It's Wednesday!

It's Wednesday(Already?). Here's what's happening....

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Today is August 18th, the 230th day of 2010. There are 135 days left in the year.

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Shanahan interested in seeing ideas brought to life.

2010 RDO camp coverage.

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Today is Bad Poetry Day. (Twiddle dee, twiddle dum, up so early, isn't fun.)

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Storm scheduled to play exhibition games.

Busy preseason awaits Hawks.

Pratt Audio-Visual awarded RoughRiders contract.

Parks back for second year with RoughRiders.

GoIndyLive at an Indiana Ice game.

Wanna be a USHL General Manager? Here's your chance.

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JetBlue is bringing back its popular All-You-Can-Jet pass. Fly all you want from Sept. 7 to Oct. 6 for $699. (Off we go, into the wild blue yonder....)

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2011 U.S. Men's National University Team Roster Announced

Squad to Compete in 2011 Winter World University Games,
Jan. 27 - Feb. 6 in Erzurum, Turkey

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey today announced the 22-player U.S. Men's National University Team roster, as well as six alternates, for the upcoming 2011 Winter World University Games that will take place Jan. 27-Feb. 6 in Erzurum, Turkey.

The U.S. team is comprised of players from collegiate ice hockey teams affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

"I really like the team that we've put together," said Dave Debol, head coach of the U.S. Men's National University Team. "We've got a lot of good size and speed up front, and there are a lot of guys who know how to put the puck in the net."

Highlighting the U.S. roster for the biannual event are defenseman Dan Lassik (Garnet Valley, Pa./Univ. of Rhode Island) and forwards Daryl Dee (Garland, Texas/Univ. of Oklahoma) and Kyle Krannich (Mendham, N.J.), all of whom competed for Team USA at the 2009 Winter World University Games in Harbin, China.

A full roster can be found here.

NOTES: Ten different states are represented on the U.S. roster, including Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington ... The University of Rhode Island leads all schools with four representatives, while Adrian College, Lindenwood University, Oakland University, Penn State University and the University of Oklahoma each have two players on the U.S. roster ... All members of the U.S. Men's National University Team were selected following the USA Hockey Winter World University Games Evaluation Camp Aug. 6-8 in Grand Rapids, Mich. ... Dave Debol, head coach at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, will serve as head coach of the 2011 U.S. Men's National University Team after having served as an assistant coach for the squad in 2007 and 2009 ... Scott Balboni, head men's ice hockey coach at Penn State University, and Dan Phelps, head men's ice hockey coach at Adrian (Mich.) College, will serve as assistant coaches for Team USA ... For more information on the 2011 Winter World University Games, click here.

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Today is the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

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Freeman named defensive player of the week.

The 5-2 Riders(Second in the CFL West, 2 points behind Calgary) are in their bye week. Their next action is August 28th at Edmonton against the 1-6 Eskimos, with kickoff at 7:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog.

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

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Today is Cupcake Day. (Linky Linky)

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Today in Sports History:

1915 - Braves Field was inaugurated with Boston defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1.

1956 - The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Braves combined for a National League record of 10 home runs. The Reds won 13-4. Bob Thurman (Cincinnati Reds) hit three of the home runs.

1960 - Lew Burdette threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. The final score was 1-0.

1973 - Hank Aaron set a major league record with his 1,378th extra base.

1980 - George Brett of the Kansas City Royals had his batting average reach the .400 mark.

1981 - Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia took out an insurance policy with Lloyd’s of London. The all-American was insured for one million dollars.

1982 - The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, went 21 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs 2-1.

1987 - Earl Campbell announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL).

1992 - Larry Bird, after 13 years with the Boston Celtics, announced his retirement.

1995 - Tom Henke (St. Louis) became only the seventh major league player to record 300 saves.

1996 - Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox) became the fourth player to reach 100 RBIs in each of his first six seasons.

1996 - Wade Boggs became the 41st major league player to get 2,000 career singles.

1968 - At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mike Powell set a record when he jumped 29'4½" in the long jump.

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Today is Mail Order Catalog Day. In 1872, the first mail-order catalog was published by Montgomery Ward (it was only a single sheet of paper).

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ST PETERSBURG -- Matt Garza fanned 10 and the Tampa Bay Rays scored multiple runs in three different innings last night, to beat the Texas Rangers 10-1, before 18,156 at Tropicana Field.

The Rays took a 3-0 lead in the first, with Ben Zobrist scoring on Carl Crawford's triple, Crawford scoring on an Evan Longoria triple, and Longoria scoring on a Carlos Pena double.

In the fourth, Longoria doubled home Jason Bartlett and John Jaso with two outs, giving Tampa Bay a 5-0 lead.

The Rays hung a 5-spot in the seventh. Bartlett scored B.J. Upton to make it 6-0. Zobrist singled home Bartlett and Jaso, for an 8-0 lead. Then Zobrist would come home on Crawford's 14th homer of the year, giving Tampa Bay a 10-0 lead.

The Rangers would spoil the shutout in the eighth, as Josh Hamilton scored on David Murphy's two-out single, making the final 10-1 in favor of the Rays.

Garza allowed 0 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings, with 10 strike outs and 1 walk. The win improves his record to 12-7 for Tampa Bay. Tommy Hunter was hammered for 4 runs on 6 hits, with 4 strike outs and 3 walks in 3 innings pitched. Hunter's record with Texas this season is now 9-2.

