It's Wednesday!

It's Wednesday. Let's see what's happening....

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Today is Junk Food Day!

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Kovalchuk's record contract with New Jersey rejected by NHL.

Tampa Bay fills out coaching staff.

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In Colorado, George Linn went into cardiac arrest right as the pizza deliveryman knocked on his door. The deliveryman just happened to be a paramedic recently returned from Iraq. He performed CPR on George until paramedics arrived.

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Durant anchors Roughriders solid start.

The Riders take their 3-0 record on the road next Saturday to face the 2-1 Calgary Stampeders. Kickoff is set for 9:30pm EDT. Listen links for the game are on the right side of this blog.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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A new study found that about 56 percent of women surveyed let their cars go unwashed for more than six months. By comparison, 44 percent of the men surveyed were willing to go that long between washings.

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Today in Sports History:

1931 - The Reno Race Track inaugurated the daily double in the U.S.

1957 - Althea Gibson became the first black woman to win a major U.S. tennis title when she won the Women’s National clay-court singles competition.

1968 - Arnold Palmer became the first golfer to make a million dollars in career earnings after he tied for second place at the PGA Championship.

1998 - Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, 17, was paralyzed after a fall while practicing for the women's vault competition at the Goodwill Games in New York. Spinal surgery 4 days later failed to restore sensation below her upper chest.

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U.S. border authorities arrested a teenager on a bicycle entering Arizona from Mexico with a load of marijuana.(Could be a real interesting remake of Up In Smoke, doncha think?)

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The Tampa Bay Rays fell behind early, came back to build a big lead in the late innings of the game but couldn't hold it, missing a chance to gain a game on the Yankees, by losing an 11-10 13-inning slugfest to the Baltimore Orioles last night, in front of 16,623 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

The Orioles jumped on top with three in the second. Luke Scott, Ty Wigginton and Adam Jones all homered to lead off the inning, giving the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Tampa Bay responded with a run in the fourth on a one-out homer by B.J. Upton. Baltimore got that run back in their half of the fourth on a two-out homer by Scott, his second of the game. The Rays went to the long ball again in the fourth with a two-out homer by Matt Joyce, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Tampa Bay went to work in the sixth, scoring four times to take the lead. With Joyce batting, a Jake Arrieta wild pitch scored Jason Bartlett. A Willy Aybar fielder's choice that included a throwing error by Wigginton, scored Carlos Pena and tied the game 4-4. The Rays then took a 6-4 lead, as a John Jaso single chased home Joyce and Aybar. The lead grew to 8-4 in the seventh, when Aybar rapped a single to right, scoring Ben Zobrist and Longoria. The Orioles got three back in their half of the seventh, as a one-out double by Miguel Tejada brought home Craig Tatum and Felix Pie, bringing Baltimore to within two, at 8-7. The Birds would then crawl to within one at 8-7, when Tejada scored on Scott's two-out single to center.

Reid Brignac socked a one-out homer in the eighth, putting Tampa Bay up 9-7 but that lead wouldn't last. In the bottom of the ninth, Tejada doubled to left with no outs for Baltimore, scoring Cesar Izturis and Pie to tie the game 9-9, sending the game to extra innings.

Each team scored once in the twelth. With one out in the top of the twelth, Pena walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, then came home on Aybar's two-out single to right, putting the Rays up 10-9. The Orioles tied the game 10-10 on a sacrifice fly by Scott Moore that scored Corey Patterson who had led off the inning with a double. In the 13th, Brignac led off with a single for Tampa Bay, but was erased when Zobrist grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Bartlett struck out swinging to end the inning, giving Baltimore the opening they needed to win. Izturis walked to start the O's half of the 13th, advancing to second on Pie's sac bunt. Julio Lugo then slapped a slider into right, with Izuturis scampering home, giving Baltimore the 11-10 win.

Koji Uehara, the sixth Baltimore pitcher of the night, went the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two to get the win, his first against no losses this season. Lance Cormier, the last of seven pitchers for the Rays took the loss, allowing one earned run on one hit with one walk in 1/3 of an inning, slipping to 3-2.

The Rays are now 56-37 and remain 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the A.L. East. They also lead the A.L. Wild Card chase. Tampa Bay finishes their three-game set at Baltimore today, with first pitch scheduled for 12:35pm EDT. After today's game with the Orioles, the Rays will move on to Cleveland for three games starting tomorrow, before returning home on Monday, July 26th for their longest home stand of the season, 11 games, with the first of a four-game set against Detroit, to be followed by three against the Yankees and four against Minnesota. You can follow the Rays on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. All games through Friday, September 3rd, can be seen on Sun Sports. The Monday, July 26th game with Detroit will air on ESPN, the Sunday, August 1st game will be on TBS, and the Saturday August 14th game against Detroit will be on FOX.

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French authorities arrested an Air France flight attendant for stealing from sleeping passengers. (So there really are snakes on a plane.)


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The Yankees lead the A.L. East by 2 1/2 games over Tampa Bay and 6 over Boston. Toronto is 11 back and Baltimore is 28 1/2 games behind.

