This just in....

REGINA -- Ken Miller's days with the Saskatchewan Roughriders are coming to an end.

A team official confirmed Monday that Miller will step down as the Riders' head coach and vice-president of football operations at season's end.

The official said the 70-year-old Miller would make the move official following the team's practice Monday.

Saskatchewan (5-12) finishes its season Friday in Edmonton.

Miller joined the Roughriders as the team's offensive coordinator in 2007, and was instrumental in leading the team to their Grey Cup championship that same year.

Since becoming head coach in 2008, Miller guided the Riders to three home playoff games and two consecutive Grey Cup appearances.

He also received three consecutive nominations for CFL Coach of the Year.

Miller had intended to leave his post as head coach this season, but returned to the sidelines in August after Greg Marshall was fired following losses in seven of the team's first eight games.

Prior to joining the Riders, Miller spent time with the Toronto Argonauts.

With files from the Canadian Press

Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is October 31st, the 304th day of 2011. There are 61 days left in the year.

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Jagr providing great chemistry with Giroux, Hartnell.

Ramsay ready for 'emotional' matchup with Winnipeg.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com.

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Today's Birthdays: TV journalist Dan Rather is 80; Actor David Ogden Stiers (M*A*S*H) is 69; TV personality Jane Pauley is 61; Director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong) is 50; Actor/comedian Rob Schneider (SNL, lots of goofy movies) is 48; Rapper Vanilla Ice, aka Rob Van Winkle, is 44.

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Tampa, FL. -- You just can't allow an opponent to hit your star players; it's as simple as that, Lightning left wing Ryan Malone said.

That is why during Tampa Bay's victory over the Sabres on Tuesday, Malone squared off with Robyn Regehr, who had crushed captain Vinny Lecavalier with a bruising, but clean, check.

You can't let an opponent threaten a teammate, Steve Downie said. That is why in the same game, the right wing traded blows with Patrick Kaleta.

To call either player an enforcer is a stretch — "I don't think either of us is taking that title," Downie said — but on a team without a true heavyweight, Downie and Malone are as close as it gets.

Read the rest here.

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It's the start of another new week. Lots of writing to do today, plus hanging out with Jimmy, of course. What's your plans for today?

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Roughriders’ Weston Dressler shines despite disappointing season.

Finishing at home with a high.

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

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It's Beggar's Night. Also: Books for Treats Day, Halloween or All Hallows Eve, National Caramel Apple Day, National Knock-Knock Jokes Day and National Magic Day.

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Stamps' bid for West alive thanks to win over Als.

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

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Juliette Low, the founder off the Girl Scouts, was born on this date in 1860.

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Volleyball upends Utah with balanced attack.

Men's golf to tee it up in final tourney of season.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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Nevada became the 36th state to join the U.S. on this date in 1864.

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The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week eight results:

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

At Baltimore 30, Arizona 27
Minnesota 24 at Carolina 21
At Houston 24, Jacksonville 14
At NY Giants 24, Miami 20
At St. Louis 31, New Orleans 21
At Tennessee 27, Indianapolis 10
Detroit 45 at Denver 10
Buffalo 23, Washington 0 at Toronto
Cincinnati 34 at Seattle 12
At San Francisco 20, Cleveland 10
At Pittsburgh 25, New England 17
At Philadelphia 34, Dallas 7

Monday, October 31st

San Diego at Kansas City 8:30 PM

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

Week 9

Sunday, November 6th

All times Eastern

Miami at Kansas City 1:00 PM
Atlanta at Indianapolis 1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at New Orleans 1:00 PM
NY Jets at Buffalo 1:00 PM
Seattle at Dallas 1:00 PM
Cleveland at Houston 1:00 PM
San Francisco at Washington 1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Tennessee 4:05 PM
Denver at Oakland 4:05 PM
NY Giants at New England 4:15 PM
St. Louis at Arizona 4:15 PM
Green Bay at San Diego 4:15 PM
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 8:20 PM

Monday, November 7th

Chicago at Philadelphia 8:30 PM

·Bye: Detroit, Minnesota, Carolina, Jacksonville

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The planet's population reaches 7 billion today, according to the United Nations Population Fund. However, the U.S. Census Bureau, which also tracks the global population, says the 7 billionth person will be born next year.

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Jimmy and Daddy watch the Lightning Guys.

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A 16-foot python was discovered in the Florida Everglades. It had recently eaten an adult deer. (And the Ford F-150 it was strapped to.)

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Today in Elvis History:

1960 - Elvis Presley ended his first lengthy gospel music session. He had began the session the day before. Much of the work appeared on the 1961 album "His Hand In Mine."

1962 - The Elvis Presley film "Girls! Girls! Girls!" had its world premiere in Honolulu, HI. It opened across the United States on November 21.

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Magician Harry Houdini died of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix on this date in 1926. His appendix had been damaged twelve days earlier when he had been punched in the stomach by a student unexpectedly. During a lecture Houdini had commented on the strength of his stomach muscles and their ability to withstand hard blows.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles' "I Feel Fine" and "The Beatles' Story" were certified gold by the RIAA.

1983 - Paul McCartney released the album "Pipes of Peace."

1988 - Paul McCartney released the album "Back in the USSR."

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Time Magazine did some deep investigating and found that the McDonald's McRib Sandwich has 70 ingredients, many of which most of us can't pronounce.

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Today in Sports History:

1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their first game. They beat Detroit 138-118.

1995 - The NHL's New Jersey Devils announced that they would stay in New Jersey.

1999 - Bryan White sang the National Anthem at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville prior to the game between the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Following the game, White gave his second annual Howl-O-Ween concert at the north end of the coliseum.

2001 - In Miami Beach, FL, Jose Canseco was involved in a nightclub brawl. Canseco later violated his probation and was sentenced to two years of house arrest and three years probation.

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On Sunday, a drunk man in Russia lost control of his car and damaged 17 cars, including four police vehicles. When police pulled the man out of his vehicle, they not only found him very drunk but also very naked.

