It's Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everybody. Here's what's happening....

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Today is June 29th, the 180th day of 2011. There are 185 days left in the year.

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Nieuwendyk thrilled about Hall of Fame nod.

Canucks unable to hold on to Ehrhoff.

Decision day has arrived for Jagr, Penguins.

Would Stamkos deal financially cripple Tampa Bay?

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Todays Birthdays: Actor/reality TV star Gary Busey (Celebrity Apprentice) is 67; actor and former congressman Fred Grandy (Gopher on The Love Boat) is 63; NASCAR driver Jeff Burton is 44; singer/TV personality Nicole Scherzinger (winner on Dancing with the Stars, on the upcoming The X Factor) is 33.

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Brian Ferlin - The Jacksonville native was drafted in 4th round of the 2011 NHL draft this past weekend and is now a Boston Bruin and will be attending Cornell University this fall.

Brian has trained under the Hockey International testing & development program since he was 11 years old and the hard work and long-term patience has proven to be the path for success.

Check out the pre-draft article below as well as visit the websites for more post-draft media video/audio clips (local papers, NHL).

23Jun (From PalmTreesandPucks)

Jacksonville native and Jacksonville Ice Dogs (now Tampa Bay Juniors) product Brian Ferlin could be the next Florida born and trained hockey players. The 19-year-old Ferlin, who also spent time in the Florida Junior Everblades youth program before returning to his hometown of Jacksonville, has spent the past two seasons playing in the United States Hockey League for the Indiana Ice.

The 6′ 2″ power forward, who is listed at 200 lbs. but will likely put on more weight even by next season, was ranked at the 152nd best North American Skater by NHL Central Scouting in their final 2011 rankings. He finished the season with 73 points (25 goals, 48 assists), 26 penalty minutes, and an impressive +26 rankings. His scoring numbers were good enough for 3rd in the league and become even more impressive when you realize that the USHL was mainly a goalie showcase this season.

Ferlin wants to continue to develop his play as a power forward but playing big, using his size and still having the necessary offensive ability. He’ll be working on that for at least this next season at Cornell University where he committed to play all the way back in summer 2009. He projects to be a late round pick.

POST DRAFT INTERVIEWS:

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/local.aspx

http://video.bruins.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=119627


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Today is Waffle Iron Day.

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USA Hockey Players, Staff to Take Part
in 2011 IIHF Global Hockey Development Camp

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Three 15-year-old U.S. hockey players along with several USA Hockey staff members will take part in the 10th annual International Ice Hockey Federation Global Hockey Development Camp July 2-10 at the Sport Institute of Finland in Vierumaki, Finland.

More than 400 participants representing 50 nations will be taking advantage of this development and educational event for players, coaches, instructors, managers, administrators and directors. Among the camp's featured programs will be player development, coach development, officiating development, and Learn to Play instructor development. The camp will also include a skills competition.

Representing the United States as players will be Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.), of Chicago Mission Midget Minor; Josh Jacobs (Shelby Township, Mich.), who played for Compuware Midget Minor (Mich.) in 2010-11; and Blake Weyrick (Ojai, Calif.), who skated for Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) last year.

Also taking part in the camp as mentors and instructors for the IIHF will be Jim Hunt, regional manager of USA Hockey's American Development Model; Matt Leaf, director of USA Hockey's officiating education program; and Kevin McLaughlin, USA Hockey's senior director of hockey development.


Barber Added to U.S. National Under-18 Team Roster

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) has been added to the U.S. National Under-18 Team at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program for the 2011-12 season, it was announced today.

"We are very excited to add Riley to our team for this year," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. “Riley possesses the combination of skill, work ethic and character that will contribute greatly to our team.”

Last season, Barber skated full-time for United States Hockey League champion Dubuque Fighting Saints, tallying 14 goals and collecting 14 assists in 57 regular-season games. Barber also netted two goals for Dubuque in 11 playoff games en route to the Clark Cup.

Additionally, Barber helped the NTDP's U.S. National Under-17 Team capture the 2011 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament title in Piestany, Slovakia, in February. In three games, he notched one goal and added an assist.

For the full U.S. National Under-18 Team roster, click here.

NOTES: USA Hockey's National Team Development Program will celebrate its 15th anniversary season on the ice in 2011-12 ... The NTDP is a member of the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior hockey league in the U.S.


USA Hockey Receives APEX Award for Publication Excellence
2010 USA Hockey Annual Report Honored

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey's 2010 Annual Report received the 2011 APEX Award of Excellence in the Annual Report Design & Layout category.