In the A.L. Central, Chicago leads Detroit and Minnesota by 3 1/2 games, Kansas City is 12 back and Cleveland is 12 1/2 games off the pace.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads the Angels by 5 games, Oakland is 8 back and Seattle trails by 19.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads the Mets by 6 1/2 games, Philadelphia is 7 behind, while Florida is 10 back and Washington(First in war, first in peace and last in the N.L. East) trails by 15.

In the N.L. Central, St. Louis leads by 1/2 game over Cincinnati, Milwaukee and the Cubs trails by 10 1/2, Houston is 15 behind, and Pittsburgh(heading towards their 18th consecutive losing season) is 19 1/2 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 3 games over San Francisco, by 3 1/2 over Colorado, 6 over the Dodgers and 19 over Arizona.

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The National Baby Food Festival in Fremont, Michigan runs today through Saturday (July 21st-24th). See http://www.babyfoodfest.com/ to learn more.

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The San Francisco Giants moved a full game closer to San Diego in the N.L. West last night, with a 7-5 comeback win over the Dodgers, in front of 53,831 at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers built a 5-1 lead after three, but San Francisco rallied, for 3 runs in the sixth, highlighted by Pablo Sandoval's two-run double, closing to within one, at 5-4.

The Giants would then score three more in the ninth, thanks in part to a bizarre incident. Facing Jonathan Broxton, whose scoreless ninths ninth last Tuesday helped the National League to an all-star game win, Juan Uribe started the inning with an infield single. Following a walk to Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand laid down a sacrifice bunt, forcing Broxton to load the bases with an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff. Then came the bizarre situation that turned the game in San Francisco's favor. Don Mattingly, taking over for Los Angeles manager Joe Torre, who had been ejected in the seventh, inadvertently made what amounted to a double-trip to the mound. Mattingly left the mound but turned and delivered some additional thoughts in violation of rule 8.06, forcing the removal of Broxton. George Sherrill gave up a double to Andres Torres, that brought home Nate Schierholtz and Renteria to put the Giants on top 6-5. San Francisco would add one more, when Buster Posey singled home Torres, giving the Giants their 7th win in their last 8 games and their 11th win in their last 13, 7-5.

Santiago Casilla got the win for San Francisco, allowing 0 runs on 1 hit, with 1 strike out and 1 walk in 2 innings, improving to 3-2. Jeremy Affeldt picked up his 3rd save of the season, striking out 2 and allowing just 1 hit in the ninth inning. Jonathon Broxton took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 1 hit and 2 walks in the ninth, slipping to 3-2.

The Giants and Dodgers meet in Los Angeles again tonight at 10:10pm EDT, then head to Arizona for 4 games starting tomorrow, before returning home Monday for 4 against Florida and 3 against the Dodgers. The Giants have a big 3-game series at home against San Diego coming up August 13th through 15th. This coming Saturday's game with the Dodgers airs on FOX, with the Sunday game against the Dodgers showing on ESPN.

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Today is National Tug-of-War Contest Day.

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Fallen Forciea leaves prison, seeks redemption.

Rehkamp ready to take off in second season with Force.

Former Bucs' trainer heads to AHL Syracuse.

Former Stampede Assistant Coach Rosso hired as Assistant at Mercyhurst.

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Apparently, Jimmy finds artificial flowers quite tasty.










Snoopy takes it easy.








So does Smokey.

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Today is Legal Drinking Age Day. (Dr Pepper on the rocks for me please.)

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FASTHockey to Webcast Five Games
from USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp

Games Featuring U.S., Finland and Sweden to Be Webcast Aug. 3-7

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - FASTHockey will webcast five games (see schedule later in this release) from the upcoming USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp will take place July 30-Aug. 7, and includes U.S. intrasquad scrimmages and international match-ups between teams from the United States, Finland and Sweden. The 44 U.S. players invited to the camp will be auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Games will be available on a pay-per-view basis at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com. FASTHockey uses a unique game-credit system for viewing games, offering discounts to customers who watch multiple games. Users who want to watch one or more games must first sign up for a free account at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com. Users may then buy game credits - a single game ranges from $6.99 (when one game credit is purchased) to $4.99 (when 100 game credits are purchased). Game credits can be used to watch live games or on-demand archives and never expire.

NOTES: For the full list of players invited to the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, click here ... The U.S. roster will be trimmed Aug. 2 in preparation for the international games against Finland and Sweden ... The 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships will take place Dec. 26 - Jan. 5 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., and Niagara University's Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, N.Y. Additional information including a full preliminary-round tournament schedule and ticket details can be found at http://www.buffaloworldjuniors.com/ ...The 2011 U.S. National Junior Team will be selected in late December following a pre-tournament camp that will begin in mid-December ... Keith Allain, head men's ice hockey coach at Yale University, will serve as head coach of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. Allain will be assisted by Mark Osiecki (Burnsville, Minn.), head men's ice hockey coach at The Ohio State University; Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) high school; and Joe Exter (Saline, Mich.), USA Hockey's national goaltending coach ... Mark Carlson, head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, and Greg Brown, assistant men's ice hockey coach at Boston College, will also participate in Lake Placid as camp coaches ... Jim Johannson is serving as the general manager of the U.S. National Junior Team for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.), former U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team head coach and longtime Yale University men's ice hockey team head coach, is also serving his second straight year as Team USA's director of player personnel.