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Martinsville, VA -- Tony Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps left in Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and held off Johnson's desperate bid for the win on the final lap.

The victory was Stewart's third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and vaulted him into second place in the standings, eight points behind leader Carl Edwards. Stewart won for the 42nd time in his career.

"He'd better be worried," Stewart said of Edwards after the race. "That's all I can say. He's not going to have an easy three weeks."

There are three races left in the Cup season -- at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Stewart has four Cup wins at those tracks, Edwards six.

Miraculously, after twice being lapped on the race track, Edwards salvaged a decent run and retained his lead in the Chase standings with a ninth-place finish, as his two closest pursuers entering the race, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, both experienced late trouble and finished 31st and 17th, respectively.

Read the rest here.

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"Puss in Boots" led the domestic box office, grossing $34 million -- about $6 million less than was expected. "Paranormal Activity 3" dropped to second while the Justin Timberlake future-drama debuted in third.

... Opening Friday are Tower Heist and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EDT

Wednesday:

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday:

Nothin' Doin'

Friday:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks 7:30pm

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Eskimos 9:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season.)

Saturday:

Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway 12:55pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Stanford Cardinal 3:30pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 5:00pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 8:00pm EDT

Sunday:

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 9:30pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 12:15pm EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints 1:00pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 5:00pm EST

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!

It's Sunday

It's Sunday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is October 30th, the 303rd day of 2011. There are 62 days left in the year.

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Blackhawks' Carcillo suspended two games.

Sutton suspended Sunday, faces in-person hearing.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com.

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John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, MA on this date in 1735. His son became the sixth President of the U.S.

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Tampa, FL. -- Dwayne Roloson might have answered some questions about whether his skills are slipping at age 42.

Roloson made 28 saves in his 29th career shutout, Vincent Lecavalier scored a power-play goal late in the second period and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Winnipeg Jets 1-0 on Saturday night.

"He really battled," Lecavalier of Roloson. "Made a lot of huge saves. Overall as a team, we played a solid game."

Read the rest here.

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I missed blogging Friday because I was in the hospital with chest pains. Everything checked out good though, so here I am, back to the Johnny Blog.

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The magic toe of Chris Milo was all the Saskatchewan Roughriders needed Saturday, as they defeated the Hamilton Tigercats 19-3 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina in front of 29,073.

The Riders turned the opening kick into points for the first time in a long time, driving from their 51 to the Hamilton 4, where they settled for an 11 yard field goal by Milo with 9:38 left in the first, capping the 11 play, 55 yard drive and taking a 3-0 lead. On their next possession, Saskatchewan was stopped at it's own 22, but punting with the wind at his back, Milo drove a liner through everybody and clear through the end zone. The 108 yard punt single tied the CFL record for longest punt single, kicked by Toronto's Zenon Andrusyshyn in 1977, giving the Roughriders a 4-0 lead with 3:47 to play in the opening quarter. Milo struck again 2 and a half minutes later on Saskatchewan's next turn with the ball, kicking a 40 yard field goal with 1:18 still to play in the first, giving the Riders a 7-0 lead.

A long pass from Ryan Dinwiddie to Dallas Baker covering 72 yards, set up another Milo field goal, this one from 12 yards with 5:59 gone in the second, gave Saskatchewan a 10-0 lead. Two possessions later, Neil Hughes drove it in from 3 yards out, for the days' first and only major. Milo converted with 1:54 to play, putting the Roughriders on top at two quarter time, 17-0.

Hamilton broke the shutout on their first possession of the second half, getting a 47 yard field goal from Justin Medlock, making the score 17-3 Saskatchewan, with 13:03 to play in the third.

From that point on, the Riders would clamp down on "D," limiting the Tigercats to 9 first downs, stopping them once at the 4 on a Craig Butler interception, and getting two more Milo punt singles, a 71 yarder 44 seconds into the fourth and from 60 yards with 3:06 to play, in cruising to the 19-3 win.

For Saskatchewan, Ryan Dinwiddie was 7-for-20 passing for 139 yards. He also ran the ball 8 times for 53 yards, while being sacked 3 times. Cole Bergquist saw spot duty, going 0-for-2 passing and rushing once for 1 yard. Brandon West sparkled, rushing 19 times for 96 yards.Neal Hughes rushed the ball 6 times for 40 yards and 1 major. Dallas Baker was the leading receiver, catching 2 balls for 86 yards. Chris Milo enjoyed a career day, punting 8 times for a 51.5 yard average and 3 singles, including his record-tying 108 yarder. He also was successful on all 3 field goal attempts. For Hamilton, Kevin Glenn was 14-for-22 passing for 171 yards, while being intercepted 4 times and being sacked twice. Quinton Porter, in relief, was 6-for-13 passing for 53 yards. He was sacked once. Dave Stala caught 5 passes for 79 yards and Avon Cobourne rushed 7 times for 36 yards. Justin Medlock was successful on his only field goal attempt of the day.

Saskatchewan picked up 20 first downs to the Ticats 16 and out-rushed the visitors 190 to 55. Hamilton was tops in passing, 224 to 139, but the Riders won the total yards battle, 304 to 251. Saskatchewan held the ball for 32:33 to 27:27 for Hamilton.

With the win, the Riders improve to 5-12, while the Ticats slip to 8-9. Saskatchewan wraps up their 2011 schedule at Edmonton on Friday, November 4th. Kickoff against the Eskimos is set for 9:00pm EDT. Hamilton has one more regular season game before the playoffs. That will be on Thursday, November 3rd at the Toronto Argonauts, beginning at 7:30pm EDT.

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

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As media outlets speculate and analyze her recent words and actions, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has quashed at least one rumor: She is not running for Congress. A spokesman for Clinton says the story is "100% false."

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Battle of the West: Lions overpower Eskimos.

Boatmen hold off Bomber comeback bid for win.

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

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The constitution of Missouri was ratified by popular vote on this date in 1875.

