It's Tuesday!

It's Tuesday. Here's what's happening....

************************************************

Today is August 31st, the 243rd day of 2010. There are 122 days left in the year.

************************************************














Coyotes happy to have Stempniak back at fair price.

Oilers ink Gagner to two-year deal.

Chelios expected to retire, join Wings front office.

************************************************

Today is National Trail Mix Day.

************************************************








Marty Quarters joins Bucs' coaching staff.

Ames teen to play for Hawks.

Broncos land Kessel.

Phantoms defender returns home.

Burgdoerfer lands at RPI.

************************************************

Today is Love Litigating Lawyers Day.

************************************************

Bolt from the blue: Terry Crisp.

Who's coming in, who's staying, who's left.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

************************************************

German king Heinrich VII makes his son Johan king of Bohemia on this date in 1310.

************************************************







The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West, as they put their 5-3 record up against the 2-6 Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th. Kickoff next Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for a 1:00pm EDT kickoff on Sunday, September 12th.

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

************************************************

Happy Birthday to Richard Tiffany Gere. Three of his best known roles came in the movies American Gigolo (1979), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and Pretty Woman (1990, he also composed and performed the featured piano solo). He was the first man ever to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine.

(Wait a minute....Tiffany?)

************************************************

A young man's game.

Season tickets? Get 'em here.

************************************************

Thomas Edison receives a patent for his motion picture camera on this date in 1897.

************************************************

Today in Sports History:

1881 - The first tennis championships in the U.S. were played.

1950 - Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit four home runs in a single game off of four different pitchers.

1959 - Sandy Koufax set a National League record by striking out 18 batters.

1969 - The boxer Rocky Marciano died in an airplane crash in Iowa.

1995 - Judge Lance Ito ruled that only two tapes of racist comments by Mark Fuhrman could be played in the trial of O.J. Simpson.

************************************************

A Packard arrived in New York City on this date in 1903, becoming the first automobile to cross the U.S. under its own power. It had departed San Francisco on July 10th.

************************************************














St. Petersburg - A two-out error in the third opened the door for a three-run bomb from Carlos Pena, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, in front of an embarrassingly small crowd of 11,968 at Tropicana Field.

The Rays scored twice in the first last night, as B.J. Upton scored on a Carl Crawford double for a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead. Crawford later scored on Carlos Pena's sacrifice fly, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead.

John MacDonald scored on a third inning fielder's choice by Travis Snider, bringing Toronto to within 1 at 2-1. Tampa Bay would ring the bell three times in the bottom half of the third. With two outs, Crawford hit a grounder to second and flew down the line to first forcing Blue Jays' second baseman Aaron Hill to rush the play. Hill booted the chance, allowing Crawford to reach safely. Evan Longoria then singled to prolong the inning, giving Pena the set-up he needed. Pena's 26th homer of the season reached the left field seats, resulting in a 5-1 Rays lead.

Toronto got one back in the fifth on a lead-off homer by Aaron Hill, and Jason Bartlett scored for Tampa Bay in the eighth on Longoria's sacrifice fly, and the Rays had their 6-2 win.

Wade Davis allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 2/3 innings for Tampa Bay, striking out 3 and walking no one. The win pushed his record to 11-9. Brett Cecil went 7 innings for the Blue Jays, allowing 5 runs, 2 earned on 5 hits, with 5 strike outs and 1 walk. He's now 11-7.

The Rays are now 81-50, and still tied with the Yankees for first in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 7 games in both the division and Wild Card races. The Rays meet Toronto in the second game of their three game set, starting tonight at 7:10pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. After tomorrow's game with Toronto, Tampa Bay hits the road for nine games beginning a three game series Friday in Baltimore. The Rays will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, Tampa Bay plays four at New York 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: The Rays are 41-25 at home this season (eighth best in the Major Leagues) and 39-25 on the road (best record in the Major Leagues). Since July 1, the Rays are 21-6 at home, which is the best record in baseball....Carl Crawford's sixth-inning homer Sunday was the 100th of his Major League career. Combined with his 403 stolen bases and 100 triples, Crawford became just the eighth player in Major League history to reach 100 home runs, 100 triples and 400 stolen bases. Crawford reached the milestone at 29 years, 24 days old, making him the youngest player in history to record those numbers. The next youngest is Lou Brock, at 32 years, 11 months and 11 days old....Jeff Niemann(10-4, 3.67) will start for Tampa Bay tonight against Toronto. He'll be opposed by the Jays' Ricky Romero(10-8, 3.54)....The AL East rivals will meet one more time in the regular season, September 10th through 12th, at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

************************************************

Barney's Favorites Volume 1 The album, featuring 27 songs by the purple dinosaur, was released on this date in 1993.

