It's Tuesday

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

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Today is May 31st, the 151st day of 2011. There are 214 days left in the year.

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Recchi won't rely on past experiences.

Olympic history in Canucks' corner.

2011 Stanley Cup Final schedule.

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Todays Birthdays: Actor/director Clint Eastwood is 81; actress (Cagney & Lacey's Det. Chris Cagney) Sharon Gless is 68; NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath is 68; actor (Big Chill) Tom Berenger is 62; actor/comedian (Get A Life, David Letterman, There's Something About Mary) Chris Elliott is 51; actress (Back to the Future, Caroline in the City) Lea Thompson is 50; actress/model Brooke Shields is 46; actor Colin Farrell (Miami Vice, the upcoming Horrible Bosses, the upcoming Total Recall remake) is 35.

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Bombers sign first overall pick Muamba.

Riders eager to get things going.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Jimmy works on something while Snoopy and Smoke supervise.

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Not only did The Hangover II score the best opening of all time for a comedy, it grossed the most of any R-rated film in its first five days. Hangover, debuting last Thursday, earned $137.4 million through Monday.

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ST PETERSBURG -- Monday night at Tropicana Field brought October baseball to mind -- that's October 2010 baseball for the Rays, a period when a lot went wrong in the American League Division Series thanks to the Rangers.

Texas rolled into Tropicana Field for its first encounter with Tampa Bay since eliminating the Rays from the postseason. Back in October, the Rangers took care of business by claiming three wins here during the best-of-five series. On Memorial Day, the Rangers seemed to be embracing an old friend in Tropicana Field during their 11-5 win with 14,203 watching.

Read the rest here.

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Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry have split. The couple's manager confirms that "Peter Brady" and the America's Next Top Model winner have decided to separate. They made the announcement on their fifth wedding anniversary.

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ST. LOUIS --  Memorial Day was a day of leisure for many Americans, including the Giants. At least by their standards.

They matched their run total from their previous four games by Monday's fourth inning. That helped becalm Madison Bumgarner, who pitched as if he were reclining in a hammock drinking lemonade. Brian Wilson warmed up in the ninth inning, but that was merely a precautionary measure. The length of the game seemed to exceed its official two-hour, 51-minute duration, mainly because it featured no compellling sequences that distracted witnesses from the time of day.

"We don't have many of those," manager Bruce Bochy said after the Giants' 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. "It's nice not to have every pitch matter."

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1975 - The Elvis Presley song "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" hit #31 in the U.K.

2005 - The original broadway cast recording of "All Shook Up" was released. The release included 25 renditions of Elvis Presley hits.

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The pizza industry is out with a deep-dish helping of facts you probably didn't know about their food. One of them: Saturday night is the biggest night of the week for eating pizza.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - The Beatles ended a 48-night run of shows at the Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany. The run had begun on April 13th.

1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded "Give Peace a Chance" during their Montreal bed-in.

1980 - The album "Rarities" hit #21 in the U.S.

1980 - Paul McCartney's album "McCartney II" hit #1 in the U.K.

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It's National Camping Week.

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Today in Sports History:

1879 - New York's Madison Square Garden opened.

1880 - The first U.S. national bicycle society was formed in Newport, RI. It was known as the League of American Wheelman.

1921 - Suffy McInnis began an errorless streak of 1,700 chances.

1926 - Frank Lockhart won the 14th Indy 500. He averaged 95.9 mph.

1927 - Johnny Neun (Detroit Tigers) made an unassisted triple play.

1937 - The Brooklyn Dodgers ended Carl Hubbell's (New York Giants) 24-game winning streak.

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A not-so-groundbreaking new study suggests that sports and energy drinks aren't really good for kids.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers 6:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 7:09pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers 1:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

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

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 4:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series - STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway 8:00pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- STP 400 at Kansas Speedway 1:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.           

Memorial Day Meissnervations

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

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Today is May 30th, the 150th day of 2011. There are 215 days left in the year.

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EA Sports picks Canucks to win Cup.

'94 Canucks see similarities in '11 version.

Jacobs thanks Bruins for special ride.

Saint John wins Memorial Cup.

2011 Stanley Cup Final schedule.

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Thank a Vet today. It's because of their sacrifice that we enjoy the freedom we have today.





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Ready to blow the whistle in Regina.

100th Grey Cup: Invitation to our nation.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Jimmy got a Dinosaur Train video for his birthday.