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Salt Lake City, UT. -- Markus Wheaton caught his first touchdown pass of the season and Sean Mannion surpassed 200 yards passing for the seventh straight game but the Beavers dropped a 27-8 decision to Utah Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Wheaton caught six passes on the day and Mannion found him in the end zone early in the fourth quarter for a 3-yard score. Wheato had come into the game with a team-leading 51 receptions but no touchdowns.

Wheaton now has eight touchdowns on his career.

Read the rest here.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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The time clock was patented by Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, N.Y. on this date in 1894.

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The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week seven results:

Week 7

Sunday, October 23rd

At NY Jets 27, San Diego 21
Chicago 24 vs Tampa Bay 18 at London, England
At Carolina 33, Washington 20
Atlanta 23 at Detroit 16
At Cleveland 6, Seattle 3
Denver 18 at Miami 15
Houston 41 at Tennessee 7
Kansas City 28 at Oakland 0
Pittsburgh 32 at Arizona 20
Green Bay 33 at Minnesota 27
At Dallas 34, St. Louis 7
At New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7

Monday, October 24th
At Jacksonville 12, Baltimore 7

·Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

All times Eastern
Arizona at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Minnesota at Carolina 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Houston 1:00 PM
Miami at NY Giants 1:00 PM
New Orleans at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Tennessee 1:00 PM
Detroit at Denver 4:05 PM
Washington vs Buffalo at Toronto 4:05 PM
Cincinnati at Seattle 4:15 PM
Cleveland at San Francisco 4:15 PM
New England at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM
Dallas at Philadelphia 8:20 PM

Monday, October 31st

San Diego at Kansas City 8:30 PM

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

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Halloween is a good holiday for restaurateurs looking to scare up business, according to the National Restaurant Association. Research found that 20% of Americans said they expect to order takeout or delivery from a restaurant while they wait for trick-or-treaters to visit. That figure rises to 33% for younger adults ages 18 to 34, and 28% for families with children.

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Jimmy has his ear plugs in and he's ready for the Lightning Guys to play the hockey competition.

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A guy in Bangor, Maine, was arrested early Tuesday for repeatedly calling 911 to get a ride. He got the ride, but not to his intended destination.

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American League ALDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Tampa Bay 9, Texas 0
Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3 (Texas wins series 3-1)

New York 9, Detroit 3
Detroit 5 New York 3
Detroit 5, New York 4
New York 10 at Detroit 1
Detroit 3 at New York 2 (Detroit wins series 3-2)

National League NLDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Philadelphia 11, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 5 at Philadelphia 4
Philadelphia 3 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis 1 at Philadelphia 0 (St. Louis wins series 3-2)

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 1
Milwaukee 8, Arizona 4
At Arizona 8, Milwaukee 4
Arizona 10, Milwaukee 6
At Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 (Milwaukee wins series 3-2)

American League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Texas 3, Detroit 2
Detroit at Texas PPD, Rain
At Texas 7, Detroit 3
At Detroit 5, Texas 2
Texas 7 at Detroit 3
At Detroit 7, Texas 5
At Texas 15, Detroit 5 (Texas wins 4-2)

National League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 3
At St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
Milwaukee 4 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 6 (St. Louis wins 4-2)

World Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At St. Louis 3, Texas 2
Texas 2 at St. Louis 1
St. Louis 16 at Texas 7
At Texas 4, St. Louis 0
At Texas 4, St. Louis 2
Wednesday, October 26th Texas at St. Louis PPD, Rain
At St. Louis 10, Texas 9 (11 innings)
At St. Louis 6, Texas 2 (St. Louis wins series 4-3)

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Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" aired on CBS radio on this date in 1938. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners.

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Today in Elvis History:

1960 - Elvis Presley began his first lengthy gospel music session. Much of the work appeared on the 1961 album "His Hand In Mine."

1960 - Elvis Presley recorded "Crying In The Chapel."

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The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing on this date in 1945.

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - Work finished on "With the Beatles." The album was the second by the Beatles.

1973 - John Lennon released the album "Mind Games."

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After months of testing, Redbox will increase rental prices beginning Monday, with the price of renting standard DVDs going up 20%. The new price will be $1.20 a day. Redbox said prices for Blu-ray movies and video games will remain at $1.50 and $2 per day, respectively.

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Today in Sports History:

1919 - The professional baseball association ruled that spitballs and shineballs were illegal.

1974 - In Kinshasa, Zaire, Muhammad Ali regained his heavyweight-boxing title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round.

1988 - The New York Jets beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time.

1992 - Magic Johnson played his last game in the NBA before retiring for the second and last time.

1997 - Violet Palmer became the first woman to officiate an NBA game. The game was between the Dallas Mavericks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

2001 - In New York City, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2001 - Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards after a 3 1/2 year retirement. The Wizards lost 93-91 to the New York Knicks.

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IN THEATERS -- In Time (PG); Puss In Boots (PG); The Rum Diary (R)

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Coming up:

Tonight:

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 8:00am EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 10:45am EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway 1:30pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!

Holy cow, look who's here!

Yup, it's me. Back from a two-day stay at one of our area's finest hospitals. I'm okay and I'll get back to active blogging tomorrow.

St. Louis beat Texas last night to win the World Series, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Hamilton Tigercats this afternoon and the Oregon State Beavers are at Utah tonight to take on the Utes.

Have a great Saturday, see you tomorrow.

It's Thursday

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

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Today is October 27th, the 300th day of 2011. There are 65 days left in the year.

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Home at last, Rangers settle in to new Garden digs.

Lindros: Legion of Doom will reunite at Winter Classic.

Hockey Fights Cancer Month makes big impact.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com.

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Today's Birthdays: Actor John Cleese (Monty Python, two Harry Potter films, three Shrek films) is 72; Singer Lee Greenwood (God Bless the USA) is 69; Actor/director/producer Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghostbusters, Dave) is 65; Director/actor Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful) is 59; Singer Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) is 53; Actress/model/famous ex Marla Maples (was married to Donald Trump) is 48; Blogger Matt Drudge is 45; Singer Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver) is 44; TV personality Kelly Osbourne (Dancing with the Stars) is 27.