************************************************











The Yankees and Tampa Bay are tied for first in the A.L. East, Boston is 7 back in both the division and Wild Card races, Toronto is 13 back and Baltimore is 33 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 games, they're 10 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 20 back and Cleveland 22 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 8 1/2 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 23 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 3 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games), Florida trails by 10 1/2 (They're 7 1/2 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 11 behind(8 back in the Wild Card race) and Washington is 19 1/2 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati is 6 games up on St. Louis(The Cards are 3 games behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 14 behind, Houston is 16 back, the Cubs are 20 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh is 33 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 5 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 1 1/2 games). Colorado is 7 behind(They're 3 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 9 games out(They trail by 5 1/2 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 24 games behind.

************************************************

Jimmy mugs for the camera.

So does Snoopy.

Smoke waits for Mami to come home.

Jimmy sure loves his Mommy.

It's our Jimmy!

************************************************

If you think Sunday's crowd of 23,348 for the Rays' win over Boston was bad, how about last night's attendance figure of 11,968?. If this team doesn't get a new stadium in a better location soon, then Stuart Sternberg can order the moving vans.

It's very clear something is wrong in Tampa Bay. I believe it all centers around the stadium and it's location. The stadium is like a dungeon and is hard to get around inside, parking is an absolute joke (People holding cardboard signs saying park here and, in some instances scamming fans into parking somewhere where they shouldn't, resulting in their cars being ticketed and towed) and the Rays simply do not "get" how to keep the casual fans happy enough to grow them into fans who want to attend more often.

This is a regional team. Hence the name Tampa Bay. But, poor little St. Petersburg, wanting what few dollars the team brings them and the status that having a major league team gives them, wants to hold the franchise to the rest of it's lease which I believe runs another 25 years(or so). If it's really that important to the city, then the St. Petersburg City Council can float a purchase of the team and rename them the St. Petersburg Rays and risk having them leave the area entirely. And trust me, unlike Seattle and Kansas City, if the Rays leave Tampa Bay, the region will not get another team. Ever.

The Tampa Bay Rays need a new, modern stadium, with enough on-site parking to accommodate the majority of fans, with the amenities needed to attract more revenue to allow the team to keep their stars under contract and to entice other players to want to come to the team in the future. After many years of being the worst team in baseball, the Rays have become one of the best. On the field. Off the field, they still eminate an odor that would make most people head to their nearest landfill for a breath of fresh air.

Something needs to be done, much, much sooner rather than later. Otherwise, fans will take their dollars out of the region and spend them elsewhere, to get their big league baseball fix.

************************************************

Russia ended it's occupation of Lithuania on this date in 1993. For the first time ever, Russian forces pulled out completely from one of the Soviet republics that had split from Moscow in the 1990s. They had been in Lithuania since 1940.

************************************************








San Francisco - Carlos Gonzalez broke his bat in Monday night's ninth inning and the Giants' hearts along with it.

Gonzalez's shattered-bat hit took a deceptive trajectory and fell for a triple that enabled the Colorado Rockies to score twice and outlast the Giants, 2-1.


Read the rest here.

 Notes: Madison Bumgarner(5-4, 3.95) goes to the hill tonight against Colorado, which starts Esmil Rogers(2-2, 5.66) in tonight's 10:15pm EDT game....Colorado is in San Francisco for one more game after tonight. The Giants will then hit the road for 10 games, beginning Friday, September 3rd, playing 3 at Los Angeles, 3 at Arizona and 4 at San Diego....Giants' rookie catcher Buster Posey was back in the lineup last night, after taking two games off to rest a mild left forearm strain. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI, and lined out to the mound for the final out of the game....Wednesday's series finale will feature a battle of aces, as the Giants will send Tim Lincecum to the mound to square off against the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez.

************************************************
Today in Elvis History:

1968- The Elvis Presley single "Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby" hit #22 in the U.K.

************************************************












CFL power rankings: Week #10.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

************************************************

Today in Beatles History

1967 - The Beatles announced that they would handle their own affairs following the death of manager Brian Epstein. 

1973 - Paul McCartney's single "Live And Let Die" was confirmed gold by the RIAA.
1974 - In federal court, John Lennon testified the Nixon administration tried to have him deported because of his involvement with the anti-war demonstrations at the 1972 Republican convention in Miami, FL.

1975 - A judge ruled that George Harrison was guilty of copying from the song "He’s So Fine" (by the Chiffons).

************************************************

9.8 inches of rain fell on Bloomingdale, Michigan on this date in 1914.

************************************************












Three keys for Beavers to beat TCU Saturday.

Rodgers brothers ready for return to Texas.

Computers pick Beavers to finish second in Pac-10.

Running back depth in question after Stevenson surgery.
Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU this coming Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

************************************************

The Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee & Molly debuts on NBC radio on this date in 1941.

