It's Sunday

It's Sunday. Here's what's going on....

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Today is May 1st, the 121st day of 2011. There are 244 days left in the year.

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Bruins batter Flyers in opener.

Preds even series by beating Canucks in 2 OT.

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This is ALS awareness Month.

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USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – First Round

Eastern Conference

Indiana Ice (#3) vs. Waterloo Black Hawks (#6)

Indiana wins series 2-0.

Team USA (#4) vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (#5)

Muskegon wins series 2-0.

Western Conference

Sioux Falls Stampede (#3) vs. Sioux City Musketeers (#6)

Sioux Falls wins series 2-1.

Fargo Force (#4) vs. Lincoln Stars (#5)

Fargo wins series 2-0.

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Second Round

Eastern Conference

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (#1) vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (#5)
Cedar Rapids wins series 3-1.

Green Bay Gamblers (#2) vs. Indiana Ice (#3)
Green Bay wins series 3-0.

Western Conference

Dubuque Fighting Saints (#1) vs. Fargo Force (#4)
Dubuque wins series 3-0.

Omaha Lancers (#2) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede (#3)
Sioux Falls wins series 3-0.

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (#1) vs. Green Bay Gamblers (#2)
Game 1: Friday, April 29th – Green Bay 3 @ Cedar Rapids 2
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th – Green Bay 1 @ Cedar Rapids 2
Game 3: Friday, May 6th, 7:05 PM – Cedar Rapids @ Green Bay
Game 4: Sunday, May 8th, 3:05 PM – Cedar Rapids @ Green Bay**
Game 5: Tuesday, May 10th, 7:05 PM – Green Bay @ Cedar Rapids **
** if necessary
(all times reflect local start time)

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Final
Dubuque Fighting Saints (#1) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede (#3)
Game 1: Friday, April 29th– Sioux Falls 2 @ Dubuque 5
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th – Sioux Falls 1 @ Dubuque 2
Game 3: Friday, May 6th, 7:05 PM – Dubuque @ Sioux Falls
Game 4: Sunday, May 8th, 6:05 PM – Dubuque @ Sioux Falls**
Game 5: Tuesday, May 10th, 7:00 PM – Sioux Falls @ Dubuque **
** if necessary
(all times reflect local start time)

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This is the start of Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week.

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U.S. Men's National Team Tops Austria, 5-1,
in Opening Game of 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship

Twelve Different U.S. Players Record At Least One Point

KOSICE, Slovakia – Twelve different players contributed points as the U.S. Men's National Team opened play in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Championship here today with a 5-1 victory over Austria.

"It was a good way to start," said Scott Gordon, head coach of Team USA. "I liked our effort and we'll build off of the success we had today."

Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) opened the scoring for Team USA with 5:18 left in the opening period when he skated up the right side and beat Austrian goaltender Jurgen Penker on the short side from just above the goal line. Mark Fayne (Nashua, N.H./New Jersey Devils/Providence College) and Derek Stepan (Hasitngs, Minn./New York Rangers/University of Wisconsin) drew assists on the play. Less than three minutes later, Blake Wheeler (Robbinsdale, Minn./Atlanta Thrashers/University of Minnesota) banged home a pass from Stepan from just above the goal line and to Penker's right to give the U.S. a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes.

Team USA killed off three penalties to begin the second period, including a five-on-three disadvantage for 1:18, but Austria cut the deficit in half with six minutes remaining in the frame when Marco Pewal's shot from the slot beat U.S. netminder Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill./New York Islanders/University of Michigan). Yan Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./CSKA Moscow/University of Notre Dame), however, jammed one past Penker on the third attempt with just :57 left in the middle stanza to give the U.S. a 3-1 advantage after two periods.

Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./St. Louis Blues/Boston University) extended Team USA's lead to 4-1 just 2:47 into the final stanza from the top of the right circle after a nifty off-ice pass from Nick Palmieri (Utica, N.Y./New Jersey Devils). Craig Smith (Madison, Wis./University of Wisconsin) finished off the scoring for Team USA on a power play late in the final frame. Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Los Angeles Kings/University of Michigan) sent an outlet pass to Smith in the neutral zone, who then skated in, used an Austrian defenseman as a screen, and wristed a shot home from the top of the right faceoff circle at 16:42.

