It's Thursday

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

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Today is August 25th, the 237th day of 2011. There are 128 days left in the year.

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Crosby visits leading specialists.

Blues have pieces in place to make playoff run.

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Today's Birthdays: Game show host Monty Hall is 90 ... Actor Sean Connery is 81 ... Regis Philbin is 80 ... Rocker/actor Gene Simmons is 62 ... Director Tim Burton is 53 ... Singer/actor Billy Ray Cyrus is 50 ... TV chef/talk show host Rachael Ray is 43 ... Model Claudia Schiffer is 41 ... Actress Rachel Bilson is 30 ... Actress Blake Lively is 24.

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U.S. Women's National Team Shuts Out Russia, 12-0, at 2011 Women's IIHF Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series

Knight Scores Hat Trick to Earn U.S. Player of the Game Honors

VIERUMAKI, Finland -- Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) scored a hat trick to help lead the U.S. Women's National Team to a 12-0 win against Russia in its first game of the International Ice Hockey Federation Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series.

"We came out with good pace and urgency and set the tone right off the bat," said Katey Stone, head coach of the 2011 U.S. Women's National Team. "Overall, we got off to a good start with everybody getting their legs going and getting used to their surroundings. We are looking to build on tonight's effort."

Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass.) opened the scoring at 1:54 followed by a goal from Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.) seven minutes in. Knight scored two power-play goals to close the opening period. Both markers were assisted by Josephine Pucci (Pearl River, N.Y.) and Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio).

Jen Schoullis (Erie, Pa.) scored at 8:14 of the second to give Team USA a 5-0 lead. Amanda Kessel (Verona, Wis.) then struck for her first goal of the night six minutes later.

The U.S. connected for six goals in the third period. Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D.) lit the lamp at 2:51. Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.) scored at 4:35 before Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) added a goal to her three assists on the night. Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) made the score 10-0 when she found the back of the net at 12:28. Kessel notched her second tally of the game at 17:37 before Knight closed the scoring at 18:21 with her third goal.

U.S. netminder Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.) made 11 saves in the shutout effort. Team USA outshot Russia, 46-11, overall.

The U.S. Women's National Team plays Japan tomorrow (Aug. 25) at 11:00 a.m. EDT in its second of six games at Vierumäki Arena.

NOTES: Hilary Knight was named the U.S. Player of the Game ... Jenny Potter is on the verge of her 100th goal for Team USA - she currently stands at 99. She will become the sixth player in U.S. history to reach the 100-goal plateau (Cammi Granato-186, Katie King-146, Natalie Darwitz-117, Karen Bye-110, Krissy Wendell-105) ... Fourteen different players picked up a goal or assist in the win over Russia ... Brianna Decker leads the team in scoring with 4 points (1-3) after one game ... Four players notched three points in Wednesday's game - Knight (3-0), Jocelyne Lamoureux (1-2), Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (1-2), Potter (1-2) and Josephine Pucci (0-3) ... Jenny Potter and Molly Engstrom served as alternate captains for the match-up against Russia ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Katey Stone, head women's ice hockey coach at Harvard University, will continue to serve as head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2011-12 season. She will be assisted by Mark Hudak, women's ice hockey coach at Dartmouth College ... To follow the team in Finland, check out the blog.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 4 - 2 - 6 - 12
RUS 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Dempsey (Stack), 1:54; 2, USA, Chu (Sherry, Potter), 7:00; 3, USA, Knight (Pucci, Stack), 7:59 (pp); 4, USA, Knight (Pucci, Bellamy), 10:31 (pp). Penalties: RUS, Dyubanok (holding), 3:18; RUS, Dyubanok (holding), 7:15; RUS, Burina (hooking), 10:14; USA, Boucher (hooking), 12:49.

Second Period - Scoring: 6, USA, Schoullis (J. Lamoureux, Decker), 8:14 (pp); 7, USA, Kessel (Dempsey, Boucher), 14:17. Penalties: USA, Potter (slashing), 1:25, USA, Chu (hooking), 1:50; RUS, Polunina (hooking), 4:30; USA, Knight (interference), 4:46; RUS, Shchukina (holding), 7:46; RUS, Polunina (cross-checking), 9:30; USA, Potter (hooking), 10:29; USA, Coyne (hooking), 14:32; RUS, Dyubanok (checking); USA, Duggan (interference), 18:43; RUS, Tkacheva (tripping), 20:00.