************************************************

The final week of  the 2010 NFL preseason(Don't you dare call it exhibition, or Roger Goodell will be quite displeased) action is this coming Thursday. Buffalo is at Detroit, Cincinnati visits Indianapolis, New England is at the Giants, Atlanta visits Jacksonville, Carolina is at Pittsburgh, the Jets play at Philadelphia, Baltimore will be in St. Louis, Chicago is at Cleveland, Denver is on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay is at Kansas City, Miami is at Dallas, New Orleans travels to Tennessee, Tampa Bay goes to Houston, San Diego heads North to San Francisco, Seattle is at Oakland and Washington travels to Arizona.
The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

************************************************

Jean Marc Beliveau, centreman for the Montreal Canadiens and who 10 Stanley Cups with the team, was born on this date in 1931.

************************************************

Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 9:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

NFL Preseason Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

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

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

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

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

CFL Football: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders 4:00pm EDT

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

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

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

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

************************************************

That's it for another Tuesday. See you tomorrow.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening....

************************************************

Today is August 30th, the 242nd day of 2010. There are 123 days left in the year.

************************************************














Canucks look for deeper postseason run.

2010 official Free Agent list.

************************************************

Today is Frankenstein Day. (That's Fronk-en-steen!)

************************************************








Jacks' Jordan has story to tell.

Build it and they will skate in Dubuque.

Chasing a hockey dream.

Black Hawks show early fire on the ice.

************************************************

Today is Toasted Marshmallow Week. (Set 'em on fire, then blow 'em out. That's to way to toast a marshmallow!)

************************************************

Dave Mishkin's August Mailbag - Part III.

Lightning acquire pair of prospects from Toronto.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

************************************************

Today is National Holistic Pet Day.

************************************************







A Commonwealth Clunker.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West, as they put their 5-3 record up against the 2-6 Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th. Kickoff next Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for a 1:00pm EDT kickoff on Sunday, September 12th.
Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

************************************************

William Penn left England to sail to the New World on this date in 1682.

************************************************

A glimpse of the future.

Students venture into sports arena.

************************************************

The Late Show with David Letterman debuted on CBS on this date in 1993.

************************************************

Today in Sports History:

1905 - Ty Cobb made his major league batting debut with the Detroit Tigers.

1918 - The New York Giants beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 1-0. The game only took 57 minutes to play.

1937 - Joe Louis won a 15-round decision over Tommy Farr in his first defense of his heavyweight title.

1966 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) hit home runs from both sides of the plate against St. Louis.

1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and several others, were inducted into the Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

1987 - Canada's Ben Johnson set the world record in the 100 meter race at 9.83. Johnson later lost the record due to steroid use.

2001 - Ashley Martin became the first woman to play in a Division I football game, kicking three extra points for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in their 72-10 victory over Cumberland University.

2002 - The major league baseball players union and the team owners came to an agreement that avoided a player's strike set to begin on this day.

************************************************

Space Shuttle Discovery launched for the first time on this date in 1984.

************************************************














St. Petersburg - Dan Johnson knocked in the winning run for the second consecutive night Sunday, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-3 comeback win over the Boston Red Sox, before 23,328 at Tropicana Field.

The Rays scored first last night, as Carlos Pena's 25th homer of 2010 found the right-center seats with two outs in the fourth for a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead.

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox scored twice in the fifth for a 2-1 lead. With one out, Mike Lowell scored on a single by Yamaico Navarro, then Marco Scutaro singled off Evan Longoria's glove to plate Darnell McDonald to put Boston on top. They would stretch the lead to 3-1 in the sixth, thanks to a two-out single by Daniel Nava that brought home Adrian Beltre. However, the Rays would scored three in the bottom of the sixth to take control. With one out and Ben Zobrist aboard, Carl Crawford dropped his 15th homer of the season into the right-center seats, tying the game 3-3. Dan Johnson rose to the occasion for the second straight night with a single up the middle to score Longoria, putting Tampa Bay in the lead at 4-3.

The Rays would score once more for good measure. With two outs in the seventh, Longoria lined a single up the middle, scoring John Jaso, and Tampa Bay would hold on from there for the 5-3 win. James Shields was the winner for Tampa Bay, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, with 8 strike outs and 1 walk spread over 6 1/3 innings. He's now 13-11. Randy Choate(14) and Joaquin Benoit(23) posted holds, and Rafael Soriano picked up his A.L. best 39th save of the season. Red Sox starter John Lackey allowed 5 runs on 9 hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out 7, walking 3 and giving up 2 homers. The loss drops his record to 12-8.