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Buffalo, NY. -- Brett Connolly is staying in the NHL. The Lightning's rookie right wing was told by GM Steve Yzerman after Tuesday's victory over Sabres.

"We feel Brett's shown that he belongs in the NHL and makes our team better," Yzerman wrote in a text message. "So, we've decided to keep him."

The decision came after Connolly's ninth NHL game, the most he could have played without the clock starting on his three-year, $2.7 million contract. The other option was sending him back to Prince George of the junior Western league.

Read the rest here.

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Roland Macy opened Macy's Department Store in New York City on this date in 1858. It was Macy's eighth business adventure, the other seven failed.

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National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Under-18 Team Returns to Collegiate Schedule Friday; Under-17 Team Visits Chicago Friday

U17 TEAM VISITS CHICAGO: The U.S. National Under-17 Team looks to build on its victory over Youngstown last weeked when it visits the Chicago Steel on Friday, Oct. 28. Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill. The U.S. is looking to avenge a 3-2 shootout loss to the Steel on Oct. 1 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Catch all the action on FASTHockey.com, the premier online destination for ice hockey fanatics from around the world. Visitors can choose from an incredible array of games from national governing bodies, conferences, leagues, teams, tournaments and other events.

U18 TEAM RETURNS TO COLLEGIATE SCHEDULE FRIDAY: The U.S. National Under-18 Team returns to its collegiate schedule after splitting the weekend in United States Hockey League action. Team USA hits the road for a matchup against Adrian College on Friday (Oct. 28) at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs play out of the Arlington Ice Arena in Adrian, Mich. The U.S. then returns home the following night (Oct. 29) for a rare collegiate clash at the home confines of the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Manhattanville College will face off against Team USA at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Under-18 Team is 2-3-0 against college foes this season.

U18'S SPLIT THE WEEKEND: Forward Nikolas Olsson (Escondido, Calif.) scored his second goal of the season, but the U.S. National Under-18 Team was upended by the defending USHL champion Dubuque Fighting Saints, 5-1, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube on Oct. 21. Dubuque was propelled by five consecutive goals scored in the games first and second periods. The following night (Oct. 22), Thomas Di Pauli (Woodridge, Ill.) netted one goal and added two assists to pace the Under-18 Team as it earned a 7-2 victory over Des Moines at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Thirteen players recorded at least one point in the victory, the first for the older National Team Development Program team in USHL action.

U17'S OUTLAST YOUNGSTOWN: Defenseman Keaton Thompson (Devils Lake, N.D.) scored twice as the U.S. National Under-17 Team outlasted the Youngstown Phantoms, 5-4, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube on Saturday (Oct. 22). The win broke a four game winless streak dating back to Friday, Sept. 30. Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) made 32 saves for the U.S. in the victory.

BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISER SUCCESS: Over $800 was raised last Saturday (Oct. 22), as the National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams took to the ice at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Members of the USA Hockey staff sold pucks that players signed in pink to help support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

UNDER-18 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forward Quentin Shore (Denver, Colo.) leads all U.S. National Under-18 Team skaters in game-winning goals after netting the deciding tally on Oct. 22 against the Buccaneers ... Heading into collegiate action Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.) leads all skaters with three points (1-2) in five games against Division I and III foes. Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif./1-1) and Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill./0-2) each have two points ... Defenseman Gavin Stoick (Portland, Ore.) recorded his first point of the season on a third period goal that helped defeat Des Moines on Oct. 22 in Ann Arbor. Stoick is the first ever Oregon native to play at the NTDP ... Team USA's three power-play goals against Des Moines on Saturday (Oct. 22) helped raise its average to 15.9 percent for the season ... The U.S. holds a slight edge in total shots (310-288) and goals per game (2.82-2.64) against opponents to date.

UNDER-17 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forwards Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) have each netted four goals in the United States Hockey League and are tied for eighth place in the league ... Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) continues to accumulate assists and remains among the league leaders in helpers. McCarron's five assists rank him 12th in the USHL ... The defensive duo of Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) have each played six games in the USHL and recorded four points (1-3), good for ninth among defensemen ... Connor Clifton (Matawan, N.J.) registered the game-winning goal on Oct. 22 against Youngstown, his first point as a member of the NTDP ... Thanks in part to a 3-5 showing against the Phantoms Saturday (Oct. 22), the U.S. power play is clicking at a 25.9 percent success rate ... The Under-17 Team holds a 300-256 advantage in shots taken per game and scores at a 3.56 goals-per-game clip.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Forward Drew Shore (Denver, Colo./2007-09), contributed five points (1-4) in two games for the University of Denver and was recognized as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Offensive Player of the week for Oct. 25 ... Toronto Marlies forward Joey Crabb (Anchorage, Alaska/1999-2001) was named the American Hockey League Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 23. Crabb scored three goals and added two assists for five points in two games last week as the Marlies moved into first place in the AHL's North Division (4-1-1-0) ... Northern Michigan University forward Justin Florek (Marquette, Mich./2006-08) was named Offensive Player of the Week in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Florek had a goal and two assists on Friday (Oct. 21) in a 5-3 win over the University of Michigan. He added two assists in a 3-3 tie with the Wolverines on Saturday (Oct. 22) ... Boston College forward Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass./2009-10) scored three times in two games, netting both game-winning goals against the University of Massachusetts and Northeastern University, en route to being named Hockey East Co-Player of the Week.

For the complete weekly update, click here.

ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a revolutionary new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Celebrating its 15th season of play in 2011-12, the goal of this full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.

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The New York subway system officially opened on this date in 1904. It was the first rapid-transit subway system in America.

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Reggie Hunt retires a Roughrider.

Roughriders linebacker Jerrell Freeman could be in the running for a CFL award.

