It's Saturday

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

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Today is August 20th, the 232nd day of 2011. There are 133 days left in the year.

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Drury calls it quits after dozen years in NHL.

Hiller declares himself healthy after bout with vertigo.

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Today is International Homeless Animals Day.

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2011-12 U.S. National Under-18 Team Roster and Schedule Announced

Team to Compete in International Tournaments in Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, which celebrates its 15th season on ice in 2011-12, today announced the roster and schedule for its U.S. National Under-18 Team. The squad, comprised of some of the top American-born players in the 1994 birth year, will compete against teams from the United States Hockey League and NCAA Division I and III schools, in addition to participating in three international competitions.

Highlighting the 23-player roster are forward Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) and defensemen Seth Jones (Plano, Texas) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich.), all who were a part of the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team that captured the gold medal at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship held in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany.

Twenty-two players on the roster are returning for their second year with the NTDP, including defensemen Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.), Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.), Jones, Patrick Sieloff (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Brady Skjei (Lakeville, Minn.), Gavin Stoick (Portland, Ore.) and Trouba; forwards Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass.), Thomas DiPauli (Woodridge, Ill.), Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill.), Kerdiles, Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.), Matthew Lane (Rochester, N.Y.), Stefan Matteau (Chicago, Ill.), Nikolas Olsson (Escondido, Calif.), Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.), Quentin Shore (Denver, Colo.), Brendan Silk (Wakefield, Mass.) and Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.); and goaltenders Colin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.).

Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) joins the squad after spending last season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. Barber also helped the NTDP's U.S. National Under-17 Team capture the 2011 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament title in Piestany, Slovakia, in February.

Danton Cole will guide the U.S. National Under-18 team in 2011-12, after serving behind the bench for the Under-17 team last season. Matt Greason will enter his second season as an assistant to Cole, while Tyler Eaves will serve as intern coach for the second straight season.

To view the complete roster, click here.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team will begin its home schedule, and play its first competition, on Sept. 16 with a pre-season tilt against the Youngstown Phantoms at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The team's first collegiate game will come at the University of Michigan on Oct. 3, while its opening regular-season USHL contest will take place on Oct. 21 at home against Dubuque. The first of three international competitions for the U.S. National Under-18 Team will take place in Switzerland, Nov. 4-14, at the 2011 Under-18 Four Nations Cup.

For the complete schedule, click here.

NOTES: The 23 players on the U.S. roster represent nine different states. Illinois leads the way with five natives on the roster, while Massachusetts and Michigan each boast four … A total of 14 members of Team USA have verbally committed to NCAA Division I schools … Of the 17 games against college opponents, 12 are against NCAA Division I schools, including two that finished the 2010-11 season ranked in the top 10 of the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll (No. 2 University of Michigan and No. 7 University of Denver).... Seth Jones recently participated in USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. ... Brendan Silk was a part of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that finished fifth in the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament ... Cameron Darcy, Miles Koules, Collin Olson, and Jacob Trouba recently participated in the National Hockey League's Research, Development and Orientation Camp Aug. 16-17 in Etobicoke, Ont. … The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com.

2011 U.S. Women's National Team Named for
IIHF Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series
Team to Participate in Vierumäki, Finland

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the members of the U.S. Women's National Team that will compete in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series, Aug. 24-31, in Vierumäki, Finland.

Highlighting the 22-player roster are 15 members of U.S. Women's National Team that captured the gold medal at the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship this past April, including goaltenders Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) and Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.); defensemen Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.), Molly Engstrom (Siren, Wis.) and Josephine Pucci (Pearl River, N.Y.); and forwards Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.), Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.), Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Id.), Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.), Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D.), Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.), Jen Schoullis (Erie, Pa.) and Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio).

Lisa Chesson (Plainsfield, Ill.), along with Bellamy, Chu, Duggan, Engstrom, Knight, J. Lamoureux, M. Lamoureux-Kolls, Potter, Schaus, Stack and Vetter, played for the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team that took home the silver medal in Vancouver in 2010.

The U.S. will open play against Russia on Wednesday (Aug. 24) at 10 a.m. EDT at Vierumäki Arena. A full schedule is below.

NOTES: For Team USA's full roster, click here ...The 22 players hail from 11 states, with Massachusetts and Wisconsin leading the way with four players each ... Katey Stone, head women's ice hockey coach at Harvard University, is the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2011-12 season and will guide the team in Vierumäki. Mark Hudak, women's ice hockey coach at Dartmouth College, will serve as Stone's assistant coach for the event ... To follow the team in Finland, check out the U.S. Women's National Program blog by clicking here.