The Rays are now 80-50, and still tied with the Yankees for first in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 6 1/2 games in both the division and Wild Card races. The Toronto Blue Jays visit the Trop for three games starting tonight at 7:10pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. After the three games with Toronto, Tampa Bay hits the road for nine games beginning Friday in Baltimore. The Rays will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, Tampa Bay plays four at New York 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: Grant Balfour pitched for Class A Charlotte on Saturday and allowed two hits, three walks, three runs (two earned) and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning in his first rehab stint. Balfour was the starting pitcher for the Stone Crabs against Bradenton at McKechnie Field. He is coming back from an intercostal strain, said he pitched poorly, but felt fine afterward....Carl Crawford's sixth-inning homer Sunday was the 100th of his Major League career. Combined with his 403 stolen bases and 100 triples, Crawford became just the eighth player in Major League history to reach 100 home runs, 100 triples and 400 stolen bases.....Recently acquired outfielder Brad Hawpe batted three times as the DH for Charlotte on Saturday and went 0-for-2 with a walk, but Rays manager Joe Maddon reported that Hawpe hit the ball well. Hawpe took batting practice at Tropicana Field prior to Sunday night's game and he's getting acclimated to his new surroundings. He'll play for Charlotte on Monday and will likely join the Rays this Wednesday when the rosters expand....Wade Davis(10-9, 4.41) will start for Tampa Bay tonight against Toronto. He'll be opposed by the Jays' Brett Cecil(11-6, 3.80)....The AL East rivals will meet one more time in the regular season, September 10th through 12th, at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

************************************************

The Washington-Moscow Hot Line opened on this date in 1983, providing emergency communication in the event of a crisis.

************************************************











The Yankees and Tampa Bay are tied for first in the A.L. East, Boston is 6 1/2 back in both the division and Wild Card races, Toronto is 12 back and Baltimore is 32 1/2 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 1/2 games, they're 10 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 19 1/2 back and Cleveland 21 1/2 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 7 1/2 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 22 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 2 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games), Florida trails by 9 1/2 (They're 7 1/2 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 10 behind(8 back in the Wild Card race) and Washington is 19 1/2 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati is 5 games up on St. Louis(The Cards are 3 games behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 13 behind, Houston is 16 back, the Cubs are 20 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh is 32 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 5 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 1 1/2 games). Colorado is 8 behind(They're 4 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 10 games out(They trail by 6 1/2 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 25 games behind.

************************************************

It might be backwards, but N still stands for "Nice Toddler!"

************************************************

Just what the heck is going on in Tampa Bay? Friday's 3-1 loss to Boston drew a respectable 29,461, Saturday's thrilling 10 inning 3-2 win over the Sox drew a sell-out crowd of 36,973, but last night's nationally televised(ESPN) game drew an absolutely pathetic 23,348.

What's the deal? Are people that fed up with the stadium? The lousy customer relations? Do they only turn out on special promotional nights? For the big teams? Or, is this just not a major league baseball town after all?

************************************************

President Eisenhower signed the Atomic Energy Bill on this date in 1954, allowing private ownership of nuclear reactors for the production of electricity.

************************************************








San Francisco - Matt Cain provided necessary competence as the game began. Brian Wilson added a dynamic conclusion.

In between was a mess. But the Giants didn't care. They outlasted the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, 9-7, to end a three-game losing streak and avoid being swept.

Read the rest here.

 Notes: Jonathan Sanchez(9-8, 3.67) goes to the hill tonight against Colorado, which starts Jorge De La Rosa(5-4, 4.54) in tonight's 10:15pm EDT game....Colorado is in San Francisco for three-games, after which the Giants hit the road for 10 games, beginning Friday, September 3rd. The Giants will play 3 at Los Angeles, 3 at Arizona and 4 at San Diego....When rosters expand on Wednesday, the Giants could be receiving an influx of healthy regulars. Left-handed reliever Dan Runzler and shortstop Edgar Renteria are the biggest expected additions.

************************************************

Today in Elvis History:

1966- Principal filming was finished for the Elvis Presley movie "Double Trouble."

1969- The Elvis Presley album "From Elvis In Memphis" hit #1 in the U.K.

************************************************












CFL Replay: A look back at week #9.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

************************************************

Today in Beatles History

1968 - The Beatles' "Hey Jude" was released.

1972 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono played their "One To One" concert at New York's Madison Square Garden.

1984 - Beatles fans paid $271,180 for memorabilia at an auction in London, England.

2005 - The Paul McCartney single "Fine Line" was released on a CD-single. The release also contained the non-LP tracks "Comfort in Love" and "Growing Up Falling Down".

************************************************

The Revenue Act is passed by Congress on this date in 1935, raising inheritance and gift taxes.

************************************************












Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU this coming Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

************************************************

During the Civil War on this date in 1861, General Fremont frees the slaves of Missouri against the orders of President Lincoln.

************************************************

In that other football league Thursday, St. Louis beat New England 36-35 and Green Bay beat the living daylights out of Indianapolis 59-24. Last night, Atlanta beat Miami 16-6, Washington edged the Jets 16-11, Philadelphia topped Kansas City 20-17 and New Orleans beat San Diego 36-21.

On Saturday, Detroit outscored Cleveland 35-27, Buffalo toppled Cincinnati 35-20, Jacksonville beat Tampa Bay 19-13, Baltimore slid past the Giants 24-10, Houston throttled Dallas 23-7, Minnesota beat Seattle 24-13, Carolina knocked off Tennessee 15-7, Arizona edged Chicago 14-9 and San Francisco squeezed past Oakland 28-24.

