Angeles Kings/Univ. of North Dakota) sent a pass to Nick Foligno (Buffalo, N.Y./Ottawa Senators), who fed Okposo with a cross-ice goalmouth pass for a tap-in goal past Fabrice Lhenry.

While on the power play, the U.S. grabbed a 2-1 advantage with 7:29 remaining in the second period. T.J. Oshie (Warroad, Minn./St. Louis Blues/Univ. of North Dakota) collected a Brandon Dubinsky (Anchorage, Alaska/New York Rangers) pass behind the French net and fed Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Los Angeles Kings/Univ. of Michigan) at the top of the left circle, where he fired a one-timer over Lhenry's blocker.

In the third stanza, Okposo potted his second marker of the game at 7:44 to close out the scoring. Following a France turnover, Okposo skated down the right wing and sent a shot that beat Lhenry high over the glove. Foligno and Dubinsky both collected their second assists of the game on the tally.

U.S. netminders Scott Clemmensen (Des Moines, Iowa/Florida Panthers/Boston College) and Ben Bishop (Des Peres, Mo./Peoria Rivermen/Univ. of Maine) both saw action in the game, with Clemmensen stopping 11 shots over the first two periods and Bishop turning aside all six attempts he faced in the final frame.

The U.S. Men's National Team opens IIHF World Men's Championship play against host Germany on Friday (May 7) at 2:15 p.m. EDT. The game will be played at Gelsenkirchen's VELTINS-Arena, home of the German soccer league's FC Schalke, in front of an expected world record crowd of more than 76,000 spectators.

NOTES: Kyle Okposo was named U.S. Player of the Game ... Brandon Dubinsky (0-2), Nick Foligno (0-2) and Okposo (2-0) netted two points each ... The U.S. was 1-for-6 on the power play, while France was 0-for-2 on the man advantage ... For Team USA's roster, click here ... Coverage of the 2010 U.S. Men's National Team can be found here ... All Team USA games, as well as additional international games, will air on Universal Sports and at UniversalSports.com. Visit UniversalSports.com for the full schedule ... All teams in the 2010 IIHF World Men's Championship may begin the tournament with 20 skaters and three goaltenders, and can add two players after the first three games ... Scott Gordon, head coach of the NHL's New York Islanders, is the head coach of the 2010 U.S. Men's National Team, with Todd Richards, head coach of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, Joe Sacco, head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, and Ron Rolston, one of two head coaches at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, serving as assistant coaches ... The 2010 U.S. Men’s National Team is under the direction of Brian Burke, general manager; David Poile, associate general manager; and Jim Johannson, assistant executive director for hockey operations at USA Hockey. The U.S. Men's National Team Advisory Group, which also includes NHL front-office personnel Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia Flyers), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Don Waddell (Atlanta Thrashers), is charged with leading the selection of players for the U.S. Men's National Team ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 0 - 2 - 1 - 3
FRA 1 - 0 - 0 - 1

First Period - Scoring: 1, FRA, Y. Treille (Lamperier), 11:01. Penalties: USA, Dubinsky (charging), :22; FRA, S. Treille (interference), 6:10; FRA, Lussier (tripping), 14:54; USA, Foligno (slashing), 16:54.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, USA, Okposo (Foligno, M. Greene), 4:52; 3, USA, Johnson (Oshie, Dubinsky), 12:31 (pp). Penalties: FRA, Y. Treille (holding), 11:01; FRA, Pain (interference), 17:12.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Okposo (Foligno, Dubinsky), 7:44. Penalties: FRA, T. DaCosta (slashing), 15:41; FRA, Team (too-many men), 19:55.



Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 8 9 11 28
FRA 4 8 6 18

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Clemmensen, 40:00 4-3 8-8 x-x 12-11
USA, Bishop, 20:00 x-x x-x 6-6 6-6
FRA, Lhenry, 60:00 8-8 9-7 11-10 28-25

Power Play: USA 1-6; FRA 0-2
Penalties: USA 2-4; FRA 6-12
Officials: Referees-Frederic Bachelet, Jimmy Bergamelli; Linesmen-Pierre Dehaen, Mathieu Loos
Attendance: 3,200

Team USA 2010 IIHF World Men's Championship Schedule & Results
May 7-23 • Cologne, Gelsenkirchen & Mannheim, Germany

Date Opponent Location Time (Local/EDT)

Tues., May 4 France (ex.) Amiens, France W, 3-1
Fri., May 7 Germany Gelsenkirchen 8:15 p.m./2:15 p.m.
Mon., May 10 Denmark Cologne 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
Wed., May 12 Finland Cologne 8:15 p.m./2:15 p.m.
Fri., May 14-Tues., May 18 Qualification Round Cologne/Mannheim TBD
Sat., May 15-Tues., May 18 Relegation Round Cologne/Mannheim TBD
Thurs., May 20 Quarterfinals Cologne/Mannheim TBD
Sat., May 22 Semifinals Cologne TBD
Sun., May 23 Bronze-Medal Game Cologne 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
Gold-Medal Game Cologne 8:30 p.m./2:30 p.m.

Arena Locations: LANXESS Arena (Cologne); VELTINS-Arena (Gelsenkirchen); SAP Arena (Mannheim)

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I hate cockroaches. Palmetto Bugs are a close second.

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The Tampa Bay Rays improved to 10-1 on the road in the 2010 season last night, with a 5-2 win in Seattle over the Mariners.

The Rays scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth innings, while Seattle committed four errors, three by shortstop Jack Wilson. Evan Longoria hit his 7th homer of the season in the 5th inning, James Shields got the win, improving to 4-0.

Tampa Bay, 19-7 and one game up on the Yankees in the A.L. East, play in Seattle again tonight, 10:10pm EDT first pitch on 620AM WDAE.

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Portland Winterhawks take son of former NHL star in WHL bantam draft.

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Yesterday, for the first time in nearly three months, we were able to take Jimmy to Mother Goose Story Time at the Palm Harbor Library.



Here we are, entering the Library.









"This is the way we brush our teeth...."









Jimmy loves Little Ducky Donald









He really loves Miss Sam(Everyone does!)








And he always has fun in the play area after stories.







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One of my best friends from high school, former baseball/softball team mate and fellow Oregon State Beavers fan Doug Helbig is 55 years old today. Happy Birthday Weez! (Where'd all your hair go Grandpa?)

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Past Blasting Time:

For those who grew up in and around Portland, Oregon over the past 50 years:

Remember the gas station in Oak Grove with the big airplane over the gas pumps? If you do, or even if you don't, check out this You Tube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ0F3qSorbw

Even if you don't remember, or never heard of "The Bomber," this is a fascinating piece. If you DO remember, it will bring back some pretty neat memories.

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My friend Rod Pedersen as the next voice of the Edmonton Oilers? Why not? This is from his blog.

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Former major leaguer Dave Roberts has lymphoma.

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That's about it for now. Plans are to squeeze in a trip to the beach today, before I go back to work tonight. Whatever you do, make it fun and keep it safe. See you tomorrow!