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

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In Southern California a man had to be rescued after he became stuck inside a hollow tree. (He thanked the rescue team with a fresh batch of magically delicious cookies.)

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Tate prepares to take it up a notch against Als.

Nothing comes easy for defending champs.

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

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Fred Waller received a patent for water skis on this date in 1925.

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OSU football: Mannion has all the intangibles as a quarterback.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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The first newsreel featuring sound was released in New York on this date in 1927.

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The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week six results:

Week 7

Sunday, October 23rd

At NY Jets 27, San Diego 21
Chicago 24 vs Tampa Bay 18 at Londan, England
At Carolina 33, Washington 20
Atlanta 23 at Detroit 16
At Cleveland 6, Seattle 3
Denver 18 at Miami 15
Houston 41 at Tennessee 7
Kansas City 28 at Oakland 0
Pittsburgh 32 at Arizona 20
Green Bay 33 at Minnesota 27
At Dallas 34, St. Louis 7
At New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7

Monday, October 24th
At Jacksonville 12, Baltimore 7

·Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

All times Eastern
Arizona at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Minnesota at Carolina 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Houston 1:00 PM
Miami at NY Giants 1:00 PM
New Orleans at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Tennessee 1:00 PM
Detroit at Denver 4:05 PM
Washington vs Buffalo at Toronto 4:05 PM
Cincinnati at Seattle 4:15 PM
Cleveland at San Francisco 4:15 PM
New England at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM
Dallas at Philadelphia 8:20 PM

Monday, October 31st

San Diego at Kansas City 8:30 PM

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

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Heinz is coming out with a fancypants ketchup. It's more "upscale" because it uses balsamic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar. It'll cost about a buck more than a regular bottle of Heinz.

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Jimmy waits to cross the street.

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Du Pont announced "nylon" as the new name for its new synthetic yarn on this date in 1938.

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American League ALDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Tampa Bay 9, Texas 0
Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3 (Texas wins series 3-1)

New York 9, Detroit 3
Detroit 5 New York 3
Detroit 5, New York 4
New York 10 at Detroit 1
Detroit 3 at New York 2 (Detroit wins series 3-2)

National League NLDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Philadelphia 11, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 5 at Philadelphia 4
Philadelphia 3 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis 1 at Philadelphia 0 (St. Louis wins series 3-2)

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 1
Milwaukee 8, Arizona 4
At Arizona 8, Milwaukee 4
Arizona 10, Milwaukee 6
At Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 (Milwaukee wins series 3-2)

American League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Texas 3, Detroit 2
Detroit at Texas PPD, Rain
At Texas 7, Detroit 3
At Detroit 5, Texas 2
Texas 7 at Detroit 3
At Detroit 7, Texas 5
At Texas 15, Detroit 5 (Texas wins 4-2)

National League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 3
At St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
Milwaukee 4 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 6 (St. Louis wins 4-2)

World Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At St. Louis 3, Texas 2
Texas 2 at St. Louis 1
St. Louis 16 at Texas 7
At Texas 4, St. Louis 0
At Texas 4, St. Louis 2 (Texas leads 3-2)
Wednesday, October 26th Texas at St. Louis PPD, Rain
Next: Thursday, October 27th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm
Friday, October 28th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm****

****if necessary

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Georgia police are hunting for a Taco Bell customer who threw a Molotov cocktail at the restaurant's drive-thru window after phoning in a complaint that there was not enough meat in the chalupas he had purchased. The bizarre incident occurred around 5am Sunday in Albany, Georgia. The small blaze did not cause injuries or damage to the building.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley's single "Hound Dog" hit #2 in the U.K.

1962 - Elvis Presley's single "Where Do You Come From" hit #99 in the U.S.

1973 - Elvis Presley's single "Raised On Rock" hit #41 in the U.S.

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"You Bet Your Life," the radio show starring Grouch Marx, premiered on ABC on this date in 1947. It was later shown on NBC television.

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Today in Beatles History:

1969 - The Beatles song "Something" was certified gold by the RIAA.

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Bank of America Corp. announced it had agreed to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp on this date in 2003. The deal created the second largest banking company in the U.S.

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Today in Sports History:

1961 - The American Basketball League began play.

1973 - The New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers for the first time.

1985 - Anthony Carter began a National Football League (NFL) streak of receptions in 100+ consecutive games.

1995 - The contract that finalized the Cleveland Browns' move to Baltimore was signed in secret.

1996 - Bud Adams, owner of the Houston Oilers, announced that he would allow his team to play one final season in Houston before moving the team to Nashville, TN.

1996 - Irving Fryer (Philadelphia Eagles) became the 15th player in NFL history to catch 600 passes in a career.

2002 - The Anaheim Angels won their first World Series. They beat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the series.

2002 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) became the all-time leading rusher in the NFL when he extended his career yardage to 16,743. He achieved the record in his 193rd game. He also scored his 150th career touchdown.

2003 - The Monday Night Football game between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins was played in Tempe, Arizona. The game had been moved from San Diego due to wild fires.

2004 - Barry Bonds' 700th home run ball was sold at auction for $804,129.

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Your thoughts on anything you've read here? By all means, leave a comment.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tigercats 3:00pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 5:00pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers at Utah Utes 7:00pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 7:45pm EDT

Sunday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 8:00am EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 10:45am EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway 1:30pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!

It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is October 26th, the 299th day of 2011. There are 66 days left in the year.

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Decision time looms for 2011 picks playing in NHL.

Pronger progressing in recovery from eye injury.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com.

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Today's Birthdays: Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is 65 ... Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is 64 ... Actress Jaclyn Smith (Charlie's Angels) is 64 ... Actor Dylan McDermott (The Practice) is 50 ... Actor Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights) is 49 ... Singer Natalie Merchant is 48 ... Actor Tom Cavanagh (Ed) is 47 ... Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy) is 38.

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Buffalo, NY. -- Mathieu Garon didn't let a couple of early goals get him down.