Montoya made 12 saves in the victory for the U.S., while Penker stopped 27 shots in the loss for Austria.

The U.S. Men's National Team will next face Norway on Monday (May 2), at 10:15 a.m. EDT in its second preliminary round game at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship. The game will be broadcast live on Versus and scoring updates will be available on Twitter by following #2011WMC.

NOTES: Team USA went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Austria was 0-for-5 with the man advantage ... Chris Kreider was named the U.S. Player of the Game ... The 2011 U.S. Men's National Team roster can be found here and the media guide can be downloaded here ... The U.S. Men's National Team's fourth-place finish at the 2009 IIHF World Men's Championship was Team USA's best finish at the tournament since capturing the bronze medal in 2004 ... The 2011 U.S. Men’s National Team is under the direction of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group, including NHL general managers Brian Burke (Toronto), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Dale Tallon (Florida); Atlanta Thrashers president Don Waddell; and Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director for hockey operations. Paul Fenton, assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators and general manager of the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals, is serving as associate general manager of the 2011 U.S. Men's National Team ... Scott Gordon is head coach for the second consecutive year after leading the 2010 U.S. Men's National Team, while Greg Cronin, Phil Housley and Barry Smith are serving as assistants ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams ... Versus will provide live television coverage of all Team USA games at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship. For more information, visit USAHockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 2 - 1 - 1 - 4
AUT 0 - 1 - 0 - 1

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Kreider (Fayne, Stepan), 14:42; 2, USA, Wheeler (Stepan), 17:15. Penalties: USA, team (too many players on the ice), 11:01.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, AUT, Pewal (T. Raffl, M. Raffl), 14:00; 4, USA, Stastny (Wilson, Fowler). Penalties: USA, Stuart (tripping), 4:38; USA, Wheeler (roughing), 10:20; USA, Stuart (delaying the game), 11:02; AUT, Koch (hooking), 19:03.

Third Period - Scoring: 5, USA, Shattenkirk (Palmieri, Shannon), 2:47; 6, USA, Smith (Johnson), 16:42 (pp). Penalties: AUT, Tratting (hooking), 5:14; AUT, Werenka (hooking), 5:58; USA, Stastny (tripping), 19:53.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 11 11 10 32
AUT 5 5 3 13

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Montoya, 60:00 5-5 5-4 3-3 13-12
AUT, Penker, 60:00 11-9 11-10 10-8 32-27

Power Play: USA 1-3; AUT 0-5
Penalties: USA 5-10; AUT 3-6

Team USA 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship Schedule
April 29 - May 15 • Kosice & Bratislava, Slovakia

Date Opponent Location
Time (Local/EDT)/
Results

Wed., April 27 Austria* Innsbruck W, 3-2
Sat., April 30 Austria Kosice W, 5-1
Mon., May 2 Norway Kosice 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
Wed., May 4 Sweden Kosice 8:15 p.m./2:15 p.m.
Thurs., May 5-Mon., May 9 Qualification Round Kosice/Bratislava TBD
Thurs., May 5-Sun., May 8 Relegation Round Kosice/Bratislava TBD
Wed., May 11-Thurs., May 12 Quarterfinals Bratislava TBD
Fri., May 13 Semifinals Bratislava TBD
Sun., May 15 Bronze-Medal Game Bratislava 4:00 p.m./10:00 a.m.
Gold-Medal Game Bratislava 8:30 p.m./2:30 p.m.

Arenas: Orange Arena (Bratislava); Steel Arena (Kosice)
*Pre-tournament game at Tiroler Wasserkraft Arena in Innsbruck, Austria

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This is Amtrak Day.


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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 hunts eggs outdoors.

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Today is Executive Coaching Day. 