Third Period - Scoring: 7, USA, M. Lamoureux-Kolls (Decker), 2:51; 8, USA, Potter (Chu, Bellamy), 4:35; 9, USA, Decker (J. Lamoureux, M. Lamoureux-Kolls), 5:00; 10, J. Lamoureux (Decker, M. Lamoureux-Kolls), 12:28 (pp); 11, USA, Kessel (Pucci), 17:37; 12, USA, Knight (Potter), 18:21. Penalties: RUS, Polunina (hooking), 10:19; RUS, Sergina (tripping), 18:41; USA, Team (too-many-players), 19:45.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 17 14 15 46
RUS 2 6 3 11

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Vetter, 60:00 2-2 6-6 3-3 11-11
RUS, Prugova, 60:00 17-13 14-12 15-9 46-34

Power Play: USA 3-11; RUS 0-9
Penalties: USA 9-18; RUS 11-22

Team USA 2011 IIHF Women's Twelve Nations Tournament Series Schedule
Vierumäki, Finland • Vierumäki Arena

Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT)/Result Links
Wed., Aug. 24 Russia W, 12-0 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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Be Kind to Humankind Week starts today.

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Miller rebuttal. (From Rod Pedersen's blog)

Bye week cleans slate for Roughriders.

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

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Today is Kiss and Make Up Day.

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By the numbers: Week #9.

Stephen: Burris, Calvillo among all-time greats.

Cauz: Injuries to blame for slumping Eskimos.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Paris Hilton's reality show, The World According to Paris, has been canceled. (I think we'll all remember where we were when he heard the news.)

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Daddy, it's past time for you to shave off your playoff beard!

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Today is National Second-hand Wardrobe Day.

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Hustle pays.

Don't believe it? Check out Tampa Bay's 3-2 win over Detroit on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Sean Rodriguez hustled into second base to beat a force out with two down in the 10th, allowing the winning run to score and putting an end to the Tigers' mastery over the Rays this season.

By winning, the Rays improved their record 70-58 and gained ground on the Yankees, whose loss to the Athletics allowed Tampa Bay to move within 7 1/2 games of the American League's Wild Card leader.

The Rays have now won 11 of their last 15 games, and they are 4-2 on the current homestand. The walk-off win was the team's 10th this season and fifth this month.

Read the rest here.

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The U.S. Library of Congress was destroyed by British forces on this date in 1814.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- After Tuesday's loss to the Padres and a 17-of-24 losing stretch led Giants manager Bruce Bochy to invoke Murphy's Law, Wednesday night's 2-1 victory at AT&T Park was a more pleasant reminder that sometimes things do go the way they should.

Carlos Beltran, the Giants' biggest Trade Deadline acquisition, hit a huge, tiebreaking homer. Brandon Belt, the franchise's top hitting prospect who has been tossed between the Majors and Minors for much of the year, played like a big leaguer. And Tim Lincecum, San Francisco's ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner, threw eight strong innings and rightfully received his 12th win of the season.

Read the rest here.

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Forbes magazine has unveiled its annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Michelle Obama, last year's No. 1, has dropped to No. 8. At the top is Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The top ranking non-business, non-politician is Lady Gaga, who comes it at No. 11.

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Today in Elvis History:

1958 - In Texas, Elvis Presley reported back to Fort Hood.

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Joseph Gibbons received a patent for the seeding machine on this date in 1840.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles single "A Hard Day's Night" was certified gold by the RIAA.

1965 - The Beatles' movie "Help!" opened in the U.S.

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Some of you women -- and even a few of you men -- love to wrap up the workday or workweek with a delicious martini. So what if someone mixed the incredible taste of a grilled-cheese sandwich and turned it into a martini? Sound like heaven? Maybe not. But it is a reality. Beechers Handmade Cheese is pioneering a grilled cheese martini at its newly-opened New York restaurant. The company, a long-time Seattle icon, recently expanded to open a store, restaurant and bar in the Big Apple. The company has generated buzz on New York foodie blogs about the bright orange martini made with actual grilled cheese sandwiches.

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Today in Sports History:

1875 - Captain Matthew Webb swam from Dover, England, to Calais, France making him the first person to swim the English Channel. The feat took about 22 hours.

1920 - Ethelda Bleibtrey won the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition in Antwerp, Belgium. She was the first woman to win an Olympic competition for the U.S.

1946 - Ben Hogan won the PGA in Portland, Oregon. It was his first major golf title.

1985 - Dwight Gooden became the youngest pitcher to win 20 major league baseball games in a season.

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NBC Radio debuted "Father Knows Best" on this date in 1949. The show went to TV in 1954.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

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 the wrap for another day. I'm so glad you visited and that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!