Denver doubled-up Pittsburgh 34-17 Sunday night.

The final week of preseason action is this coming Thursday. Buffalo is at Detroit, Cincinnati visits Indianapolis, New England is at the Giants, Atlanta visits Jacksonville, Carolina is at Pittsburgh, the Jets play at Philadelphia, Baltimore will be in St. Louis, Chicago is at Cleveland, Denver is on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay is at Kansas City, Miami is at Dallas, New Orleans travels to Tennessee, Tampa Bay goes to Houston, San Diego heads North to San Francisco, Seattle is at Oakland and Washington travels to Arizona.

The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

************************************************

Astronaut John Leonard "Jack" Swigert, Jr. was born on this date in 1935. During the flight of Apollo 13 he proclaimed, "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here." Commander Jim Lovell repeated the sentiment a few seconds later.

************************************************

From http://www.nascar.com

MONTREAL -- At long last, road-course ace Boris Said is a winner in the Nationwide Series.

Said won Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when -- with the two strongest cars out of contention -- the always unpredictable event ended with Said beating Max Papis in a drag race to the finish.

After leader Robby Gordon ran out of gas on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance, Said lost the lead to Papis at the entrance to the final two corners. But Papis’ momentum sent him wide in Turn 14 and Said drew alongside at the top of the final straightaway.

Papis lost a fraction of a second when he hit the rev limiter in second gear but still had enough to race side by side with Said all the way to the finish line.

Said’s .012-second margin of victory was the closest ever on a road course in the Nationwide Series, the fifth closest overall in series history and the closest since 1998 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The victory was more than just a first for Said, 47. It was the first Nationwide win for car owner Robby Benton and the first for the new pairing of Said and crew chief Scott Zipadelli.

“I don’t think we had the fastest car today,” Said admitted, “but we definitely had the smartest race strategy with Scott Zipadelli as the crew chief -- the first time I ever worked with him. We had great communication, he called a great race, and it was really about managing the race track, managing your brakes.

“I’m shocked … overwhelmed. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. My wife would have made fun of me. But I was pretty happy.”

Local hero Jacques Villeneuve finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, who extended his series lead to 365 points over hard-luck 20th-place finisher Carl Edwards. Paul Menard ran fifth, with Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne completing the top 10.

The race that gave pole-sitter Marcos Ambrose another heartbreak (he retired with an electrical problem after leading 25 laps) turned on a bad break -- literally -- for defending winner Edwards, who led a race-high 29 laps before breaking the track bar on his No. 60 Ford as a caution flew with eight laps left in regulation.

Edwards held a lead of almost three seconds over Gordon when Michael Annett slid into the Turn 4 wall to cause the fifth caution of the race, ending a green-flag run of 42 laps.

Two more late cautions forced overtime and prolonged the race enough to empty Gordon’s fuel tank. Gordon led the field to the green flag for a restart on Lap 76 but coasted to a stop before completing the circuit. He finished 14th.

But it was the drag race to the finish between Said and Papis that had more than 70,000 fans on their feet.

“I was ahead, I was behind, I was ahead,” said Papis, who was driving Kevin Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet. “At the end of the day, this was an amazing race. I had a blast. It came down to a green-white-checker, and the thing I’m the most proud of … this is maybe the first time I’ve had the chance to really sit in a car that legitimately can win, and it came down to the last corner.

“For me, I’m really proud. I know it’s a second-place finish, but it’s equal to one of my best wins.”

************************************************

Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 9:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

NFL Preseason Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

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

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

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

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

CFL Football: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders 4:00pm EDT

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

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

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

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

************************************************

That's all for today. See you tomorrow.

It's Sunday!

It's Sunday. Here's what's happening....

************************************************

Today is August 29th, the 241st day of 2010. There are 124 days left in the year.

************************************************














Maple Leafs add Clarke MacArthur.

Leafs acquire Lashoff from Bolts.

************************************************

Today is According to Hoyle Day.

************************************************








Former Herd assistant/Steel scout new head man at NAHL Wichita Falls.

USHL alums amongst UVM recruits.

************************************************

Today is the start of Minority Enterprise Development Week.

************************************************

Former Admiral Mike Flanagan Returns as Assistant Coach at AHL Norfolk.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

************************************************

Today is More Herbs, Less Salt Day.

************************************************







The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West, as they put their 5-3 record up against the 2-6 Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th. Kickoff next Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders wioll travel to Winnipeg for a 1:00pm EDT kickoff on Sunday, September 12th.
Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

************************************************

Today is National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day. (Link)

************************************************

In a game suspended for roughly 30 minutes by lightning, the Buccaneers got another efficient performance out of QB Josh Johnson and some inspired defensive play in the red zone but lost to Jacksonville, 19-13.

Read more here.

