It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is September 30th, the 272nd day of 2010. There are 93 days left in the year.

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Gionta named Canadiens Captain.

NHLPA and NHL partner with National Cancer Organizations as part of Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Month in October.

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Today is National Mud Pack Day.

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USHL drops puck this weekend.

Y'towns' Bradley commits to RPI.

Muskies name captains for upcoming season.

Schmaltz commits to Sioux.

The USHL Life: Inside the room.

Ex-Rider Slater named captain at WMU.

Collins aims for spot on Amerks' roster.

Old man Boehm loves being back in Cedar Rapids.

Ice head to Muskegon to open season.

Heimerman has big shoes to fill in Muskegon.

Force roster trimmed to 23.

Gamblers remain optimistic heading into season.

Appelton native C.J. Eick comes home to join Gamblers.

First year Gamblers coach has veteran players.

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In 1452, the first section of the Gutenberg Bible was published. The Gutenberg Bible was the first book printed from movable type. The book was completed by 1456.

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First place in sight for Riders.

Durant and Fantux honored as Players of the Month

No worries about the offense.

13th man still causing problems for Riders.

Saskatchewan, now 8-4 on the year after Saturday's 32-25 win at Hamilton, are now just 2 points behind first place Calgary in the CFL West. Next action for the Green-and-White is the first of a back-to-back set with Toronto on Saturday, October 2nd against the Argonauts. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm EDT. The second game will be in Regina on Saturday, October 9th at 4:00pm EDT.

Visit the teams' official website at riderville.com.

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Today is Safety Pin Day.

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Here's the Week 4 NFL Schedule(All times Eastern):

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. San Francisco 49ers Atlanta Falcons

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. New York Jets Buffalo Bills

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Denver Broncos Tennessee Titans

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Seattle Seahawks St. Louis Rams

Sunday October 3 1:00 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns

Sunday October 3 4:05 p.m. Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars

Sunday October 3 4:05 p.m. Houston Texans Oakland Raiders

Sunday October 3 4:15 p.m. Arizona Cardinals San Diego Chargers

Sunday October 3 4:15 p.m. Washington Redskins Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday October 3 8:20 p.m. Chicago Bears New York Giants

Monday October 4 8:30 p.m. New England Patriots Miami Dolphins

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Christopher Nolan has confirmed he'll be directing the third Batman film. (Sock! Bam! Pow!)

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The Oregon State Beavers take their 1-2 record into Pac-10 action this coming Saturday at Reser Stadium against former coach Dennie Erickson's Arizona State Sun Devils. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm EDT on the Beaver Sports Network. Listen link is to the right on this blog. Fox Sports Northwest has TV coverage.

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

And here's the 2010 football roster.

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Today is the 50^th anniversary of the premiere of “The Flintstones,” the first animated sitcom for adults.








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Showdown: West Offensive All-Stars.

Injury sidelines Als' top receiver.

Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca.

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Rioting broke out on this date in 1962, when James Meredith became the first black to enroll in the all-white University of Mississippi.

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Jimmy enoys watching T.V.






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ST. PETERSBURG -- A raucous capacity crowd of 36,973 filled Tropicana Field on Wednesday night on a night when the Rays gave away 20,000 free tickets.

"Interesting concept," manager Joe Maddon about the giveaway. "It definitely filled the place up. The fans were great, very appreciative."

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the goodwill gesture did not translate to a win, as Kevin Millwood managed to turn back the clock against Rays hitters to lead a 2-0 Orioles win.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Matt Garza (15-9, 3.92) goes for the Rays tonight against the Royals' Zack Greinke (9-14, 4.23) in the first of a four-game set that wraps up the 2010 regular season....Left fielder Carl Crawford has 106 runs, which broke his previous club record of 104 set in 2004. He is one home run shy of his career high of 18 set in '06 and has a career-high 88 RBIs. His previous high was 81 in '05. Crawford has 30 RBIs in 45 games since moving into the No. 3 spot in the lineup on Aug. 9. He also leads the Majors with 13 triples, his most since notching 16 three-base hits in '06. Crawford's career high in triples is 19 in '04. ... Longoria needs one more double (he has 46) to tie Aubrey Huff's club record of 47 set in '03. He is the only Rays player with a pair of 40-double seasons (he had 44 last year). He also has a career-high 15 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

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The Worst Television Ad in America is the loudmouth Staples shopper. That's the verdict of more than 100,000 voters on The Consumerist website. Staples got 30 percent of the vote. Here's the worst ad. See if you agree.

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In the American League East, Tampa Bay(Clinched playoff spot) leads the Yankees(Clinched playoff spot) by 1/2 games, Boston(Eliminated) is 7 behind, Toronto(Eliminated) is 12 behind and Baltimore(Eliminated) is 31 back.

In the American League Central, Minnesota(Clinched division) is 8 ahead of the White Sox(Eliminated), Detroit(Eliminated) is behind by 13, while Cleveland(Eliminated) sits 25 1/2 in arrears and Kansas City(Eliminated) is 28 behind.

In the American League West, Texas(Clinched Division) leads Los Angeles(Eliminated) by 10 games and Oakland(Eliminated) by 11 games, with Seattle(Eliminated) trailing by 27.

In the National League East, Philadelphia(Clinched Division) leads Atlanta(Leading the Wild Card race) by  5 games, Florida(Eliminated) and the Mets(Eliminated) are both 17 1/2 back and Washington(Eliminated) is 27 behind.

In the National League Central, Cincinnati(Clinched division) leads St. Louis(Eliminated) by 6 games, Houston(Eliminated) and Milwaukee(Eliminated) are 13 behind, the Cubs(Eliminated) trail by 16 and Pittsburgh(Eliminated) is 32 out.

In the National League West, San Francisco is 2 games ahead of San Diego (The Padres trail the Wild Card race with Atlanta by 1 1/2 games), Colorado(Eliminated) is 7 behind(Eliminated), the Dodgers(Eliminated) are 12 1/2 behind and Arizona(Eliminated) trails by 26.

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Today is the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of Haleakala National Park in Hawaii.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The showdown is assured.


The Giants' 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego's 3-0 triumph over Chicago on Wednesday guaranteed that National League West-leading San Francisco must defeat the second-place Padres at least once during this weekend's three-game series to clinch the division title.

Having surged two games ahead of the Padres after trailing them by six on Aug. 28, the Giants wouldn't have it any other way.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Madison Bumgarner (6-6, 3.06) pitches for the Giants today against Barry Enright (6-6, 3.73) of Arizona....The weekend 3 game series with San Diego will decide the N.L. West. The Giants have to defeat the Padres once to clinch the pennant, which would be their first since 2003....San Francisco leads the season series against Arizona 12-5.

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Authorities in Orange County, California, are searching for a burglar found nude under a bed by a homeowner. The suspect repeatedly apologized and put on his pants after he was discovered early Saturday. The man told the homeowner he was on drugs and ran from the house shirtless and wearing khaki pants.

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Today in Elvis History:

1957 - Elvis Presley's EP "Just For You" hit #16 in the U.S.