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Today is Loomis Day. (Linky Link)

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ST PETERSBURG -- Crooked numbers came at the right time for the Rays as their much-maligned offense got the job done on Sunday.

Crooked numbers plus seven scoreless frames from starter Jeremy Hellickson added up to a 7-0 win over the Indians at Tropicana Field.

"It's always nice [to see the crooked numbers]," Hellickson said. "We did an unbelievable job of scoring runs early. Like I said, it's easy to go out there and pound the zone and throw strikes when you have a lead like that."

Read the rest here.

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Today is Prayer for Peace Memorial Day.

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MILWAUKEE --  On a day when Buster Posey underwent season-ending surgery, the Giants offense continued its malaise in a 6-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

The Giants managed only two hits in the first seven innings and six hits overall to get shut out for the second time in four games since Posey was injured. They've scored only seven runs in the four games since their star catcher was hurt.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - In "Time" magazine, an article entitled "Teener's Hero" referred to Elvis Presley's appeal. It said "his movements suggest, in a word, sex."

1968 - The Elvis Presley movie "Clambake" opened at London's New Victoria Cinema.

1977 - In Florida, Elvis Presley played at Jacksonville's Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. It was his last show in Florida.

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Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer, landed in Florida with 600 soldiers on this date in 1539 to search for gold.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles single "Love Me Do" hit #1 in the U.S.

1964 - The Beatles' "Cry for a Shadow" hit #1 in Australia.

1968 - The Beatles began recording the album "The Beatles." The album is known as the "White Album" due to its plain white cover.

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On this date in 1783, The first daily newspaper was published in the U.S. by Benjamin Towner called "The Pennsylvania Evening Post"

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Today in Sports History:

1890 - Dave Foutz hit the first Dodger home run.

1894 - Bobby Lowe (Boston Red Sox) became the first player to hit four home runs in one game.

1911 - Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis Sweepstakes. The 500-mile auto race later became known as the Indianapolis 500. Harroun's average speed was 74.59 miles per hour.

1922 - Max Flack (Chicago Cubs) and Cliff Heathcote (St. Louis Cardinals) were traded for each other between the morning and afternoon games of a Memorial Day twin bill. They played one game for each team.

1925 - Peter DePaolo became the first man to average over 100mph at the Indianapolis 500.

1927 - Walter Johnson recorded his 113th career shutout. It was also the final shutout of his career.

1927 - Jim Cooney (Chicago Cubs) became the sixth player to record an unassisted triple play against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He caught Paul Waner's line drive, stepped on second to double Lloyde Waner and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first.

1927 - Johnny Neun (Detroit Tigers) became the seventh player to record an unassisted triple play.

1932 - The New York Yankees dedicated a plaque to Miller Huggins.

1935 - Babe Ruth (Braves) played in his final game. He went hitless against the Phillies.

1937 - Pitcher Carl Hubbell got his 24th consecutive victory.

1946 - Bernard Malamud (Braves) hit a home run that shattered the Bulova clock in Ebbets Field.

1955 - Bob Sweikert won the Indianapolis 500. During the race Bill Vukovich hit the 3-car pileup of Al Keller, Johnny Boyd, and Rodger Ward. He was killed when his car became airborne and went out of the course, landing upside down and on fire.

1962 - Pedro Ramos (Cleveland Indians) pitched a three-hitter and hit two home runs in a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. One of his home runs was a grand slam.

1970 - Voting for baseball's All-Star game was returned to the fans.

1971 - Willie Mays hit his 638th home run. He set a National League record of 1,950 runs scored.

1977 - Dennis Eckersley pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the California Angels.

1981 - The Los Angeles Dodgers became the quickest to get 1,000,000 people to attend games in a season. It took 22 games.

1982 - Cal Ripken, Jr., began a record streak of playing in 2,632 games. The streak ended on September 20, 1998.

1983 - Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was suspended for one week for his public criticism of umpires.

1986 - Bobby Rahal became the first driver to average over 170mph in the Indianapolis 500.

1987 - Eric Davis (Cincinnati Reds) became the first National League player to hit three grand slams in a month and set a National League record of 19 home runs in April and May.

1992 - Scott Sanderson (New York Yankees) became the 9th pitcher to beat all 26 teams.

2001 - Barry Bonds hit two home runs to move into 11th place on the major league career list with 522. 

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W.G. Young patented the ice cream freezer on this date in 1848.

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA -- JR Hildebrand stood beside the crumpled race car and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to discern just what transpired on the final lap of the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500.