************************************************

Today is Family Day in Tennessee.

************************************************

Today in Sports History:

1885 - The first prizefight under the Marquis of Queensberry Rules was held in Cincinnati, OH. John L. Sullivan defeated Dominick McCaffery in six rounds.

1892 - Pop (Billy) Shriver (Chicago Cubs) caught a ball that was dropped from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

1971 - Hank Aaron became the first baseball player in the National League to hit 100 or more runs in each of 11 seasons.

1977 - Lou Brock brought his total of stolen bases to 893. The record he beat was held by Ty Cobb for 49 years.

1994 - Mario Lemieux announced that he would be taking a medical leave of absence due to fatigue, an aftereffect of his 1993 radiation treatments. He would sit out the National Hockey Leagues (NHL) 1994-95 season.

1995 - At the O.J. Simpson trial, tapes of Mark Fuhrman were played. The recordings were of Fuhrman making racial comments.

************************************************

Today is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. On this date in 2005, as a Category 3 storm, it struck Buras, Louisiana, and surrounding areas, destroying communities up and down the Gulf Coast. Levees in New Orleans were breached, and within two days more than 80 percent of the city was underwater. The death toll in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida was more than 1,300 people, with more than 1,000 fatalities in Louisiana.

************************************************














St. Petersburg - The Tampa Bay Rays rode the long ball to victory Saturday night, beating the Boston Red Sox 3-2 in 10 innings, before 36,973 at Tropicana Field.

Boston scored first for the second straight night, as Victor Martinez scored on a sac fly by Adrian Beltre, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena scored on Matt Joyce's seventh inning sacrifice fly, tying the game 1-1. With two outs in the eighth, Martinez hit his third homer in the past two nights, putting Boston back on top 2-1. B.J. Upton acted quickly, homering into the left field seats to start the Rays' half of the eighth, tying the game 2-2. The game worked it's way into the bottom of the tenth where Dan Johnson drove a 2-2 Scott Atchison fast ball into the right field seats, lifting Tampa Bay to the 3-2 win.

Randy Choate got the final out in the top of the tenth for the win, improving to 4-3. Scott Atchison allowed the game-winning homer to Johnson, the only batter he faced, dropping to 2-2.

The Rays are now 79-50, and still tied with the Yankees, who have also lost two straight, for first in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 4 1/2 games in both the division and Wild Card races. The Rays continue their three-game series with the Boston Red Sox tonight at 8:00pm EDT, on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network, plus ESPN. After today's game against Boston, Tampa Bay hosts Toronto for three games beginning Monday. All games through Friday, September 3rd, can be seen on Sun Sports.

Notes: Rays left fielder Carl Crawford, scratched from Friday's game because of a stomach virus, felt well enough to play Saturday. He was 0-for-4 and left 2 runners on base....Grant Balfour, on the D.L. since early August, hope to return to action by September 1st....James Shields(12-11, 4.76) will start for Tampa Bay in today's series finale with Boston. He'll be opposed by the Red Sox' John Lackey(12-7, 4.51)....The AL East rivals will meet one more time in the regular season, September 6th through 8th, at Fenway Park.

************************************************

Chop Suey is invented by Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-Chang's chef on this date in 1896. He wanted to serve a meal that would appeal to both American and Chinese tastes.

************************************************











The Yankees and Tampa Bay are tied for first in the A.L. East, Boston is 5 1/2 back in bost the division and Wild Card races, Toronto is 11 back and Baltimore is 32 1/2 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 1/2 games, they're 11 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 20 1/2 back and Cleveland 21 1/2 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 8 1/2 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 23 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 2 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1/2 game), Florida trails by 8 1/2 (They're 6 1/2 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 10 behind(8 back in the Wild Card race) and Washington is 19 1/2 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati is 4 games up on St. Louis(The Cards are 2 games behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 13 behind, Houston is 15 back, the Cubs are 19 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh is 31 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 6 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 1 1/2 games). Colorado in 9 behind, the Dodgers are fourth, 10 games out(They're both 5 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race), with Arizona behind by 25.

************************************************

It's always a good time to hug the toddler!

************************************************








San Francisco - The boos, which Barry Zito hadn't prompted all year at AT&T Park, returned on Saturday night.

That brief but ugly burst of hostility meant only one thing: Zito and the Giants were struggling again. San Francisco endured another lopsided loss, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-3.

Read the rest here.

 Notes: Matt Cain(10-10, 3.07) goes against Arizona's Rodrigo Lopez(5-12, 5.09) in tonight's 4:05pm EDT game....Colorado comes in for a three-game set starting tomorrow, after which the Giants hit the road for 10 games, beginning next Friday, September 3rd. The Giants will play 3 at Los Angeles, 3 at Arizona and 4 at San Diego.

************************************************

Today in Elvis History:

1962- The Elvis Presley film "Kid Galahad" opened in the U.S.