1958 - Elvis Presley's album "Loving You" hit #1 in the U.S.

1963 - Recording began on the soundtrack for the Elvis Presley movie "Kissin' Cousins." Only the instrumental tracks were laid because Elvis had a cold and could not sing.

1967 - Tennesee Governor Buford Elington declared "Elvis Presley Day."

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A B-17 carrying Admiral Nimitz found Guadacanal using a National Geographic map on this date in 1942.

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Today in Beatles History:

1974 - John Lennon appeared on WNEW-FM in New York as a guest DJ.

1984 - Prince's single "Let's Go Crazy" hit No. 1. He then held the No. 1 single, album and film simultaneously. Only the Beatles had accomplished the feat previously.

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The first amateur swim meet in the U.S. was held on this date in 1867 at the N.Y. Atletic Club.

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Today in Sports History:

1916 - The Atlanta Braves stopped the New York Giant's 26-game winning streak. It was the longest winning streak in major league history.

1927 - George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his 60th homerun of the season. He broke his own record with the homerun. The record stood until 1961 when Roger Maris broke the record.

1934 - Dizzy Dean won his 30th game of the season in a 9-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

1947 - The World Series was televised for the first time. The sponsors only paid $65,000 for the entire series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

1971 - The Washington Senators played their last game in Washington before moving to Arlington, TX. They were forced to forfeit the game to the New York Yankees when fans stormed the field in an effort to take souvenirs.

1972 - Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) recorded his 3,000th career hit. It was his last as he was killed in Venezuela during the off season.

1973 - Hank Aaron finished the season one short of Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. He broke the record in the first month of the 1974 season.

1973 - The New York Yankees completed their 50th season at the Stadium.

1984 - Mike Witt (California Angels) became only the 11th pitcher to throw a perfect game in major league baseball. He defeated the Texas Rangers 1-0.

1984 - The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record when they registered three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants.

1992 - George Brett (Kansas City Royals) reached his 3,000th career hit during a game against the California Angels. He was the 18th player to reach the mark.

1995 - Albert Belle (Cleveland Indians) became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season.

1999 - The San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last baseball game to be played at Candlestick Park (3Com Park). The Dodgers won 9-4 with 61,389 fans on hand.

2002 - Chris McAlister (Baltimore Ravens) returned a missed field goal 108 yards to set an NFL record.

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On this day in 1867, the Midway Islands were formally declared a U.S. possession.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 3:45pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto Argonauts 3:00pm

Nascar Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

College Football: Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon State Beavers 6:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Florida Junior Blades 5:15pm EDT

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors SEJHL vs Tampa Lightning AAA U16s 8:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 12:30pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 2:10pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 4:05pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

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That's it for today. See you again tomorrow.       

It's Wednesday!

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

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Today is September 29th, the 271st day of 2010. There are 94 days left in the year.

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Sabres edge Sens at Hockeyville.

Shoulder surgery sidelines Okposo indefinitely.

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Today is National Attend Your Grandcild's Birth Day.

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Sioux Falls Stampede announce 23 man roster.

Big Sioux Falls a waste of money?

Inseparable Eiserman Brothers heading to Central Nebraska.

City of Muskegon thrilled with Lumberjacks' efforts at Walker Arena.

Lumberjacks submit roster for upcoming season.

Ex-Lancer Lavin named as Notre Dame captain.

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This is VFW Day. (Take the time today to thank a Vet for their service.)

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Boston College Selected as Preseason No. 1
in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Defending NCAA men's ice hockey national champion Boston College will enter the 2010-11 season with the preseason No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll. The Eagles collected 504 points, including 28-of-34 first-place votes, to claim the top spot.

The University of North Dakota ranks second after accumulating 462 points and four first-place votes, while Miami University sits in the No. 3 spot with 437 points and two first-place votes. The University of Michigan (383) and Yale University (334) round out the top five.

The 2010-11 regular season will begin on Saturday (Oct. 2) when the University of Michigan hosts Mercyhurst College.

NOTES: The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll will take a one-week hiatus before returning Oct. 11 ... The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all conferences with six ranked teams. The Hockey East Association boasts four ranked programs, while the Central Collegiate Hockey Association has three ranked teams and ECAC Hockey has two ... A total of 28 teams received votes ... Since 1998, Boston College has been chosen as the preseason No. 1 six times (1998-99, 1999-2000, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11), and appeared in the top 15 in each of the last 12 seasons.

ABOUT THE POLL: The 16th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the five NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
Men's College Hockey Poll - #1 (Preseason)
(first-place votes in parentheses)

Rank School 2009-10
Final Rank 2009-10 Record
1 Boston College, 504 (28) 1 29-10-3
2 University of North Dakota, 462 (4) 7 25-13-5
3 Miami University, 437 (2) 3 29-8-7
4 University of Michigan, 383 8 26-18-1
5 Yale University, 334 6 21-10-3
6 St. Cloud State University, 308 5 24-14-5
7 University of Maine, 281 NR 19-17-3
8 University of New Hampshire, 206 11 18-14-7
9 University of Minnesota Duluth, 195 NR 22-17-1
10 Cornell University, 162 9 21-9-4
11 University of Denver, 146 4 27-10-4
12 University of Alaska, 125 15 18-12-9
13 University of Wisconsin, 115 2 28-11-14
14 Boston University, 69 NR 18-17-3
15 University of Minnesota, 50 NR 18-19-2

Others receiving votes: University of Notre Dame, 43; Rochester Institute of Technology, 38; Bemidji State University, 36; Ferris State University, 36; Union College, 34; University of Vermont, 28; Northern Michigan University, 18; Michigan State University, 21; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 16; Colorado College, 14; Northeastern University, 14; University of Nebraska at Omaha, 3; Merrimack College, 2.

University of Minnesota Duluth Selected as Preseason No. 1
in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After securing its second NCAA Division I national championship in three years last season, the University of Minnesota Duluth begins the 2010-11 season atop the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll. The Bulldogs grabbed the preseason No. 1 ranking after collecting 187 points and 18-of-19 first-place votes.

Last year's national championship runner-up Cornell University ranks second with 167 points, while Mercyhurst College sits in the No. 3 spot with 136 points and one first-place vote. Boston University (132) and the University of Wisconsin (115) round out the top five.

NOTES: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all conferences with four ranked teams, while ECAC Hockey has three ranked teams and the Hockey East Association has two. Mercyhurst is the only College Hockey America team ranked ... A total of 15 teams received votes.

ABOUT THE POLL: The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
Women's College Hockey Poll - #1 (Preseason)
(first-place votes in parentheses)

Rank School 2009-10
Final Rank 2009-10 Record

1 University of Minnesota Duluth, 187 (18) 1 31-8-2
2 Cornell University, 167 2 21-9-6
3 Mercyhurst College, 136 (1) 3 30-3-3
4 Boston University, 132 8 17-9-12
5 University of Wisconsin, 115 NR 18-5-3
6 University of Minnesota, 106 4 26-9-5
7 Clarkson University, 70 5 23-12-5
8 Boston College, 46 NR 8-17-10
9 Harvard University, 39 7 20-8-5
10 The Ohio State University, 12 NR 17-15-5

Others receiving votes: University of New Hampshire, 10; Providence College, 10; University of North Dakota, 7; St. Lawrence University, 4; Syracuse University, 4.