The Buffalo Sabres beat Garon twice on their first three shots Tuesday night at the First Niagara Center -- two more times than they managed in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Lightning in Tampa Bay. But Garon and the Lightning both rebounded -- the veteran goaltender stopped 35 of Buffalo's last 36 shots, and the Lightning rallied for a 4-3 victory to complete a home-and-home sweep.

Read the rest here.

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The First Continental Congress of the U.S. adjourned in Philadelphia on this date in 1774.

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University of Wisconsin Unanimous No. 1 Selection in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2011-12 Women's College Hockey Poll - #5(first-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Ranking 2011-12 Record Weeks in Top 10 1 University of Wisconsin, 190 (19) 1 7-1-0 5 2 University of Minnesota, 165 2 7-1-0 5 3 Cornell University, 154 3 0-0-0 5 4 Boston University, 120 4 5-1-1 5 5 Boston College, 112 6 4-1-1 5 6 University of North Dakota, 98 7 5-3-0 5 7 University of Minnesota Duluth, 81 5 3-3-0 5 8 Mercyhurst College, 48 9 4-2-0 5 9 Northeastern University, 45 8 5-1-0 3 10 Dartmouth College, 11 10 0-1-0 4 Others receiving votes: Clarkson University, 8; Bemidji State University, 6; St. Lawrence University, 4; Harvard University, 2; Ohio State University, 1. NOTES: The University of Wisconsin earned the No. 1 ranking for the fifth straight week. In four of its five weeks atop the poll, Wisconsin has been the unanimous No. 1 selection ... The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all conferences with four ranked teams, while the Hockey East Association has three ranked teams and ECAC Hockey has two. Mercyhurst is the only College Hockey America team ranked ... A total of 15 teams received votes. ABOUT THE POLL: The 15th annual USA Today/USA Hockey MagazineWomen’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

Witt, Jay Named Assistant Coaches for U.S. Women's National Team
Join Head Coach Katey Stone on Coaching Staff for 2011 Four Nations Cup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Hilary Witt (Lowell, Mass.) and Bobby Jay (Burlington, Mass.) have been named assistant coaches for the U.S. Women's National Team that will compete at the 2011 Four Nations Cup from Nov. 9-13, in Nyköping, Sweden, it was announced today by USA Hockey. Witt and Jay join head coach Katey Stone (Arlington, Mass.) on the coaching staff of Team USA.

Witt is entering her second season as an assistant women's ice hockey coach at Northeastern University after serving as the head women's ice hockey coach at Yale University for eight years. She coached at the 2011 USA Hockey Women's National Festival and 2011 Under-18 Series, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team. Witt was also an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team the captured the gold medal at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, and for the U.S. Women's National Team that finished second at the 2010 Four Nations Cup.

Jay is serving on his first U.S. Women's National Team staff. He coached at the 2011 USA Hockey Women's National Festival. Previously, Jay served as an assistant coach of Harvard University's men's ice hockey team, a position he held from 2009-11 and 2004-06. He has also served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning's International Hockey League affiliate, the Detroit Vipers, and with the Los Angeles Kings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.

Witt and Jay will join Stone at a U.S. Women's National Team Program camp in Hamden, Conn., from Nov. 1-6, prior to departing for Nyköping for the Four Nations Cup.

NOTES: For the U.S. Women's National Team roster to date, click here ... In preparation for the Four Nations Cup and for overall development of its U.S. Women's National Team Program, USA Hockey will stage a training camp in Hamden, Conn., Nov. 1-6, that will include 25 players. The camp will include daily practices, testing and off-ice training. A schedule of practices, which are open to the public, can be found here ... 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 Nyköping ... To follow the team in Sweden, check out the U.S. Women's National Program blog by clicking here.

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Is there a smell that we can all agree is just horrible? Yes. A British survey found the smell of a wet dog is something we can do without. Wet dog beat out "cheesy socks" as the top stink.

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Roughriders turn to Ryan Dinwiddie.

Roughriders’ Steve Buratto and his wife overcome a life-changing moment.

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

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The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York on this date in 1825. The 363-mile canal connected Lake Erie and the Hudson River at a cost of $7,602,000.

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Argo Record Watch: Cory Boyd next in line?

Thomas growing into new role with Ticats.

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

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Americans who own tablet devices such as the iPad or Galaxy Tab use them frequently. According to research (conducted by the Pew Research Center and The Economist Group) the 77% of tablet owners who use the device daily are on them an average of 90 minutes a day.

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Beavers to battle Utes Saturday on Root Sports.

Buckland named Bank of The West Pac-12 Player of the Week.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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Charles William Post was born on this date in 1854. He was the inventor of "Grape Nuts," "Postum" and "Post Toasties."

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The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week six results:

Week 7

Sunday, October 23rd

At NY Jets 27, San Diego 21
Chicago 24 vs Tampa Bay 18 at Londan, England
At Carolina 33, Washington 20
Atlanta 23 at Detroit 16
At Cleveland 6, Seattle 3
Denver 18 at Miami 15
Houston 41 at Tennessee 7
Kansas City 28 at Oakland 0
Pittsburgh 32 at Arizona 20
Green Bay 33 at Minnesota 27
At Dallas 34, St. Louis 7
At New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7

Monday, October 24th
At Jacksonville 12, Baltimore 7

·Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

All times Eastern
Arizona at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Minnesota at Carolina 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Houston 1:00 PM
Miami at NY Giants 1:00 PM
New Orleans at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Tennessee 1:00 PM
Detroit at Denver 4:05 PM
Washington vs Buffalo at Toronto 4:05 PM
Cincinnati at Seattle 4:15 PM
Cleveland at San Francisco 4:15 PM
New England at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM
Dallas at Philadelphia 8:20 PM

Monday, October 31st

San Diego at Kansas City 8:30 PM

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

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Today is Workaholic Stop and Smell Something Day.

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Jimmy rides his bike instead of watching the CFL. I thought I had him trained better than that.

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H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine on this date in 1858.