The Rays are 73-46, and are again tied with the Yankees for first in the A.L. East. The Red Sox trail by 5 1/2 and the White Sox by 8 in the Wild Card race. Tampa Bay meets Texas again this afternoon at 1:10pm EDT. You can follow the Rays on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. Tampa Bay hits the road tomorrow, traveling to Oakland for 4 games and Los Angeles for 3. All games through Friday, September 3rd, can be seen on Sun Sports.

Notes: James Shields(10-11, 4.98) goes to the hill today for the Rays. He'll be opposed by the Rangers' Derek Holland(2-1, 4.19)....Zobrist went 2-for-3 with an RBI last night, ending a five-game hitless streak....B.J. Upton continues to post solid numbers. The Rays' center fielder is hitting .315, has a .393 on-base percentage and a .537 slugging percentage in the month of August....Tampa Bay was successful in signing their top two draft picks before Monday night's midnight singing deadline. Outfielder Josh Sale, the 17th overall pick in the draft, signed shortly before Monday's deadline, as did Drew Vettlesen, the 42nd pick. The Rays ending up signing 35 of 53 players chosen in the June draft.

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Gunpowder in a Brescia, Italy church explodes on this date in 1769, killing 3,000 people.

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The Yankees and Tampa Bay are tied for first in the A.L. East, Boston is 5 1/2 back(Boston trails by 5 1/2 games in the Wild Card chase, the White Sox are 8 games back, and Toronto trails by 10), Toronto is 10 back and Baltimore is 31 1/2 games behind.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 games, they're 11 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 19 back and Cleveland 20 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads the Angels by 8, Oakland trails by 9 and Seattle is 21 games behind.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 2 1/2 games, the Mets are 11 behind, Florida trails by 11 1/2 games, Washington is 19 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati is 2 games up on St. Louis(The Cards are 1 1/2 behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 12 1/2 behind, Houston is 15 1/2 back, the Cubs are 18 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh is 27 1/2 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 5 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail Philadelphia by 1 game in the N.L. Wild Card chase). Colorado sits in third, 10 games out, with the Dodgers trailing by 11 games and Arizona by 25.

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Daddy, are you taking my picture AGAIN?

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Philadelphia -- It would be unfair to state that starting pitching, which is reputedly a Giants asset, has become an albatross.

Nevertheless, some harsh facts demonstrate that San Francisco's rotation is spinning its wheels instead of moving forward.

The Giants' 9-3 loss Tuesday to the Phillies lengthened the rotation's winless streak to 13 games.

Read more here.

Notes: Matt Cain(9-9, 3.11) gets the start tonight for the Giants. He'll go against Joe Blanton(4-6, 5.69)....San Francisco plays three at St. Louis starting Friday, then returns home for a nine-game home stand(Three games each with Cincinnati, Arizona and Colorado) next Monday....Tuesday's game started a stretch in which the Giants will play 16-of-25 games on the road. Despite losing their last 6 away from AT&T Park, San Francisco has still won 15 of their past 23 road games.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - The original version of "Hound Dog," by Big Mama Thornton, was released.

1960 - In Dallas, TX, Elvis Presley's film "G.I. Blues" had a sneak preview.

1965 - Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) interview Elvis Presley for the "New Musical Express."
1973 - The album "Elvis" hit #52 in the U.S.

1977 - Elvis Presley's funeral service took place at Graceland. It was followed by a ceremony and burial Forrest Hill Cemetery.

2007 - It was announced the Lisa Marie Presley had founded a new organization called Presley Charitable Foundation. It was created to help people in need. The first Presley Place was in New Orleans, LA.

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Thigpen-Owens is big matchup in Ti-Cats vs Argos game in Toronto Friday night.

Ask the Ref: A conversation with Tom Higgins.

Lemon ripening for surprising Argos.

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

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Today in Beatles History

1962 - Ringo Starr made his first appearance as a Beatle at a Cavern Club show.

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Spokane wide receiver Huey Whittaker has been named JLS Ironman for the AFL's 20th week of the 2010 season. Orlando wide receiver T.T. Toliver has won the Russell Athletic Offensive player award, and Tampa Bay defensive lineman Tim McGill has been named the Riddell Defensive Player of the Week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 20 goes to Tampa Bay wide receiver DeAndrew Rubin, with Spokane quarterback Kyle Rowley being named the Playmaker of the Week. The Highlight of the Week award hgoes to Tampa Bay center Robert Power.

ArenaBowl XXIII will be held on Spokane Tribe Field at the Spokane Arena on Friday, August 20th, kicking off at 8:00pn EDT. Tickets for the Championship game are on sale through TicketsWest and can be purchased by calling 1-800-325-SEAT.

Go to arenafootball.com to download the nifty-tv player to watch the game. Jurt Warner, AFL legend and former Super Bowl M.V.P. will provide commentary for the telecast of the big game.

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The Wizard of Oz, starring Jusy Garland as Dorothy, is released on this date in 1939.

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A recap of Day 8 of fall camp.

Here's a look at the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

The Beavers open the 2010 season against TCU on 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.

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On this date in 1590, Sir John White returns to the Lost Colony of Roanoke, to find all of the colonists missing. The only clue to their fate was the word "CROATOAN" carved on a post.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays 1:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 10:07pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee 7:00pm EDT

Arena Football Arena XXIII Championship Game: Tampa Bay Storm at Spokane Shock 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 8:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 10:07pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 7:15pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol Tennessee 7:30pm EDT

NFL Football: Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 9:07pm EDT

Sunday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 2:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 4:07pm EDT

Indy Car: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California 5:00pm EDT

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That's all for now. See you tomorrow