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Saskatchewan, now 8-4 on the year after Saturday's 32-25 win at Hamilton, are now just 2 points behind first place Calgary in the CFL West. Next action for the Green-and-White is the first of a back-to-back set with Toronto on Saturday, October 2nd against the Argonauts. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm EDT. The second game will be in Regina on Saturday, October 9th at 4:00pm EDT.

Visit the teams' official website at riderville.com.

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Today is National Women's Health and Fitness Day.

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Here's the Week 3 NFL Schedule:

Sunday, September 26th --

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

At Tennessee Titans 29, New York Giants 10

At Minnesota Vikings 24, Detroit Lions 10

Atlanta Falcons 27 at New Orleans Saints 24 (overtime)

Cincinnati Bengals 20 at Carolina Panthers 7

At New England Patriots 38, Buffalo Bills 30

At Baltimore Ravens 24, Cleveland Browns 17

At Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 10

Dallas Cowboys 27 at Houston Texans 13

Philadelphia Eagles 28 at Jacksonville Jaguars 3

At St. Louis Rams 30, Washington Redskins 16

Indianapolis Colts 27 at Denver Broncos 13

At Arizona Cardinals 24, Oakland Raiders 23

At Seattle Seahawks 27, San Diego Chargers 20

New York Jets 31 at Miami Dolphins 23

Monday, September 27th --

At Chicago Bears 20, Green Bay Packers 17

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Today is National Coffee Day.

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Beavers set to host Arizona State in Pac-10 opener.

Following a 37-24 loss at #3 Boise State this past Saturday, the Oregon State Beavers are back in action this coming Saturday at Reser Stadium against former coach Dennie Erickson's Arizona State Sun Devils. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm EDT on the Beaver Sports Network. Listen link is to the right on this blog. Fox Sports Northwest has TV coverage.

ASU game nears sell-out.

Baseball recruiting class ranked 12th nationally.

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

And here's the 2010 football roster.

Here's the 2010-11 Men's Basketball Schedule.

Here's the 2010-11 Women's Basketball schedule.

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We're hanging on to our cell phones a bit longer. The average person keeps theirs for about 20-1/2 months.


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Showdown: East Offensive All-Stars.

CFL Replay: Week #13.

Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca.

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What was probably the most critically acclaimed network drama this fall has already been canceled. Fox announced Tuesday it's dropping Lone Star.

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Hey Jimmy, I think that hat is too small for you!






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ST. PETERSBURG --  Talk about a true No. 1 starter. Tampa Bay has one in David Price.

The classy left-hander dominated Baltimore for eight innings Tuesday night before handing the ball over to Rafael Soriano in the ninth to get the final three outs, as the Rays defeated the Orioles, 5-0, to punch their ticket to the 2010 postseason.


Read the rest here.

Notes: Jeff Niemann (11-7, 4.49) starts tonight in the final home game of the regular season for Tampa Bay. He'll be opposed by Baltimore's Kevin Millwood (3-16, 5.29)....Partly in celebration of wrapping up a playoff berth, but quite possibly in response to the uproar over yesterday's comments about the team's attendance, 20,000 tickets for tonight's home finale will be given away free, beginning at 4:45pm EDT at the Tropicana Field ticket office. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis....The Rays got a rare contribution from first baseman Carlos Pena on Tuesday, an outing that pushed his average up to .199 for the season. Pena, whose average is the lowest among all Major League qualifiers for the batting title, delivered a key home run in the victory. The homer -- a solo shot -- was his first since Sept. 14 and his 28th of the season....The Rays are just the fourth all-time team to average 90-plus wins for three straight seasons after averaging 90-plus losses the previous three seasons. The other teams in that group are the 1988-93 Atlanta Braves, the 1975-80 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1996-2001 Oakland A's....Evan Longoria has missed five consecutive games due to a strained left quadriceps muscle. Longoria is regarded as day-to-day, but the Rays will be careful with him in the final week.  

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California and New York are home to the most expensive ZIP codes in the United States, according to a new Forbes.com study. Duarte, a suburb northeast of Los Angeles, boasts the priciest ZIP code in the country, 91008, where the median cost of a home is about $4.3 million.

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In the American League East, Tampa Bay(Clinched playoff spot) leads the Yankees(Clinched playoff spot) by 1/2 games, Boston(Eliminated) is 7 behind, Toronto(Eliminated) is 13 behind and Baltimore(Eliminated) is 32 back.

In the American League Central, Minnesota(Clinched division) is 8 ahead of the White Sox(Eliminated), Detroit(Eliminated) is behind by 11 1/2, while Cleveland(Eliminated) sits 26 in arrears and Kansas City(Eliminated) is 27 behind.

In the American League West, Texas(Clinched Division) leads both Oakland(Eliminated) and the Angels(Eliminated) 10 games, with Seattle(Eliminated) trailing by 26.

In the National League East, Philadelphia(Clinched Division) leads Atlanta(Leading the Wild Card race) by  games, Florida(Eliminated) is 16 out, the Mets(Eliminated) are 16 1/2 back and Washington(Eliminated) is 26 behind.

In the National League Central, Cincinnati(Clinched division) leads St. Louis(Eliminated) by 7 games, Houston(Eliminated) is 14 back, Milwaukee(Eliminated) is 14 1/2 behind, the Cubs(Eliminated) trail by 16 and Pittsburgh(Eliminated) is 32 out.

In the National League West, San Francisco is 2 game ahead of San Diego (The Padres trail the Wild Card race with Atlanta by 1 1/2 games), Colorado(Eliminated) is 6 behind(Eliminated), the Dodgers(Eliminated) are 12 1/2 behind and Arizona(Eliminated) trails by 25.

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CareerBuilder partnered with Dunkin' Donuts to find out the professions that have the highest need of coffee. At the top: Nurses.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The National League West race continued fittingly Tuesday, as the Giants-Arizona Diamondbacks matchup concluded a minute or two after the San Diego-Chicago game.

The timing seemed proper, since the Giants and Padres have proceeded almost in lockstep through most of September. But the disparity between the teams has begun to grow, and the difference favors the first-place Giants, who prevailed 4-2 and inched closer to the National League West crown.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Tim Lincecum (15-10, 3.51) moves up a day to pitch tonight for the Giants, against Arizona's Ian Kennedy (9-9, 3.76).... The Giants remained hopeful that second baseman Freddy Sanchez, one of their hotter hitters with a .393 average in his last 28 games, could rejoin the lineup Wednesday. An MRI of his right shoulder indicated a mild strain....The other Sanchez, Jonathan, reached 200 strikeouts in Tuesday night's win to join Lincecum in San Francisco's first lefty-righty combo with 200 K's in 42 years, since Juan Marichal and Ray Sadecki in 1968....Brian Wilson has converted six of seven five-out save opportunities....Only one other pair of Major League mound-mates have more than 200 strikeouts, the Phillies' Roy Halladay (219) and Cole Hamels (209). Between them, Sanchez and Lincecum have 420.