The 23-year-old Californian was a few hundred yards from being the first IZOD IndyCar Series rookie to win the race since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and creating a storyline that would follow him into the record and history books. But, as all veterans will say, nothing is for certain in 200 laps of racing on the 2.5-mile strip of asphalt.

Hildebrand's No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car drifted up the racetrack as it was overtaking a lapped car exiting Turn 4 and smacked the SAFER Barrier, and Dan Wheldon -- the 2005 race and IZOD IndyCar Series champion -- was Danny on the spot for the victory.

Read the rest here..

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The U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas were established on this date in 1854. 

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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA -- You didn't have to open a Superman comic to find Bizarro World -- Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway had all the strangeness a fan of cosmic weirdness could hope to find.

Kevin Harvick, a driver who wasn't a factor for 600 miles, won the race when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas a half-mile from the finish line after the event went to overtime for the first time in its history.

And despite the victory, Harvick still can't stand racing at Charlotte.

"Even though we won, I'm still miserable," Harvick said after the race. "In about 30 minutes, I'll be happy, when we drive out of that tunnel and leave the month of May behind."

Earnhardt ran out of gas in sight of the checkered flag, breaking the hearts of fans who were certain until the last moment that Earnhardt was about to break a 104-race drought.

Instead, the dry spell reached 105 when Earnhardt coasted across the finish line in seventh place.

Read the rest here.

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Memorial Day was observed widely for the first time in the U.S. on this date in 1868.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 4:15pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers 6:40pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers 6:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 7:09pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers 1:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

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

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 4:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series - STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway 8:00pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- STP 400 at Kansas Speedway 1:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.           

It's Sunday

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

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Today is May 29th, the 149th day of 2011. There are 216 days left in the year.

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Cup final statistical matchup.

Malhotra cleared to play.

Thomas' road to final.

2011 Stanley Cup Final schedule.

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The Indianapolis 500 runs today, telecast starts at 11:00am on ABC, radio on the IMS Radio Network.

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TC11: Breaking down the Ticat QB situation.

Special debut but Shea demands more.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Birthday cake and ice cream is always good!

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Today is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

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ST PETERSBURG -- Tampa Bay had the look of a team on the brink of a comeback Saturday night. A breakdown in the eighth inning ended any such thoughts as the Indians pushed across four runs to take a 7-3 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field with 24,717 watching.

In defeat, the Rays (27-24) lost for the sixth time in their last eight games, and they are 4-9 in their last 13 games since they were a season-high eight games over .500 on May 13. The team is 3-7 since holding a season-high three-game lead in the American League East.

Read the rest here.

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This is Rogation Sunday. (Linky Link)

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MILWAUKEE --  There was little the Giants could do once Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun executed a perfect squeeze play to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday.

The key pitch for the Giants was the one just before Lucroy's bunt single scored Braun from third to give Milwaukee a 3-2 victory.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1967 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley held a second wedding reception at Graceland for family and friends that could not attend their wedding in Las Vegas.

1976 - Elvis Presley's single "Hurt" hit #28 in the U.S.

1976 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "The Sun Sessions" hit #76 in the U.S.

1977 - In Baltimore, Elvis Presley left the stage in the middle of a concert and did not return. It was the first time he terminated a show in this manner.

1989 - Lisa Marie Presley gave birth to a baby girl. Danielle Riley was the daughter of Danny Keough.

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Today is Rural Life Sunday Day.

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - Del Shannon's cover of the Beatles' "From Me to You" became the first song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to appear on the American charts.

1972 - Paul McCartney released his version of the nursery rhyme, "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

1982 - Paul McCartney's album "Tug Of War" hit #1 in the U.S.

1995 - The 13-part radio series "Oobu Joobu" premiered in the U.S. The series, directed by Paul McCartney, included never-before heard McCartney recordings and rehearsal, Beatles soundchecks and rehearsals.

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On this date in 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses.

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Today in Sports History:

1911 - The first running of the Indianapolis 500 took place. Ray Harroun won the race.

1916 - The New York Giants won their 17th consecutive road game.

1922 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball was a sport, not subject to antitrust laws.

1962 - Buck (John) O'Neil became the first black coach in major league baseball when he accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs.

1965 - Ralph Boston set a world record in the broad jump at 27-feet, 4-3/4 inches, at a meet held in Modesto, CA.

1965 - Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies) hit a 529' home run out of Connie Mack Stadium.

1977 - A.J. Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 for the fourth time.

1977 - Sue Press became the first woman golfer to hit consecutive holes-in-one.