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American League ALDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Tampa Bay 9, Texas 0
Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3 (Texas wins series 3-1)

New York 9, Detroit 3
Detroit 5 New York 3
Detroit 5, New York 4
New York 10 at Detroit 1
Detroit 3 at New York 2 (Detroit wins series 3-2)

National League NLDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Philadelphia 11, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 5 at Philadelphia 4
Philadelphia 3 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis 1 at Philadelphia 0 (St. Louis wins series 3-2)

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 1
Milwaukee 8, Arizona 4
At Arizona 8, Milwaukee 4
Arizona 10, Milwaukee 6
At Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 (Milwaukee wins series 3-2)

American League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Texas 3, Detroit 2
Detroit at Texas PPD, Rain
At Texas 7, Detroit 3
At Detroit 5, Texas 2
Texas 7 at Detroit 3
At Detroit 7, Texas 5
At Texas 15, Detroit 5 (Texas wins 4-2)

National League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 3
At St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
Milwaukee 4 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 6 (St. Louis wins 4-2)

World Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At St. Louis 3, Texas 2
Texas 2 at St. Louis 1
St. Louis 16 at Texas 7
At Texas 4, St. Louis 0
At Texas 4, St. Louis 2 (Texas leads 3-2)
Wednesday, October 26th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm
Thursday, October 27th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm****

****if necessary

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Houston police have charged Omar Ornelas Lopez with child endangerment after noticing his car was speeding and making wide turns. It wasn't Lopez who was driving, though -- it was his 13-year-old nephew. Cops say that when they stopped the car Lopez "appeared drunk with slurred speech and glassy eyes." The good news? The kid apparently was sober.

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Today in Elvis History:

1957 - The Elvis Presley single "Party" hit #2 in the U.K.

2005 - Lisa Marie Presley's video "IDIOT" made it's world premiere on Entertainment Tonight.

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The "Gunfight at the OK Corral" took place in Tombstone, Arizona on this date in 1881. The fight was between Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holiday and the Ike Clanton Gang.

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Today in Beatles History:

1965 - The Beatles were awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) medals.

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Michael Lohan, Lindsay's father, was arrested Tuesday. (That family should have its own reality show. No, wait. They should have their own version of Law & Order.)

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Today in Sports History:

1990 - Wayne Gretzky became the first NHL player to reach 2,000 points.

1995 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored his 500th National Hockey League (NHL) career goal against the New York Islanders in his 605th game. He became the second-fastest player to attain the plateau. Wayne Gretzky had reached 600 goals by his 575th NHL game.

2005 - The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-5 in the first World Series game to be held in Texas. The game also was the longest in World Series history at 5 hours and 41 minutes. The game actually began on October 25th.

2005 - The Chicago White Sox won their first World Series in 88 years. They defeated the Houston Astros four games to zero.

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U.S. President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour on this date in 1949.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tigercats 3:00pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 5:00pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers at Utah Utes 7:00pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 7:45pm EDT

Sunday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 8:00am EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 10:45am EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway 1:30pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!

It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is October 25th, the 298th day of 2011. There are 67 days left in the year.

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Pens' injuries grow: Michalek out 4-6 weeks.

As roster overhaul continues, Cats finding chemistry.

Sale of Dallas Stars takes a step forward.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com.

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Today's Birthdays: Actress Marion Ross (Marion Cunningham on Happy Days) is 83 ... Former college basketball coach Bobby Knight is 71 ... Political strategist/commentator/author James Carville is 67 ... Voice actress Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons' Bart Simpson, Ralph Wiggum, others) is 54 ... Actor Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan, Friends) is 41 ... Singer Katy Perry is 27.

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Tampa, FL. -- Lightning assistant coach Wayne Fleming likely will not be with the team this season, GM Steve Yzerman said Saturday.

Fleming, 61, has brain cancer. Though those who have seen him and spoken to him say his mind is sharp — he sends text messages and e-mails to Yzerman and the coaching staff with suggestions and observations during games — he uses a wheelchair and is having another round of chemotherapy and radiation. In Calgary with wife Carolyn, Fleming has had one weeklong treatment every month since April's surgery.

"He's determined to beat this disease," Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said. "He loves watching Tampa Bay games. He lives for his family and hockey and the Lightning."

Read the rest here.

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Nearly four months after a jury acquitted Casey Anthony of murdering her daughter, the 12 members will be publicly identified today (Tuesday).

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Boston College Retains No. 1 Ranking in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2011-12 Men's College Hockey Poll - #4(first-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Ranking 2011-12 Record Weeks in Top 15 1 Boston College, 492 (22) 1 5-1-0 4 2 University of Denver, 466 (6) 3 3-1-0 4 3 Colorado College, 415 (3) 4 2-0-0 4 4 University of Michigan, 395 (2) 2 4-1-1 4 5 University of Notre Dame, 336 5 3-2-0 4 6 Yale University, 286 (1) 9 0-0-0 4 7 Ferris State University, 279 NR 6-0-0 1 8 University of Minnesota, 272 10 5-1-0 4 9 Merrimack College, 214 13 4-0-0 3 10 Western Michigan University, 211 12 3-0-3 4 11 Union College, 187 11 2-0-3 4 12 Boston University, 136 8 2-2-0 4 13 University of North Dakota, 133 6 2-3-1 4 14 Northern Michigan University, 85 NR 4-1-1 1 15 University of Minnesota Duluth, 43 15 2-3-1 4 Others receiving votes: Miami University, 40; Colgate University, 31; Lake Superior State University, 15; Cornell University, 12; Dartmouth College, 12; University of Wisconsin, 9; Quinnipiac University, 5; University of Maine, 4; College of the Holy Cross, 1; University of Nebraska Omaha, 1. NOTES: Boston College earned the No. 1 ranking for the third straight week ... The Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association led all conferences with five ranked teams each, while Hockey East Association has three ranked teams and ECAC Hockey has two ranked programs ... A total of 25 teams received votes. ABOUT THE POLL: The 17th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the five NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

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If you've got five grand, you can climb into Tim Tebow's pants. The pants that Tebow wore when he threw his first touchdown pass last year are up for sale on eBay. If the asking price of $4999.99 seems a little steep, take comfort from knowing there's free shipping.