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British spy John André is court-martialed, found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging on this day in 1780. André, an accomplice of Benedict Arnold, had been captured by Patriots John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart six days earlier on September 23, after they found incriminating papers stashed in his boot. It was the discovery of these papers that revealed the traitorous actions of Benedict Arnold to the U.S. authorities. Upon hearing of André’s capture, Arnold fled to the British warship Vulture and subsequently joined the British in their fight against his country.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - RCA Victor, by this day, had received 856,327 advance orders for "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley.

1957 - Elvis Presley's album "Loving You" hit #1 in the U.S.

1963 - Recording began on the soundtrack for the Elvis Presley movie "Kissin' Cousins." Only the instrumental tracks were laid because Elvis had a cold and could not sing.

1967 - Tennesee Governor Buford Elington declared "Elvis Presley Day."

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On this day in 1913, Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that bears his name, disappears from the steamship Dresden while traveling from Antwerp, Belgium to Harwick, England. On October 10, a Belgian sailor aboard a North Sea steamer spotted a body floating in the water; upon further investigation, it turned out that the body was Diesel’s. There was, and remains, a great deal of mystery surrounding his death: It was officially judged a suicide, but many people believed (and still believe) that Diesel was murdered.
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Today in Beatles History:

1974 - John Lennon appeared on WNEW-FM in New York as a guest DJ.


1984 - Prince's single "Let's Go Crazy" hit No. 1. He then held the No. 1 single, album and film simultaneously. Only the Beatles had accomplished the feat previously.

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"Make Room for Daddy" premiered on ABC-TV on this date in 1953.

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Today in Sports History:

1951 - The first network football game was televised by CBS-TV in color. The game was between the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania.


1957 - The New York Giants played their last game at the Polo Grounds. The next year the Giants were in San Francisco, CA..

1977 - Eva Shain became the first woman to officiate a heavyweight title boxing match. About 70 million people watched Muhammad Ali defeat Ernie Shavers on NBC-TV.

1992 - Magic Johnson announced that he was returning to professional basketball. The comeback ended the following November.
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On this day in 1965, Hanoi publishes the text of a letter it has written to the Red Cross claiming that since there is no formal state of war, U.S. pilots shot down over North Vietnam will not receive the rights of prisoners of war (POWs) and will be treated as war criminals.
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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 3:45pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto Argonauts 3:00pm

Nascar Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

College Football: Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon State Beavers 6:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Florida Junior Blades 5:15pm EDT

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors SEJHL vs Tampa Lightning AAA U16s 8:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 12:30pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 2:10pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 4:05pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

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That's it for today. See you again tomorrow.       

It's coming to a head

Well, the issue of low attendance for Rays baseball has come to the forefront once again in Tampa Bay.

Several months ago, owner Stuart Sternberg spoke about about the need for a new stadium and the revenue it will generate, to help the franchise move out of the low rent district (so to speak) and into the gated community of the baseball world. The response from the City of St. Petersburg's response was, in a nutshell: "Pffffffft! We have a lease that you are bound to fulfill for the next 25 years."

Since Sternberg's press conference, the issue has resided on the back burner for the most part, because of the excitement of the season and the possibiloity of a second pennant in three years. Well, the attendance/stadium issue jumped to the front burner and was turned up to high today, thanks to no less than team leader and third baseman Evan Longoria.

In a feature article by FoxSportsFlorida Rays writer Dave Scheiber(Read the entire artcle here), Longoria called out the region's baseball fans. After last night's 4-0 loss to Baltimore (Last in the A.L. East) Longoria, who has missed the last four games and may miss two more because of injury, commented on the announced crowd of 12,446 (As quoted in Scheiber's article:

“We’re playing really good baseball, and it’s kind of like, ‘What else do we have to do to draw fans into this place?” he said. “It’s actually embarrassing for us.”

Uh huh. Sure thing Evan. Probably better stick to playing(Or getting back to playing), rather than cheer leading.

Scheiber writes that Longoria didn't mean his comments to be a judgement against the fans, but rather a, quote: "rallying cry to get spectators in the seats going forward." Unquote.

For as long as one can remember, many an owner of many a team in many a sport, has 'threatened' fans with the ol' come to the games or I'll move the team cry. More often than not, the reaction has been 'see ya.' Threatening, or embarrassing your actual or potential fan base never has worked, and never will work either.

Longoria continued: "We feel like we should be out there and have a packed house. And it’s tough to see and it’s actually sometimes disheartening for us." He also said in Scheiber's article: "It’s not a jab at the fans. It’s not a kick below the belt." That is so much like when someone you know tries to excuse away a negative comment they're making about you by saying "I don't mean to be rude...." or "I hate to say this but...." Yeah, right. You don't want to be rude? Hate to say something? Then shut up. David Price, who goes to the mound tonight in search of his 19th win of the season, posted to his twitter account after last night's game: “Had a chance to clinch a post-season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands…embarrassing.” Yeah, that'll bring the fans out. Atta boy David.

“They’ve wanted to watch a contender" said Longoria, who continued by expressing his and apparently his teammates' thoughts by saying they're confused as to why attendance is so low.

Well boys, let me remove the confusion, by stating what several others have said time and time again, that you guys in uniform have so obviously not heard or chosen to forget.

The stadium stinks. The concourse areas are bland, narrow and sometimes confusing. (Reminds me a lot of Olympic Stadium in Montreal.) The one game I attended with my family last year was the most negative experience I've ever had as a paying customer of a sporting event. And, who do you think responded to my email of complaint? If you said no one, you win the prize.

The stadium is in an absolutely horrid location, that seemingly takes forever to get to from anywhere. My family and I attended this past Sunday's game, and from Clearwater, it took us nearly an hour to get to the stadium on a day with little traffic.

Parking? What parking? Whomever planned this stadium back in the '80s (It opened in 1990) forgot to take parking into consideration. With a two-year old(We mistakingly left the stroller at home), we had to walk several hundred yards to a pedestrian overpass that spanned an interstate highway, then at least a couple hundred more yards to get inside the stadium. Simply brutal. The overwhelming majority of parking is scattered here and there around the stadium site on businesses that allow parking, for a price(of course). We saw shuttles going by, but never saw where to board them. (Perhaps they were for certain groups and not for others, I don't know.)

Ticket prices are too high. Despite ESPN.com last year proclaiming  Rays baseball as the most affordable in professional sports, it's still mostly out of reach for anyone who doesn't have money to burn.

Dishonest ticket representatives. For the one game we attendance last season, a Saturday aftrernoon game against Cleveland that did have around 25,000 to 30,000 in attendance, my wife went to the ticket window and asked for a pair of $10 seats in the 300 level behind home plate. She was told those were all sold out and instead, steered her into seats down the right field line, that cost $31 a piece. (Our son is still young enough not to need to buy a ticket.) When we reached our seats, I found we had an excellent view. Of the Rays bullpen. The seats were poorly angeled and I often times could not tell what was happening. Our occurances made it the most miserable time I've EVER had at a sporting event. Oh, did I mention it was clearly apparent that the $10 seats were nowhere close to being sold out?