Team USA 2011 IIHF Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series Schedule
Vierumäki, Finland • Vierumäki Arena

Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT) Result
Wed., Aug. 24 Russia 5 p.m./10 a.m. Game Blog
Thurs., Aug. 25 Japan 6 p.m./11 a.m. Game Blog
Sat., Aug. 27 Switzerland 3 p.m./8 a.m. Game Blog
Sun., Aug. 28 Canada 2 p.m./7 a.m. Game Blog
Tues., Aug. 30 Sweden 3 p.m./8 a.m. Game Blog
Wed., Aug. 31 Finland 6 p.m./11 a.m. Game Blog

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Today is Sandcastle and Sculpture Day. (Linky Link)

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Vanstone: Saskatchewan Roughriders made the right move.

It's been a rough ride in Saskatchewan.

The beat goes on.

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

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Today is World Daffodil Day. (Linky Link)

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Eskimortified: Edmonton takes a beating from B.C.

TSN secures extension for Vanier Cup.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska on this date in 1741.

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I think I'll go climb on the baseball glove like all those other kids.

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Horace Greeley's "The Prayer of Twenty Millions" was published on this date in 1862.

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Tampa Bay scored two in the bottom of the eighth to erase a 2-1 deficit and take a 3-2 win over Seattle on Friday night at Tropicana Field with 14,884 watching.

By winning, the Rays (67-56) claimed their third consecutive win and their eighth win in their last 10 games.

Read the rest here.

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It was formally declared on this date in 1866 by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier.

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HOUSTON -- When an epitaph becomes necessary for the Giants' season, a peaceful yet disturbing pregame scene from Friday might suffice.

In the middle of Minute Maid Park's visitors' clubhouse, Pablo Sandoval reclined in one easychair, his sore left shoulder encased in an enormous icepack and attached to an electronic stimulation device. Carlos Beltran sat in an adjacent chair, looking strong and vital with the exception of his thickly bandaged right hand.

There beat the intended heart of the Giants' missing offense. On the field and off, the Giants continued to emit a resting pulse rate.

As injuries continued their yearlong erosion of the team's lineup, the Giants endured their second consecutive shutout defeat in a 6-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

Read the rest here.

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Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuted in Moscow on this date in 1882.

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Today in Elvis History:

1960 - Elvis Presley's single "It's Now Or Never" hit #1 in the U.S.

1983 - The Elvis Presley album "I Was The One" hit #83 in the U.K.

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The first American dirigible, the "Shenandoah," was launched in Lakehurst, New Jersey on this date in 1923. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4.

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Today in Beatles History:

1966 - The Beatles single "Yellow Submarine" hit #1 in the U.K.

1969 - The Beatles recorded together for the last time. The finished "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

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Johnny Weissmuller married Beryl Scott on this date in 1939.

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Today in Sports History:

1920 - Representatives of four professional football clubs met in the first of two meetings in Canton, Ohio. The meetings led to the founding of the American Professional Football Association. Two years later the APFA officially became the National Football League.

1939 - The National Bowling Association was founded in Detroit, MI. It was the first bowling association in the U.S. for African- Americans.

1945 - Tommy Brown of the Brooklyn Dodgers became the youngest player to hit a home run in a major-league ball game. Brown was 17 years, 8 months and 14 days old.

1949 - Cleveland’s Indians and Chicago’s White Sox played at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland before the largest crowd, 78,382 people, to see a nighttime major-league baseball game.

2005 - Thomas Herrion (San Francisco 49ers) collapsed and died after a preseason game in Denver.

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Col. Horace A. Hanes, a U.S. Air Force pilot, flew to an altitude of 40,000 feet on this date in 1955. Hanes reached a speed of 822.135 miles per hour in a Super Sabrejet.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

Nascar Nationwide Series -- NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villenueve 2:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros  8:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway 1:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros  2:05pm EDT

Monday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers 7:10pm EDT

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

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers 7:10pm EDT

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

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros 10:15pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

IZOD Indy Car Series -- Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway 4:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros 4:05pm EDT

Monday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers 8:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Chicago Cubs 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers 8:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Chicago Cubs 3:45pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers 8:05pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 6:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 1:40pm EDT

IZOD Indy Car Series -- Baltimore Grand Prix at Streets of Baltimore TBD

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers 4:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 4:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway 7:30pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to tell your friends about us. See you tomorrow.