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ST PETERSBURG -- Turnabout seemed to be fair play for the Rays on Saturday afternoon in a game that saw Matt Joyce score on a wild pitch in the 10th inning to give the Rays a 2-1 walk-off win over the Angels.

Read the rest here.

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This is American Wetlands Month. (Linky Link)

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WASHINGTON -- The Giants ended April the same way they spent most of the month: trying to survive.

Saturday, they arrived at Nationals Park to learn that third baseman Pablo Sandoval, currently their best all-around player, will miss four to six weeks with a fractured right hamate bone. Then they endured Jonathan Sanchez's erratic yet mostly effective pitching. After that came Aubrey Huff's bases-loaded walk that broke a seventh-inning tie and lifted San Francisco to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - The Elvis Presley album "Heartbreak Hotel" and his single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," were released.

1962 - Upon returning to California, from Hawaii, Elvis Presley resumed filming "Girls! Girls! Girls!" on Stage 5 at the Paramount Studios.

1967 - Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu were married in Las Vegas. They were together until 1973.

1987 - A U.S. federal court ruled that a British retailer could not sell unlicensed Elvis Presley merchandise.

2001 - Lisa Marie Presley sold her waterfront mansion in Clearwater, FL, to Kirstie Alley.

2003 - Lisa Marie Presley was a guest and performer on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

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Today is Arthritis Awareness Day. 

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - The Beatles hired Tony Barrow as their press agent.

1966 - The Beatles played for their last paying audience in the U.K. The event was the New Musical Express Poll Winner's Party. Actor Clint Walker presented the Beatles with their award.

1968 - At London's Royal Albert Hall, Paul McCartney and John Lennon attended Bill Haley's concert.

1970 - George Harrison and Bob Dylan recorded together. They played the Beatles' "Yesterday," Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," and "Da Doo Ron Ron."

1999 - An exhibition of Paul McCartney's paintings opened in Seigen, Germany. One of the works was a portrait of David Bowie.

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This is day one of Be Kind To Animals Week.

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Today in Sports History:

1883 - In Philadelphia, the first National League game was played since 1876.

1884 - Moses Walker became the first black player in major league baseball.

1901 - The Detroit Tigers committed 12 errors against the Chicago White Sox.

1901 - Herb McFarland hit the first grand slam in the American League.

1920 - Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a New York Yankee. It was his 50th career home run.

1920 - The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves tied after a 26-inning game.

1922 - Charlie Robertson (Chicago White Sox) pitched a perfect no-hit, no-run game against the Detroit Tigers. The Sox won 3-0. Another perfect game did not come along until 46 years later.

1926 - Satchel Page made his pitching debut in the Negro Southern League.

1951 - Mickey Mantle hit his first home run.

1951 - Minnie Minoso became the first black player to play for the Chicago White Sox.

1962 - Bo Belinsky pitched a no-hitter in only his fourth start.

1969 - Leonard Tose bought the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles for $16,155,000.

1986 - Bill Elliot set a stock car speed record when he went 212.229 miles per hour.

1991 - Nolan Ryan (Texas Rangers) pitched his 7th no-hitter.

1992 - The Los Angeles Dodgers postponed three games due to riots due to the Rodney King case.

1992 - Rickey Henderson stole his 1,000th base.

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This is Silver Star Day. (Linky Link)

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RICHMOND, Va. -- With a dominant car that led 199 laps Friday night, Denny Hamlin won the Bubba Burger 250 when the third caution of the race slowed the action after Hamlin had taken the white flag to start Lap 251.

A day after winning his own late-model charity race at the .75-mile short track, Hamlin covered the field in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and picked up his first Nationwide Series victory in his second start of the season. The win was the 11th of Hamlin's career.

Read the rest here.

RICHMOND, Va. -- It happens every spring.

Just as surely as the azaleas bloom at Augusta National, Kyle Busch celebrates his birthday with a victory at Richmond International Raceway.

Read the rest here.

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Today is World Laughter Day.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

Indy Car -- Itiapava Sao Paolo Indy 300 at Sao Paolo, Brazil 12:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals 1:35pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 1:40pm EDT

NHL Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals 7:00pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.