Non-existant customer service. I tried to find an usher to complain, and see about changing our seat location. Nope. Forget about. None to be found anywhere. Go to thew customer service table? How? Like the old saying goes, you can't get there from here. At this past Sunday's game, the escalator that took us from street level to the 300 level was closed. Not just not reversed, but closed. So, everyone, including us with a two-year old, had to walk down the spiral ramp to exit the stadium. Gee, thanks for that.

Scheiber said in his article, that Longoria said "I've thought about this for a long time and I’m not trying to take a low-blow at the fans, I’m actually just trying to rally the troops and get more people in here." (Oh, so now he's a military commander?) Longoria continues: "I’m not trying to say we have bad fans or any of that. Believe me, I’ve been here since ’06 and I love the Tampa Bay community." Again, that's one of those 'I hate to say this but....' type of comments. Many people, myself include, loved how he handled the lack of hustle incident with B.J. Upton earlier this season. But, this? Simply put, I think he comes across as, well, stupid. Shut your mouth and play baseball. He didn't mean to insult the fans? Well, he did (in my opinion) just that. You insult me, you aren't likely to get any of my money anytime soon. And, incredibly, he finished with this gem: “It’s just tough to see and I feel like I was the right guy to be able to say that.” Wow. He couldn't be more wrong. Again, close your pie hole and play some ball.

The City of St. Petersburg's stance, while understandable, will hurt more than help. Find a suitable location for a new ballpark, whether inside St. Petersburg city limits or not, build it, then, if outside St. Petersburg, work out a fair and equitable settlement on the remainder of the lease. In other words, do whatever it takes to keep the team in the Tampa Bay region. Because, in my opinion, if a new stadium isn't at least one the way within the next five years, the team's departure could happen sooner, rather than later. And, again, in my opinion, unlike Seattle or Kansas City, if the Rays leave Tampa Bay, the region will not get another big league ball team. Ever.

The immediate months ahead, plus those on down the road, should be very interesting regarding the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.

It's Tuesday!

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

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Today at our house, we celebrate Meggie May Day, the 13th anniversary of her birth day. Because of a chance meeting with my now good friend Terry Ley, I came to the great fortune of bringing Meggie May, the Miniature Schnauzer, into my life.

Meggie was the only puppy her Momma ever had and she became mine in early November, 1997. When born, she was so small, she didn't have her ears and tail altered, as most schnauzers did. It gave her the wonderfully unique look she enjoyed showing off.

Because of Meggie, I joined an MSN chat group for people owned by schnauzers. (You don't own schnauzers, they own you!) On that group, I met Kim Barrows, whom I soon fell in love with and became engaged to in late December 2004. Kim came to Spokane, Washington (where I was living at the time) to visit and to meet her new schnauzer daughter. Not surprisingly, Meggie and Kim bonded instantly.

Meggie was also the little, yet lovingly protective little sister for my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Freckles Bell T. Corolla. When he came to live with me in 1998, Freckles was pretty listless, just shuffling from room to room. Soon though, with Meggie's love and encouragement, Freckles came out of his shell, enjoying a new lease on life by becoming a happy, loving dog boy, full of love and joyously living life to the fullest.


Sadly, shortly before moving to Florida to marry Kim (By now known as The New Momma) in 2005, Meggie became very ill and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 7th, 2005 after a brief illness. It was a devastating loss, but even now, not a day goes by that I don't think of her and what she meant to me. Without my Meggie May, I wouldn't have met Kim, her and I wouldn't have gotten married and I wouldn't have Jimmy, Snoopy and Smoke in my life. Meggie was truly sent to me for an exact purpose and I am forever grateful.

Run happy and free, my little sweet sweetie. See you again one day. I love you!

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 And now, on with the Johnny blog....

Today is September 28th, the 270th day of 2010. There are 95 days left in the year.

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Rookie Rush: Which players are in line for this season's Calder Trophy?

Miller shoots for Vanity Fair.

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Today is Drink Beer Day.

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Avalanche rookie Olver has famous roots.

Erik Gryba muscles his way into Ottawa.

Visit the league's website at ushl.com.

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President Obama said Monday that he'd like to see the school year extended by one month. (Sure. Tell ya what. Let's ask the kids how they feel about it.)

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Tampa Bay Lightning to host Ice Fest 2010 tonight. Read all about it here.

Clark bringing more than experience.

Mishkin's Moments: Anatomy of a road trip.

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Seven years ago, Horace Burgess received divine inspiration. The Crossville, Tennessee, man said that God told him, "If you build me a tree house, I'll see that you never run out of material." And so Horace started building. Now, 15 years later, he's still going. The tree house is now 97 feet tall, supported by a living 80-foot tall white oak.

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Saskatchewan, now 8-4 on the year after Saturday's 32-25 win at Hamilton, are now just 2 points behind first place Calgary in the CFL West. Next action for the Green-and-White is at Toronto on Saturday, October 2nd against the Argonauts. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm EDT.
Visit the teams' official website at riderville.com.

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The Doobie Brothers' first album in 10 years comes out today. (There's a huge movement underway to make the Doobie Brothers legal in every state.)

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Here's the Week 3 NFL Schedule:

Sunday, September 26th --

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

At Tennessee Titans 29, New York Giants 10

At Minnesota Vikings 24, Detroit Lions 10

Atlanta Falcons 27 at New Orleans Saints 24 (overtime)

Cincinnati Bengals 20 at Carolina Panthers 7

At New England Patriots 38, Buffalo Bills 30

At Baltimore Ravens 24, Cleveland Browns 17

At Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 10

Dallas Cowboys 27 at Houston Texans 13

Philadelphia Eagles 28 at Jacksonville Jaguars 3

At St. Louis Rams 30, Washington Redskins 16

Indianapolis Colts 27 at Denver Broncos 13

At Arizona Cardinals 24, Oakland Raiders 23

At Seattle Seahawks 27, San Diego Chargers 20

New York Jets 31 at Miami Dolphins 23

Monday, September 27th --

At Chicago Bears 20, Green Bay Packers 17

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Get your groove ready: This is Fish Tank Floorshow Night.

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Following a 37-24 loss at #3 Boise State this past Saturday, the Oregon State Beavers are back in action this coming Saturday at Reser Stadium against former coach Dennie Erickson's Arizona State Sun Devils. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm EDT on the Beaver Sports Network. Listen link is to the right on this blog. Fox Sports Northwest has TV coverage.

ASU game nears sell-out.

Baseball recruiting class ranked 12th nationally.

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

And here's the 2010 football roster.

Here's the 2010-11 Men's Basketball Schedule.

Here's the 2010-11 Women's Basketball schedule.

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This is World Maritime Day.

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Irving: Another 'Oh So Close' heart breaker.

Pile: An unforgettable week in Atlantic Canada.

Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca.

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Today is Ask a Stupid Question Day.

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It's the return of Spaghetti Jimmy!