1970- Elvis Presley's single "I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love" hit #32 in the U.S.

1977- 3 people were arrested in Memphis after trying to steal Elvis' body. As a result his body was moved to Graceland.

1987- The double album "Presley - The All-Time Greatest Hits" hit #4 in the U.K.

1992- Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" hit #42 in the U.K.

2002- Lisa Marie Presley presented the video music award for Best Female video to Pink.

************************************************












Higgins: Challenging the spot of the ball.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

************************************************

Today in Beatles History

1958 - George Harrison joined the band Quarrymen. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also members.

1959 - In West Derby, Liverpool, at the Casbah Coffee Club, Ken Brown via George Harrison asked John Lennon and Paul McCartney to help out the Les Stewart Quartet when Stewart walks out before a show. The event led to a regular Saturday night gig at the Casbah. On October 10th, Ken Brown went his own way.

1963 - Concert at the Odeon Cinema, Southport, with Tommy Quickly and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

1964 - 'A Hard Day's Night' LP number 1, 6th week (UK Record Retailer chart).

1964 - Billboard publishes that the sales of guitars have reached its highest point since 1957, when Elvis appeared.

1965 - The Beatles performed a live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

1966 - The last Beatles concert was held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The Ronettes also performed.

1986 - BBC1-TV aired the "McCartney" special.

2001 - Cristin Joyce Keleher was released after four months in jail. She had been sentenced to a year of probation for trespassing at the home of George Harrison.

************************************************

The "one-armed man" is killed by Lt. Gerard on the final episode of the TV series The Fugitive on this date in 1967.

************************************************












Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU this coming Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

************************************************

On this date in 1972, Mark Spitz wins the third of his seven 1972 Olympic gold medals.

************************************************

JOLIET, Ill. – Dario Franchitti was seven spots behind championship points and race leader Will Power entering the final round of pit stops under caution for ethanol and tires. Well, almost everyone took fresh rubber.

Target Chip Ganassi engineer Chris Simmons made the call not to change the Firestone Firehawks. Race strategist Chip Ganassi quickly agreed and “Dario did the rest.”

The move vaulted Franchitti into the lead on the restart on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval with 23 laps left and he held off Dan Wheldon by 0.0423 of a second to win the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300. It was Franchitti’s 26th Indy car racing victory, tying Rodger Ward for 11th on the all-time list (USAC, CART, Indy Racing League sanction). Next up is Johnny Rutherford.

Michael Andretti finished third, Ryan Hunter-Reay was fourth and Tony Kanaan came home fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Helio Castroneves in sixth, Justin Wilson in seventh, Scott Dixon eighth, Vitor Meira ninth and Graham Rahal ended up tenth. The race had a season-high 25 lead changes and Lap 190 was run at a blistering 217 mph. The top 10 were separated by 0.9841 of a second and the top three cars were the same order of finish as the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Adding up the breaks brought Franchitti back from the precipice of the championship standings cliff; he climbed from 59 points behind Power to 23 back with three oval races remaining. It was Franchitti’s 26th Indy car racing victory, tying Rodger Ward for 11th on the all-time list (USAC, CART, Indy Racing League sanction). Next on the list is Johnny Rutherford.

Franchitti also took the lead in the A.J. Foyt Oval Championship over his teammate Dixon.

************************************************

The Abraham Lincoln Almanac Trial was held on this date in 1857. Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln would defend the accused William Duff Armstrong, against the claims of a witness who said they saw the murder of James Preston Metzker by the light of a full moon. Lincoln got Armstrong acquitted by using an almanac to show there was insufficient moonlight on the night of the murder, thus proving the witness was lying.

************************************************

In that other football league Thursday, St. Louis beat New England 36-35 and Green Bay beat the living daylights out of Indianapolis 59-24. Last night, Atlanta beat Miami 16-6, Washington edged the Jets 16-11, Philadelphia topped Kansas City 20-17 and New Orleans beat San Diego 36-21

On Saturday, Detroit outscored Cleveland 35-27, Buffalo toppled Cincinnati 35-20, Jacksonville beat Tampa Bay 19-13, Baltimore slid past the Giants 24-10, Houston throttled Dallas 23-7, Minnesota beat Seattle 24-13, Carolina knocked off Tennessee 15-7, Arizona edged Chicago 14-9 and San Francisco squeezed past Oakland 28-24

Pittsburgh plays at Denver tonight.

The final week of preseason action is this coming Thursday, September 2nd. Buffalo is at Detroit, Cincinnati visits Indianapolis, New England is at the Giants, Atlanta visits Jacksonville, Carolina is at Pittsburgh, the Jets play at Philadelphia, Baltimore will be in St. Louis, Chicago is at Cleveland, Denver is on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay is at Kansas City, Miami is at Dallas, New Orleans travels to Tennessee, Tampa Bay goes to Houston, San Diego heads North to San Francisco, Seattle is at Oakland and Washington travels to Arizona.

