It's Thursday

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

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Today is September 15th, the 258th day of 2011. There are 107 days left in the year.

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Bruins, Marchand agree to two-year contract.

Time to sign restricted free agents is running out.

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Today is Felt Hat Day.

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Riders' practice schedule.

Chris Milo getting his kicks with Riders.

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

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Today is Greenpeace Day.

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McManus excited to join old friends in Hall.

Kirk relieved to return with Tiger-Cats post injury.

Mitchell making up for lost time with Lions.

Journeyman Rodriguez has big plans with Argos.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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This is the International Day of Democracy.

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OSU football: Getting to know Lance Mitchell.

OSU football commentary: Quarterback drama is over for now.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

Visit the school's official athletics website by clicking here.

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Today is Google.com Day.

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The 2011 NFL season has begun. Here's the week one schedule:

WEEK 1

Thursday, September 8th
At Green Bay 42, New Orleans 37

Sunday, September 11th
At Chicago 30, Atlanta 12
Cincinnati 27 at Cleveland 17
Buffalo 41 at Kansas City 7
Philadelphia 31 at St. Louis 13
At Jacksonville 16, Tennessee 14
At Baltimore 35, Pittsburgh 7
At Houston 34, Indianapolis 7
Detroit 27 at Tampa Bay 20
At Washington 28, NY Giants 14
At Arizona 28, Carolina 21
At San Diego 24, Minnesota 17
At San Francisco 33, Seattle 17
At NY Jets 27, Dallas 24

Monday, September 12th
New England 38 at Miami 24
Oakland 23 at Denver 20

Week 2
All times Eastern

Sunday, September 18th
Kansas City at Detroit 1:00 PM
Oakland at Buffalo 1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Minnesota 1:00 PM
Chicago at New Orleans 1:00 PM
Baltimore at Tennessee 1:00 PM
Cleveland at Indianapolis 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at NY Jets 1:00 PM
Seattle at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM
Arizona at Washington 1:00 PM
Green Bay at Carolina 1:00 PM
Dallas at San Francisco 4:05 PM
San Diego at New England 4:15 PM
Houston at Miami 4:15 PM
Cincinnati at Denver 4:15 PM
Philadelphia at Atlanta 8:20 PM

Monday, September 19th
St. Louis at NY Giants 8:30 PM

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The real prime time for people with televisions is at 9:15pm. The Nielsen Company said Tuesday that nearly 42 percent of American adults who have televisions are watching them between 9:15 and 9:30 at night, the highest percentage of the evening.

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I want my Flipper!

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"The Lone Ranger" premiered on ABC TV on this date in 1949. Clayton Moore was the Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels was Tonto. Episodes in color started seven years later.

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BALTIMORE, Md. -- Simply put, the Rays missed a big opportunity Wednesday night against the Orioles.

Tampa Bay, after the Red Sox lost earlier in the day, had a chance to cut its deficit in the American League Wild Card race to three games heading into the big four-game series at Fenway Park starting on Thursday.

But the Rays' on-again, off-again offense was off again, producing just three hits. The Orioles banged out three homers, two off Tampa Bay starter Wade Davis, and rolled to a 6-2 victory before a crowd of 14,669 at Camden Yards.

That loss left the Rays (82-66) four games behind the Red Sox (86-61) for the Wild Card.

Read the rest here.

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A Chicago company has created the world's largest chocolate bar at 12,000 pounds. World's Finest Chocolate said the 6-ton bar measures nearly 3 feet high and 21 feet long.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. -- The Giants' 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres brought San Francisco well-deserved satisfaction Wednesday. But a hint of frustration came with it.

Carlos Beltran swatted two homers, including the 300th of his career. Tim Lincecum continued his mastery of the Padres by allowing a mere unearned run in seven innings. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval invited a comparison to a distinguished Hall of Famer by making three slick defensive plays.

This display, particularly Beltran's, prompted an inevitable thought: What if he had avoided injuring his right hand and remained healthy through August?