The Boys are happy when Spaghetti Jimmy makes an appearance, because they get to clean up!




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ST. PETERSBURG --  Brian Matusz had another good outing vs. an AL East rival and the Orioles gave the Yankees some help by winning tonight vs. the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

Matusz gave up just three hits over seven innings as the Orioles beat the Rays 4-0 at Tropicana Field. He lowered his ERA to 3.70 vs. AL East opponents, his lowest mark vs. any division.

Read the rest here.

Notes: David Price (18-6, 2.84) pitches for Tampa Bay tonight, opposed by Baltimore's Brad Bergesen (8-10, 4.90) in a 7:05pm matchup....Despite last night's loss, the Rays stayed in front in the race for the AL's best record and potential home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Tampa Bay is four wins shy of tying its franchise high in victories, set during its pennant season in 2008, and with 274 wins in the last three seasons, the Rays have become just the fourth franchise in Major League history to average at least 90 wins in a three-year span immediately after averaging at least 90 losses in a three-year span. The 1988-93 Atlanta Braves, 1975-80 Milwaukee Brewers and 1996-2001 Oakland Athletics have also done it....Tampa Bay won only 20 of its first 39 home games, but the Rays have won 28 of their last 40. They can win 50 home games on the season with wins over the next two days....Remarkably, the Rays and Orioles have split their 220 meetings since Tampa Bay started play in 1998....The Orioles lost their first eight games on Mondays this season, but have won their last six on the first weekday.


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Today is National Good Neighbor Day.

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In the American League East, Tampa Bay leads the Yankees(who lead the Wild Card) by 1/2 games, Boston is 7  behind(5 1/2 behind in Wild Card, elimination number at 1), Toronto(Eliminated) is 12 behind and Baltimore(Eliminated) is 31 back.

In the American League Central, Minnesota(Clinched division) is 9 ahead of the White Sox(Eliminated), Detroit(Eliminated) is behind by 12, while Cleveland(Eliminated) sits 26 1/2 in arrears and Kansas City(Eliminated) is 28 behind.

In the American League West, Texas(Clinched Division) leads Oakland(Eliminated) by 10, the Angels(Eliminated) are 11 behind and Seattle(Eliminated) trails by 27.

In the National League East, Philadelphia(Clinched Division) leads Atlanta(Leading in the Wild Card race) by 6 games, Florida(Eliminated) is 16 1/2 out, the Mets(Eliminated) are 17 back and Washington(Eliminated) is 27 behind.

In the National League Central, Cincinnati leads St. Louis(Elimination number is 1 in both division and Wild Card) by 6 1/2 games, Houston(Eliminated) is 13 back, Milwaukee(Eliminated) is 13 1/2 behind, the Cubs(Eliminated) trail by 16 and Pittsburgh(Eliminated) is 32 out.

In the National League West, San Francisco is 1 game ahead of San Diego (The Padres trail the Wild Card race with Atlanta by 1/2 game), Colorado(Elimination number is at 2) is 5 behind(4 1/2 out in the Wild Card, with an elimination number of 2), the Dodgers(Eliminated) are 12 behind and Arizona(Eliminated) trails by 23 1/2.

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Today is Cabrillo Day, celebrating the Anniversary of the Discovery of California on this date in 1542.

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San Francisco -- The Giants, who had last night off, start Jonathan Sanchez (11-9, 3.16) in the first of a three game series with Arizona, who throws Rodrigo Lopez(7-14, 5.04).

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The World Dairy Expo begins today in Madison, Wisconsin. (Linky Link)

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Today in Elvis History:

1993 - The Elvis Presley compilation boxed CD-set "From Nashville To Memphis - The Essential '60s Masters 1" was released.

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Remember the picture I took at Sunday's Rays game of DJ Kitty, the cheer-leading cat, which was a part of yesterday's blog posting? Well, not surprisingly, he's on You Tube. It's awesome stuff, check it out here.

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Today in Beatles History:

1976 - A&M Records sued George Harrison for failing to deliver his LP "33 1/3" on time.

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"The Boys From Boise" was shown on WABD in New York as the first full-length comedy written for television. It aired on this date in 1944.

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Today in Sports History:

1892 - The first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary.

1941 - Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) hit .400 for the season. He was the last major league player of the century to achieve this statistic.

1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1968 - The Atlanta Chiefs won the first North American Soccer League Championship.

1978 - Don Sherman, editor of Car & Driver, set a new Class E record in Utah. Driving the Mazda RX7 he reached a speed of 183.904 mph.

1991 - Michael Jordan was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1995 - Randy Myers (Chicago Cubs) was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.

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On this day in 1967, a French television network begins to broadcast the first (and only) season of the American sitcom “My Mother, The Car,” the first TV show to star a talking automobile.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 3:45pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto Argonauts 3:00pm

Nascar Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

College Football: Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon State Beavers 6:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Florida Junior Blades 5:15pm EDT

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors SEJHL vs Tampa Lightning AAA U16s 8:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 12:30pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 2:10pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 4:05pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

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That's it for today. See you again tomorrow.       

This just in....

....Legendary NFL/AFL Quarterback and kicker George Blanda passed away today at age 83.

Details here at Fox Sports.com.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

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

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Today is September 27th, the 269th day of 2010. There are 96 days left in the year.

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The Tampa Bay Juniors' SEJHL and MJHL teams were both in action this weekend in Atlanta against the Knights. In Saturday's SEJHL game, Cody Schmidt's 3 goals and 1 assist led Atlanta to a 7-2 win over Tampa Bay. Ben Winter and Wes Moon scored goals for the Juniors, Dominic Calandra manned the goal. On Sunday, Atlanta rolled to a 10-1 win, Michael Pignataro scored the lone Tampa Bay goal and Jordan Kruger manned the goal.

In the MJHL games, Atlanta swept Tampa Bay, winning 3-0 on Saturday and 7-2 on Sunday. In Saturday's game, three different players scored for Atlanta. For Tampa Bay, Evan Weiss stopped 50 of 53 shots. On Sunday, Dustin Disbro and Scott Vargas scored goals, Patrick Rodgers picked up a pair of assists, but Atlanta, led by Sean McTiernan's 2 goal, 1 assist effort, was able to skate to a 7-2 win. In goal, Braxton Schultz stopped 64 of 71 shots.

Coming up for the Tampa Bay Juniors SEJHL team, is a game with the Tampa Bay Lightning AAA U16 team this coming Sunday, Oct 2nd at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. Faceoff is 8:30am EDT. Then the following weekend, Saturday, October 9th and Sunday, October 10th, comes a home-and-home with the Florida Junior Blades. Saturday's game in Estero starts at 3:30pm EDT and Sunday's game in Ellenton starts at 6:35pm.

On the upcoming schedule for the Tampa Bay Juniors MJHL team, is a home and home with the Florida Junior Blades. The two teams meet in Ellenton at 5:15pm EDT on Saturday, October 2nd and at 12:30pm in Estero on Sunday, October 3rd. The Tampa Bay MJHL Juniors will then travel to the Northern Cyclones MJHL Showcase the following weekend. On Saturday, October 9th, the Juniors meet the Walpole Express at 9:15pm EDT. On Sunday, October 10th, the Juniors meet the Cranston Reds at 8:55pm EDT. Then, on Monday, October 11th, the Atlanta Knights provide the opposition, with face-off set for 8:10am EDT.