Dana Ausec, USA Hockey's production manager, was responsible for the overall design of the piece.

APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the success of the entry - in the opinion of the judges - in achieving overall communications effectiveness and excellence. A total of 3,329 entries were evaluated in 130 individual categories.

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On this date in 1652, Massachusetts declared itself an independent commonwealth.

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Roughrider practice schedule through July 5th.

Cates holds off all comers (From rodpedersen.com)

Riders close to extension with Dressler.

Eat you Dari-o's: Durant gets own cereal.

Visit the team's official website at http://www.riderville.com/.

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Pope Benedict tweeted for the first time Tuesday. The 84-year-old pontiff tweeted: "Dear Friends, I just launched News.va. Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI." News.va is the new Vatican news portal. The Pope tweeted using an iPad.

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Cohon: Welcome to the 2011 season.

Moffat: Als ready to go to work for three-peat.

Irving: Reason for optimisim in the Peg.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Oh boy! A Christmas puppy for my birthday!

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A poll by Men's Health names Lexington, Kentucky, as America's most sedentary city. (So don't expect it to give itself a standing ovation.)

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ST PETERSBURG --  Evan Longoria got his mind right and the Reds paid.

In Monday night's loss to the Reds, Longoria made an error and a baserunning blunder, which he referred to as mental mistakes. But Tampa Bay's All-Star third baseman recovered nicely on Tuesday night, hitting a walk-off home run against Logan Ondrusek to give the Rays a 4-3 win over the Reds with 20,894 watching at Tropicana Field.

Read the rest here.

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The Virginia constitution was adopted and Patrick Henry was made governor on this date in 1776.

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CHICAGO --  Unfortunately for the Giants, it remains a novelty when their offense emerges. Fortunately for them, their outburst Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs was timely.

Ryan Vogelsong fell short of his stifling standards, but the Giants compensated by thumping Cubs pitchers early and often to capture the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field, 13-7.

Read the rest here.

CHICAGO -- As a music enthusiast, Barry Zito knows all about the importance of recognizing the proper beat. Tuesday night, he picked up the Giants' rhythm without a hitch.

Contributing handsomely to the effort that lengthened the Giants' winning streak to a season-high seven games, Zito thrived in his first Major League outing since April 15 by working seven solid innings in San Francisco's 6-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs.

The decision gave the Giants a sweep of their day-night doubleheader, combined with a 13-7 triumph in the first game. It was an unusually fruitful day for the Giants, who accumulated 30 hits while soaring 12 games above .500 (46-34) for the first time this season. 

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley rehearsed for his upcoming appearance on Steve Allen's TV show. On July 1, he sang the song "Hound Dog" to an actual basset hound.

1960 - Filming finished for the Elvis Presley movie "G.I. Blues."

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On this date in 1860, the first iron-pile lighthouse was completed at Minot’s Ledge, Massachusetts.

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Today in Beatles History:

1966 - The Beatles performed in Tokyo. About 500 police officers were needed to contain the crowd.

1982 - Paul McCartney's album "Tug Of War" was certified platinum by the RIAA.

1995 - A Pizza Hut commercial featuring Ringo Starr premiered on U.S. television. Starr was the drummer in a re-formed Monkees with Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork.

1998 - George Harrison announced that he had been receiving treatments for throat cancer. He added, "I'm not going to die on you folks just yet."

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A new survey on health care found that between 2005 and 2009, 5% accounted for 47.5% of all health care spending.

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Today in Sports History:

1897 - The Chicago Cubs scored 36 runs in a game against Louisville, setting a record for runs scored by a team in a single game.

1941 - Joe DiMaggio got a base hit in his 42nd consecutive game. He broke George Sisler's record from 1922.

1958 - Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 in the World Cup. Pelé, at age 17, scored a goal in the game.

1998 - With negotiations on a new labor agreement at a standstill, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that a lockout would be imposed at midnight.

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A California man who went to court (in Shasta County) Monday for an appearance on a stolen vehicle charge was arrested later in the day for driving a stolen pickup.  He also had a suspended driver's license.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Cincinnati Reds 12:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs 8:05pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs 2:20pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals 7:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway 7:30pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals 7:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway 7:30pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 1:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals 1:40pm EDT

Monday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins 2:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 5:05pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins 8:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT


Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT

Friday --
 
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 7:05pm EDT
 
Nascar Nationwide Series -- Feed The Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT
 
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 1:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 1:05pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series -- Honda Indy Toronto at Streets of Toronto 2:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets 8:05pm 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.