Read the rest here.

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A church bombing kills four young girls in Birmingham, Alabama in this date in 1963. Robert Chambliss was not brought to justice until 1977.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley's single "Don't Be Cruel" hit #1 in the U.S.

1962 - Elvis Presley's single "She's Not You" hit #1 in the U.K.

1973 - Elvis Presley's single "Fool" hit #15 in the U.K.

1973 - The album "Elvis" hit #16 in the U.K.

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Police in Wichita, Kansas, said a man broke into a home, collected items he planned to steal, but then decided to rest -- after taking a shower. The homeowners found him snoozing and called cops.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - The Beatles were called "a nothing group" after an interview with Peter Jones of the "London Daily Mirror."

1964 - The Beatles were ordered off the stage at Cleveland's Public auditorium so the screaming crowd could calm down.

2003 - A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame spokesperson confirmed the list of nominees for the 2004 ballot. George Harrison, as a solo artist, made this list. He had already been inducted as a member of the Beatles.

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"Lost in Space" and "Green Acres" both premiered on CBS TV on this date in 1965.

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Today in Sports History:

1912 - Joe Wood (Boston Red Sox) won his 16th consecutive major league game.

1938 - Lloyd and Paul Waner became the first brothers to hit back-to-back home runs in a major league game. It was Lloyd's last home run.

1946 - A Brooklyn Dodgers-Chicago Cubs game was called when players, umpires and fans were attacked by gnats.

1953 - The National Boxing Association adopted the 10-point scoring system for all of its matches.

1963 - All three Alou brothers - Felipe, Matty and Jesus - played in the outfield at the same time for the San Francisco Giants in a 13-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1969 - Steve Carlton (St. Louis) struck out 19 Mets for a nine-inning game record.

1974 - Fred Lynn (Boston Red Sox) hit a home run on his very first major league at-bat.

1978 - Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks to win his 3rd World Heavyweight Boxing title.

1978 - The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first major league baseball team to pass the three-million mark in home attendance.

1979 - Bob Watson (Boston Red Sox) became the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues. He hit for the cycle with the Houston Astros on June 23, 1977.

1990 - Bobby Thigpen (Chicago White Sox) became the first relief pitcher with 50 saves in a season.

1996 - The Baltimore Orioles broke the major league record for most home runs in one season. They finished with a total of 243. The New York Yankees had set the record at 240 in 1961.

1997 - The NHL and the player's union agreed to change the format of the 1998 All-Star Game. The decision was made for the top players from the United States and Canada to play against the best players from the rest of the world.

1997 - Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners) hit his 51st and 52nd home runs to become the sixth player to hit 100 or more home runs over two consecutive seasons. He had hit 49 home runs the previous season.

1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 63rd home run of the season.

1998 - Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners) became the fourth-youngest player to reach 1,000 RBIs when he hit his 52nd home run of the season.

2002 - Curt Schilling (Arizona Diamondbacks) struck out eight to reach 300 for the season. Schilling and Randy Johnson became the first teammates in baseball history to each strike out 300 in the same season.

2004 - The National Hockey League locked out its players in an effort by management to gain massive economic change.

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The first issue of "USA Today" was published on this date in 1982.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies 8:40pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies 8:10pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies 8:10pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies 3:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway 3:30pm EDT

CFL Football -- Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders 4:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 4:10pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs USF Bulls 7:00pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series -- Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi (Road Course) 11:30pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 1:35pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway 2:00pm EDT

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

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

NHL Pre-season Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Louis Blues 8:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Wednesday --

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

NHL Pre-season Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues at Orlando, Fl. 7:00pm EDT

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Thursday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays 7:10pm EDT

NHL Pre-season Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

Saturday --

Pac-12 College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs UCLA Bruins 3:30pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs BC Lions 4:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays 7:10pm EDT

NHL Pre-season Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 8:10pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays 1:40pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 2:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons 4:15pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Junior Bruins Showcase vs TBD, TBA

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That's all for another day. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!