Keep up to date with the Tampa Bay Juniors at the teams' official website, tampbayjr.com.

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Today is Crush a Can Day.

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Wild goalie Harding injured, likely to miss season.

Niederreiter getting comfortable in New York.

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Today is the beginning of Banned Books Week.

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Lincoln goalie optimistic about upcoming season.

Lancers reconnect Omaha, hockey.

Force finish 1-2 at Fall Classic.

Aurora Bay Care Night with the Green Bay Gamblers.

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Today is Ancestor Appreciation Day.

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Tampa Bay Lightning to host Ice Fest 2010 tomorrow night. Read all about it here.

Clark bringing more than experience.

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Today is the first day of Remember to Register to Vote Week.

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Saskatchewan, now 8-4 on the year after Saturday's 32-25 win at Hamilton, are now just 2 points behind first place Calgary in the CFL West. Next action for the Green-and-White is at Toronto on Saturday, October 2nd against the Argonauts. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm EDT.
Visit the teams' official website at riderville.com.

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Today is World Tourism Day.

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Here's the Week 3 NFL Schedule:

Sunday, September 26th --

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

At Tennessee Titans 29, New York Giants 10

At Minnesota Vikings 24, Detroit Lions 10

Atlanta Falcons 27 at New Orleans Saints 24 (overtime)

Cincinnati Bengals 20 at Carolina Panthers 7

At New England Patriots 38, Buffalo Bills 30

At Baltimore Ravens 24, Cleveland Browns 17

At Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 10

Dallas Cowboys 27 at Houston Texans 13

Philadelphia Eagles 28 at Jacksonville Jaguars 3

At St. Louis Rams 30, Washington Redskins 16

Indianapolis Colts 27 at Denver Broncos 13

At Arizona Cardinals 24, Oakland Raiders 23

At Seattle Seahawks 27, San Diego Chargers 20

New York Jets 31 at Miami Dolphins 23

Monday, September 27th --

8:30 p.m. Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

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This is World Heart Day. (Linky link)

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Following a 37-24 loss at #3 Boise State this past Saturday, the Oregon State Beavers are back in action this coming Saturday at Reser Stadium against former coach Dennie Erickson's Arizona State Sun Devils. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm EDT on the Beaver Sports Network. Listen link is to the right on this blog. Fox Sports Northwest has TV coverage.

ASU game nears sell-out.

Baseball recruiting class ranked 12th nationally.

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

And here's the 2010 football roster.

Here's the 2010-11 Men's Basketball Schedule.

Here's the 2010-11 Women's Basketball schedule.

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Today is Family Day - A Day to eat Dinner with your Kids. (Linky link)

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Turnover Atlantic: Esks enjoy East Coast win.

Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca.

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Today is National Chocolate Milk Day.

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Tampa -- Charlie Batch's three touchdowns passes helped Pittsburgh build an early lead in a 38-13 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, but a young Buccaneers team played hard to the end and didn't lose sight of the big picture.

Read the rest here.

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On September 27, 1999, operatic tenor Placido Domingo makes his 18th opening-night appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House, breaking the "unbreakable" record of 17, previously held by the great Enrico Caruso.

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ST. PETERSBURG --  The Rays will have to wait at least one more day to break out the champagne and punch their tickets to the postseason.

Although the Rays lost, 6-2, to the Mariners before 22,301 at Tropicana Field on Sunday afternoon, Tampa Bay's magic number to lock up a playoff spot dropped to one when the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 4-3, in 10 innings.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Wade Davis (12-9, 4.13) starts starts tonight for the Rays in the opener of a three-game set with Baltimore, who sends Brian Matusz (8-12, 4.59) to the mound....Davis has handled the Orioles well all season, going 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA against the Birds. After stumbling a bit mid season, Davis has come on very strong for the Rays, going 7-0 with a 3.19 ERA in his last 11 starts. "I've done well against them in the past," Davis said regarding the Orioles. "They've obviously been playing really well right now. They're a team where you've got to execute some pitches. They can hit some mistakes."....The Rays have a 10-5 mark against Baltimore this season. They've gone just 3-3 against the O's since Showalter took over, however. ... The Orioles need three wins in their final seven games to equal their 64-98 record from 2009.

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England's James Field completed a world record 42 bungee jumps in one hour over the weekend. Field repeatedly jumped from a platform 160 feet off the ground in central London.

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In the American League East, Tampa Bay leads the Yankees(who lead the Wild Card) by 1/2 games, Boston is 7  behind(6 1/2 behind in Wild Card, elimination number at 1), Toronto(Eliminated) is 14 behind and Baltimore(Eliminated) is 32 back.

In the American League Central, Minnesota(Clinched division) is 9 ahead of the White Sox(Eliminated), Detroit(Eliminated) is behind by 12, while Cleveland(Eliminated) sits 27 1/2 in arrears and Kansas City(Eliminated) is 29 behind.

In the American League West, Texas(Clinched Division) leads Oakland(Eliminated) by 10, the Angels(Eliminated) are 12 behind and Seattle(Eliminated) trails by 28.

In the National League East, Philadelphia(Clinched playoff spot) leads Atlanta(Tied in the Wild Card race) by 6 games, Florida(Eliminated) is15 1/2 out, the Mets(Eliminated) are 16 1/2 back and Washington(Eliminated) is 26 behind.

In the National League Central, Cincinnati leads St. Louis(Elimination number is 1 in both division and Wild Card) by 6 1/2 games, Houston(Eliminated) is 13 back, Milwaukee(Eliminated) is 13 1/2 behind, the Cubs(Eliminated) trail by 16 1/2 and Pittsburgh(Eliminated) is 31 1/2 out.

In the National League West, San Francisco is 1/2 game ahead of San Diego (The Padres lead the Wild Card race), Colorado(Elimination number is at 3) is 4 1/2 behind(4 out in the Wild Card, with an elimination number of 4), the Dodgers(Eliminated) are 13 behind and Arizona(Eliminated) trails by 24.

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Octomom Nadia Suleman held a garage sale over the weekend. Someone picked up eight little devil costumes for $50.

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Denver -- Matt Cain didn't feel bad at all about losing a no-hitter Sunday. Not when the rest of the day was a win-win-win for him and the Giants.

The right-hander's bid to throw the 14th no-hitter in franchise history dissolved when Colorado's Jay Payton hustled his way to an infield single with one out in the eighth inning. Unruffled, Cain finished a three-hitter and the Giants ended a thoroughly successful two-city trip with a 4-2 victory that brought them closer to a postseason berth.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Jonathan Sanchez (11-9, 3.16) pitches for the Giants tonight in the first of a three game series with Arizona, who throws Rodrigo Lopez(7-14, 5.04)....As more proof that San Francisco isn't looking past the D-backs, the Giants have not yet altered their pitching rotation to enable Tim Lincecum to face the Padres instead of Arizona. There could, however, be a change. Prior to Friday's 4-2 win, Bochy acknowledged that he, general manager Brian Sabean and the rest of the Giants' brass probably will address multiple issues during Monday's scheduled off-day. "We'll discuss a lot of things, but that's not something we're discussing right now," Bochy said....After Sunday's win against the Rockies, the Giants have gone 16-2 in their past 18 games when scoring the game's first run....The Giants finished 43-38 on the road this season, their first winning road record since going 44-36 in 2004.