The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

************************************************

Today is the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, commemorating his death by order of Herod.

************************************************

Coming up:

Tonight --

Nascar Nationwide Series: NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec 2:00pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamonbacks at San Francisco Giants 4:05pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Yankees at Dunedin Blue Jays 5:00pm EDT

Baseball: Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays 8:00pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 9:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

NFL Preseason Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

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

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

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

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

CFL Football: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders 4:00pm EDT

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

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

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

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

************************************************

That's now for now. Have a great Sunday, see you tomorrow.

Edmonton comes to life, beats Riders by 3

The Edmonton Eskimos, losers of 6 of their first 7 games and trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, said enough is enough, stopping the Rider offense stone cold the rest of the night, rallying for a 17-14 win over Saskatchewan in front of the largest crowd in the CFL this season, 47,829 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

Saskatchewan scored first, as James Patrick intercepted a Ricky Ray pass and returned it 35 yards for a major score. Luca Congi converted with 8:59 remaining in the opening quarter and the Riders had a 7-0 lead. They doubled the advantage 7 minutes later, going 81 yards in 5 plays, culminating in a Wes Cates 10 yard touchdown run. Congi converted again with 1:54 to go in the first for a 14-0 lead.

Edmonton caught a break near midfield early in the second quarter, when Saskatchewan's Eddie Johnson first fumbled the snap on a punt, then had his kick blocked by Corbin Sharun. Johnson got the ball back, then fumbled at his own 39 after being belted by Sharun. Jason Barnes scopped up the loose ball and ran to the 8 where, on the next play, Jared Zabransky tossed an 8 yard scoring strike to Arkee Whitlock. Noel Prefontaine's convert made it a 14-7 game in favor of the Riders, with 11:40 left in the half. The Eskimos had two chances to tie the game in the closing moments of the first half, once on a goal line stand and once again on Patrick's 2nd interception of the night (He would finish with 3 picks, giving him a league-best 6 on the season) with just over 2 minutes remaining, leaving the Saskatchewan lead at 14-7 at two quarters time.

Edmonton would march into scoring position late in the third. Zabransky and Whitlock had 12 yard runsw, then Zabransky completed a 40 yard pass to Andre Talbot, setting up the Eskimos at the 12.  Zabransky scrambled out of pressure on 2nd down at the Saskatchewan 7, but had to throw the ball away under heavy pressure. Prefontaine came on to boot a 14 yard field goal with just 47 seconds left on the clock, cutting the Rider lead to 14-10 at the end of three quarters.

Edmonton moved the ball across the centre field stripe early in the final quarter, but the Rider defense stiffened, holding the Eskies to a 64 yard punt single by Prefontaine and with 13:10 remaining in regulation time, the Saskatchewan lead was down to 3, at 14-11. The Riders, who struggled mightily after building the 14-0 lead, turned the ball over for the 5th time in the game, giving Edmonton's Prefontaine the opportunity to pound one through the uprights from 52 yards out, tying the game 14-14, with just 3:27 to go in the final quarter. The Eskimo defense held Saskatchewan to a 2-and-out, getting the ball back at their own 35 with 2:12 to go. Ray would lead his team to the Rider 30, where Prefontaine would drill the game-winning kick from 37 yards out with 41 seconds to play. Edmonton put the final stamp on the win, forcing three Durant incompletions then running out the clock for the 17-14 win.

For the Eskimos, Ricky Ray was 6-of-11 passing for 63 yards and 1 interception and Jared Zabransky was 8-of-17 for 109 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Arkee Whitlock caught a touchdown pass and Noel Profontaine kicked 3 field goals, 1 convert and 1 punt single. For Saskatchewan, Darian Durant, who completed 9-of-his first 13 passes, finished 19-of-39 for 211 yards, with 3 interceptions. Wes Cates caught 1 pass for 8 yards and ran the ball 14 times for 58 yards and 1 touchdown. James Patrick had an interception return for a touchdown and Luca Congi kicked 2 converts. Edmonton had 296 yards total offense, 14 first downs(7 in each half), allowed 1 sack, turned the ball over 4 times and were penalized 4 times for 25 yards. The Riders had 258 yards total offense with 17 first downs, but just 4 in the second half. They allowed 2 sacks, turned the ball over 6 times and were penalized 3 times for 40 yards. The Eskimos, with their first win since beating BC 28-25 on July 30th, improve to 2-6 while Saskatchewan, after starting the season 3-0, falls to 5-3.

Next up for the Riders is a Labour Day matchup on Sunday, September 5th against the 2-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with kickoff from Mosaic Stadium in Regina set for 4:00pm EDT, then travel to Winnipeg for a 1:00pm EDT kickoff on Sunday, September 12th. Edmonton plays their next two games against West Leading and  7-1 Calgary, on the road Monday, September 6th at 6:00pm EDT and at home on Friday, September 10th at 9:00pm EDT.