2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp Schedule
July 30 - Aug. 7 -- Lake Placid, N.Y.

Date Event Time (EDT)
Fri., July 30 Blue vs. White Scrimmage 4 p.m.
Sat., July 31 Blue vs. White Scrimmage 4 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 1 Blue vs. White Scrimmage 4 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 2 Finland vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
Tues., Aug. 3 USA vs. Sweden* 4 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 4 USA vs. Finland* 4 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 5 Finland vs. Sweden* 4 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 6 USA vs. Sweden* 4 p.m.
Sat. Aug. 7 USA vs. Finland* 4 p.m.

*games streamed live at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com


Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" to Feature
USA Hockey National Disabled Festival Thursday

Show Host Duff Goldman Makes Special Cake, Gets in Sled with Paralympians

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" will feature its visit to the 2010 USA Hockey National Disabled Festival during the episode entitled "Indy, Ice and Improv" Thursday at 10 p.m. EDT.

On April 8, "Ace of Cakes" star chef Duff Goldman stopped by the festival to deliver a custom-made cake featuring miniature players representing all four disciplines of disabled hockey, including deaf/hard of hearing hockey, special hockey, sled hockey and standing/amputee hockey.

Prior to the official cake presentation during the festival's opening ceremonies, Goldman also visited with members of the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team and tried his luck at their sport.

The 2010 USA Hockey National Disabled Festival, which took place April 8-11 in Laurel, Md., brought together a total of 50 teams and nearly 800 players from 20 states across the United States. The festival hosted youth and adult sled tournaments; special hockey games; an exhibition between U.S. and international amputee all-star teams; and U.S. deaf/hard of hearing athletes competing against local able-bodied teams.

"Ace of Cakes" follows Goldman and the rest of the staff of Baltimore's Charm City Cakes as they try to meet the demands of creating up to 20 decorative cakes each week.

NOTES: For more information on the 2010 USA Hockey National Disabled Festival, including photos of Duff's appearance, click here ... For more information on Food Network's "Ace of Cakes," click here.

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner
Set for Oct. 21 in Buffalo

Event to Take Place on Floor of HSBC Arena

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 38th Annual United States Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will take place on Thursday, October 21, on the floor of HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., it was announced today by USA Hockey.

"We're extremely pleased to bring the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Dinner to Buffalo, an area of our country steeped in hockey tradition," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "It's our intent to bring this event to as many parts of our country as possible, so that people can share in celebrating the pinnacle of accomplishment of our nation's hockey heroes."

"It's terrific that we're able to bring the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Ceremony to Buffalo," said Larry Quinn, managing general partner of the Buffalo Sabres. "I know our community will embrace the event and we look forward to the announcement of the Class of 2010 later this week."

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be announced at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday (July 22), via a media conference call and on USAHockey.com.

NOTES: The 2010 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner marks the first time the event will be staged in Buffalo … Since USA Hockey assumed responsibility for the event in 2007, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner has been held in Grand Forks, N. Dak. (2007), Denver, Colo. (2008) and Boston, Mass. (2009). Ticket information for the event in Buffalo will be forthcoming ... The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 1973. To date, there are 143 enshrined members in the Hall. For information on the members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, visit the Hall's official web site at USHockeyHallofFame.com … The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum, located in Eveleth, Minn., is open daily. For hours of operation and admission prices, visit USHockeyHallMuseum.com or call 800-443-7825.

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On this day in:

1946: An FD-1 Phantom becomes the first jet aircraft to land and take-off from a ship, as it lands and then takes off again from the USS Roosevelt (CVB-42).

1972: Comedian George Carlin is arrested in Milwaukee for performing his Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television routine. The charges were later dismissed.

1983: Coldest day ever recorded, -128.6º F (-89º C) in Vostok, Antarctica (It'll be a cold day in July before I...well, never mind.)

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Today in Elvis History:

1968 - The Elvis Presley movie "Speedway" was premiered at the "Elvis Convention '68."

1990 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Hits Like Never Before" hit #71 in the U.K.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 12:35pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians 7:05pm EDT

Arena Football: Alabama Vipers at Tampa Bay Storm 7:30pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Kroger 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, Indianapolis, Indiana 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 8:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians 1:05pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Florida Marlins at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Florida Marlins at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida Marlins at San Francisco Giants 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays 12:10pm EDT

Baseball: Florida Marlins at San Francisco Giants 3:45pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants 4:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Arena Football: Orlando Predators at Tampa Bay Storm 7:30pm EDT (Final game of regular season.)

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Iowa 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays 1:40pm EDT

Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants 8:00pm EDT

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That's what's going on today. See you tomorrow!