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A guy in England bought a goldfish in a pet store -- then drank it down in front of the staff. His buddies filmed it and posted it to Facebook. (Stupid is as stupid does, right Mrs. Gump?)

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Today in Elvis History:

1957 - Elvis Presley played a benefit show at the annual Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. He was backed by Hank Garland and Bob Moore.

1960 - Elvis Presley's father, Vernon, visited him on the set of "G.I. Blues."

1969 - Elvis Presley's single "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard" hit #21 in the U.S.

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Let's go to da ball game Mommy.

I'm taking my Daddy to da ball game.

I'm hungry.

Mommy brings nummies.

Ball park nummies is yummy to my tummy!










DJ Kitty leads cheers.

Alright you guys, we have to play good today, 'cuz Jimmy brought his Mommy and Daddy to the ball game.

This Ray Boy got home safe.

Dis Mariner Boy hit da ball a weally long ways, so he and two of his bestest buddies got to go home safe at da same time and helpeded win da ball game.

Da ball game over now. Time for us to go home safe now. Byue-Bye.







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Today in Beatles History:

1972 - Rory Storme (Hurricanes) committed suicide in what appeared to be suicide pact with his mother. The Hurricanes were the group that Ringo Starr left in order to join the Beatles.

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Now you know: The longest escalator is in Hong Kong. It's 745 feet long.

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Today in Sports History:

1923 - Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees) hit his first of 493 career home runs.

1930 - Hack Wilson (Chicago) hit two home runs to give him 56 for the year.

1930 - At the annual NHL Governor's meeting a new rule was passed concerning offsides. The rule was that "the puck must be propelled into the attacking zone before any player of the attacking side can enter that zone."

1953 - The St. Louis Browns played their final game before moving to Baltimore to become the Orioles.

1964 - Houston played its final game at Colts Stadium. They lost 1-0 to Los Angeles in 12 innings.

1973 - Nolan Ryan (California Angels) struck out 16 batters for the Minnesota Twins. The feat established a modern day single season mark of 383 strikouts in a season.

1983 - Larry Bird signed a seven-year contract with the Boston Celtics worth $15 million. The contract made him the highest paid Celtic in history.

1996 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) became the second MLB player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same year.

1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) set a major league baseball record when he hit his 70th home run of the season. Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) ended the season with 66 home runs. Both players surpassed Roger Maris' record of 61.

1998 - Greg Vaughn (San Diego Padres) hit his 50th home run of the season. It marked the first time that four players finished the regular season with 50 or more home runs.

1999 - The last game was played at Tiger Stadium. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-2.

2000 - Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) signed a 12-year contract that involved a $20.5 million signing bonus. The deal made McNabb the highest paid NFL player in history.

2003 - Javier Lopez (Atlanta Braves) became the first catcher to hit 42 home runs in a season.

2009 - The Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Redskins to end a 19-game losing streak dating back to December, 2007.

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Dancing with the Stars is back tonight with 11 couples doing either the Jive or the Quickstep. The Hoff went home last week. (Sounds like they hassled the Hoff, eh?)

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From http://www.nascar.com

DOVER, Del. -- The leading rebounder in the Cup Series solidified his status in Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Lest any of his competitors happened to forget that Jimmie Johnson will be a factor in the Chase, Johnson gave them a smoky reminder Sunday afternoon as he rallied from last week's rocky start to the Chase at New Hampshire.

Moments after beating Jeff Burton to the checkered flag by a convincing 2.637 seconds on the 1-mile concrete oval, Johnson stirred up a cloud of smoke with a burnout on the Monster Mile's asphalt apron near the entrance to the garage.

As the drivers he beat rolled through the gate to the garage area, they had to pass through Johnson's smoky celebration. It wasn't exactly a case of "eat my dust," but it was close.

"Man, you are rubbing it into all these guys' faces here," crew chief Chad Knaus radioed to the driver, after Johnson completed the best-case rally from last week's 25th-place run.

Indeed. Johnson won the pole, led the most laps (191) and scored maximum points (195) as he vaulted four positions to second in the Cup standings, 35 points behind ninth-place finisher Denny Hamlin, who posted a respectable result at a track that has plagued him in past Chases.

With 53 Cup victories, Johnson is 10th all time, one behind Lee Petty and two behind Rusty Wallace.

Johnson regained the lead from Carl Edwards on Lap 366 of 400, when Edwards brought his No. 99 Ford to pit road during a cycle of green-flag stops. Johnson pulled away from Burton the final 35 laps.

Joey Logano -- the only non-Chase driver in the top six -- finished third. Kurt Busch ran fourth, Edwards fifth and Kyle Busch sixth. Kyle Busch remained third in the standings and trails Hamlin by 45 points.

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John Adams was appointed to negotiate peace with the British on this date in 1779.

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From http://www.nascar.com

DOVER, Del. -- The inevitable -- Kyle Busch’s single-season record 11th Nationwide Series win -- finally happened Saturday at Dover International Speedway.


Busch led 192 of 200 laps at the Monster Mile to win the Dover 200 and claim his 11th win of the season, breaking a record he shared with Sam Ard. The victory was Busch’s 41st in the series, his 30th in a Toyota since moving to Joe Gibbs Racing to start the 2008 season and his 81st in NASCAR’s top three series combined. .

"It’s very special," Busch said of the record. "Sam is a great individual and was a great driver in his time (Early 1980s). For myself to be able to come out and compete at that level and get as many wins in a season is hard enough to do, but then to go out there and beat a record …"

Despite a vibration that gave him some nervous moments in the closing laps, Busch beat pole sitter and JGR teammate Joey Logano to the finish line by .400 seconds, marking the 11th time JGR cars have finished 1-2 in the series.

Carl Edwards finished third and trimmed the championship lead of 17th-place finisher Brad Keselowski from 373 to 320 points. Reed Sorenson ran fourth, followed by Kevin Harvick. Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, Jason Leffler, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Newman completed the top 10.

Danica Patrick blew a tire and crashed into the Turn 4 wall to cause the first caution of the race on Lap 70. She finished 35th in her seventh Nationwide start.

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On this day in 1967, a French television network begins to broadcast the first (and only) season of the American sitcom “My Mother, The Car,” the first TV show to star a talking automobile.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants 3:45pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto Argonauts 3:00pm

Nascar Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

College Football: Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon State Beavers 6:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Junior Blades 5:15pm EDT

NHL Preseason Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 8:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MJHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Blades TBA

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas 3:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals 2:10pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

Baseball: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants 4:05pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the rest of your Monday, see you again tomorrow.