1984 - The Boston Red Sox retired #9 (Ted Williams) and #4 (Joe Cronin).

1985 - In Brussels, Belgium, at Heysel Stadium a concrete retaining wall collapsed and 39 people were crushed or trampled to death. More than 400 people were injured. The soccer event was the European Champion's Cup final.

1990 - Rickey Henderson stole his 893rd base. He broke Ty Cobb's record.

1992 - Tim Raines (Chicago White Sox) stole his 700th career base.

2001 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that disabled golfer Casey Martin could use a cart to ride in tournaments.

2009 - Cowboys Stadium officially opened in Arlington, TX.

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Wisconsin became the 30th state to join the United States on this date in 1848.

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Concord, N.H. -- In his first Nationwide Series start of the season -- and his debut in the current-generation race car -- Matt Kenseth outdueled Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards to win Saturday’s Top Gear 300 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Subbing for sidelined Trevor Bayne, Kenseth won the 26th Nationwide race of his career. Edwards ran second, followed by Kyle Busch, pole-sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Reed Sorenson. Brad Keselowski, Steve Wallace, Brian Scott, Aric Almirola and Elliott Sadler completed the top 10.

Read the rest here.

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Fifteen women were dismissed from their jobs at the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for dancing the Turkey Trot while on the job on this day in 1912. 

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

Indy Car Series -- Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 11:00am EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 2:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway 6:00pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.           

It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is May 28th, the 148th day of 2011. There are 217 days left in the year.

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Bruins win 'perfect' Game 7, advance to Final.

First look at Bruins-Canucks Final matchup.

2011 Stanley Cup Final schedule.

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This is Slugs Return from Capistrano Day.

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No talk of repeat in Als' quest for third cup.

Roughrider training camp times.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Here's the birthday boy.

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Today is International Jazz Day.

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ST PETERSBURG -- Tampa Bay's starting pitchers have raised the bar among themselves all season.

The residue of surpassing that bar -- or trying to reach it -- has brought many wins to the team this season, and it did once again Friday night when the Rays took a 5-0 victory over the Indians at Tropicana Field with 16,800 watching.

By winning, the Rays snapped a two-game losing streak while moving to 27-23 on the season and 12-13 at home.

Read the rest here.

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This is Julia Pierpont Day.

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MILWAUKEE --  Just two nights earlier, Brandon Crawford hit a home run before a mere 519 fans in Bakersfield, Calif., while playing for San Jose, the Giants' Class A team in the California League.

On Friday night, he hit another one, only this time for the Giants on a much bigger stage and at a time when the team really needed it.

Crawford made an incredible big league debut by hitting a grand slam for his first career hit, leading the Giants to a 5-4 victory over the Brewers before 37,034 fans at Miller Park.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1955 - Elvis Presley performed live in Fort Worth, TX. The show was played live on radio's "Big D Jamboree."

1965 - The Elvis Presley film "Tickle Me" premiered in Atlanta, GA.

1966 - The Elvis Presley soundtrack album "Frankie and Johnny" hit #20 in the U.S.

1977 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Welcome To My World" hit #44 in the U.S.

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Today is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day.

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Today in Beatles History:

1966 - In London, the Beatles visited Bob Dylan at the May Fair Hotel.

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Thales Miletus predicted a solar eclipse on this date in 585BC.

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Today in Sports History:

1941 - The first night game in Washington, DC, took place. The Yankees beat the Senators 6-5 at Griffith Stadium.

1946 - The first night game at Yankee Stadium I took place. The Senators beat the Yankees 2-1.

1951 - Willie Mays hit his first home run. It was also his first major league hit.

1956 - Dale Long became the first to hit home runs in 8 consecutive games.

1957 - National League club owners voted to allow the Brooklyn Dodgers to move to Los Angeles and that the New York Giants could move to San Francisco.

1962 - "Wide World of Sports" with Chris Schenkel premiered on CBS radio.

1995 - The White Sox and the Tigers combined for 12 home runs at Tiger Stadium.

2003 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement from the NHL. He left his career as the NHL leader in victories (551) and games played (1,029). He was also the all-time leader in playoff victories, games played and shutouts.

2006 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 715th career home run. The home run allowed Bonds to pass Babe Ruth on the all time list into second place.

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On this date in 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, DC, signaling that vehicular traffic could cross the newly opened Golden Gate Bridge in California.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway 2:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 4:10pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians 4:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Indy Car Series -- Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 11:00am EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 2:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway 6:00pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.