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The Tampa Bay Juniors hosted the Space Coast Hurricanes this past weekend, with the Juniors winning 3 of the 4 games played.

In Empire South action, Tampa Bay beat the Hurricanes 7-1 on Saturday. The Juniors led 1-0 after one on a goal by Dustin Disbro, added a pair by Ryan Odgers and a single by Jeff Meyer in the second, then stretched the lead to 6-0 with goals from Michael Hirschauer and Ben Winter. After the lone Hurricanes' goal, Tampaa Bay's Patrick Rodgers, playing his first game of the season, scored for the final margin of 7-1. Kyle Gertz made 11 saves for the Juniors, who were 1 for 6 on the power play and 1 of 1 on the penalty kill.

In Saturday's EJHL South game, Tampa Bay built a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes on goals from Justin Jimenez, Jacob Holmes, Chase Anderson and Matt Panzo. The lead would hold, as Space Coast lit the lamp 4 times in the third, with three scored by Joe Petrizzo. Chris Dylewski made 27 saves for the Juniors, who were 1 for 6 on the power play and 6 of 6 on the penalty kill.

On Sunday, Tampa Bay won the Empire South game 7-6. Brandan Nicholson scored three times, Daniel Fritz twice, with Ryan Odgers and Wade Simon getting one each. The Hurricanes mounted a rally, scoring late in the second and twice early in the third, but weren't able to net the equalizer. Aaron Wise stopped 15 shots for the Juniors, who were 2 for 3 on the power play and 2 of 5 on the penalty kill.

In Sunday's EJHL South contest, Tampa Bay built a 6-4 lead late in the third, but surrendered that lead in the final minute and a half, before winning 7-6 in a shootout. Tommy Whiteley, Michael Pelletier, Daniel Clifford and Matt Panzo scored in the first, Chase Anderson in the second and again in the third. After a scoreless overtime, Jason Horikawa and Pat Trizis scored shootout goals to grab the win and the extra standings point for Tampa Bay. Braxton Schulz made 28 saves, including several big ones in O.T. for the Juniors, who went 1 for 6 on the power play and 4 of 7 on the penalty kill.

Next up for Tampa Bay is a trip to Atlanta this coming weekend for four games with the Junior Knights. Empire South games start at 5:00pm Saturday and 8:00am Sunday, with the EJHL South games to follow shortly after both days. Next home action for the Juniors is November 5th and 6th against the Palm Beach Hawks, with games starting at 5:15pm on the 5th and 9:30am on the 6th. Tickets for all home games are just $5, with 17 and under being admitted free.

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A Fenton, Michigan, woman was cited after shoppers alerted store security that as she was shopping, she was drinking small bottles of wine and concealing the empties in the shelves. Police found 10 empty bottles around the store.

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VANSTONE: Don’t forget Ken Miller’s accomplishments.

Pedersen: Small victory for struggling Riders.

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

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Today is Share a Pop-Tart Day.

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Owens humbled by pro football record.

Higgins: Teams search for edge in critical time.

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

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Warner Bros. is putting the "Harry Potter" franchise back in the vault. The studio plans to stop shipping DVD and Blu-rays of all of the "Harry Potter" films to retailers starting December 29, as a move to encourage consumers to snatch up the discs before they're no longer available.

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Sean Mannion and Scott Crichton snare conference honors.

Baseball announces 2012 schedule.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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NEW ON DVD TODAY -- Captain America: The First Avenger ...Dazed and Confused (The Criterion Collection) ...Attack the Block ... Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy ...Winnie the Pooh ...Barney Miller: The Complete Series ...Survivor Season V - Thailand

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The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week six results:

Week 7

Sunday, October 23rd

At NY Jets 27, San Diego 21
Chicago 24 vs Tampa Bay 18 at Londan, England
At Carolina 33, Washington 20
Atlanta 23 at Detroit 16
At Cleveland 6, Seattle 3
Denver 18 at Miami 15
Houston 41 at Tennessee 7
Kansas City 28 at Oakland 0
Pittsburgh 32 at Arizona 20
Green Bay 33 at Minnesota 27
At Dallas 34, St. Louis 7
At New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7

Monday, October 24th
At Jacksonville 12, Baltimore 7

·Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

All times Eastern
Arizona at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Minnesota at Carolina 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Houston 1:00 PM
Miami at NY Giants 1:00 PM
New Orleans at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Tennessee 1:00 PM
Detroit at Denver 4:05 PM
Washington vs Buffalo at Toronto 4:05 PM
Cincinnati at Seattle 4:15 PM
Cleveland at San Francisco 4:15 PM
New England at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM
Dallas at Philadelphia 8:20 PM

Monday, October 31st

San Diego at Kansas City 8:30 PM

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

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The first U.S. trademark was given on this date in 1870. The recipient was the Averill Chemical Paint Company of New York City.

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Jimmy plays acrobat. Snoopy doesn't seem too thrilled.

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Richard Byrd, the first person to see the North Pole, was born on this date in 1888.

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American League ALDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Tampa Bay 9, Texas 0
Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3
Texas 4 at Tampa Bay 3 (Texas wins series 3-1)

New York 9, Detroit 3
Detroit 5 New York 3
Detroit 5, New York 4
New York 10 at Detroit 1
Detroit 3 at New York 2 (Detroit wins series 3-2)

National League NLDS (Best of Five -- All times Eastern)

Philadelphia 11, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 5 at Philadelphia 4
Philadelphia 3 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis 1 at Philadelphia 0 (St. Louis wins series 3-2)

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 1
Milwaukee 8, Arizona 4
At Arizona 8, Milwaukee 4
Arizona 10, Milwaukee 6
At Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 (Milwaukee wins series 3-2)

American League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Texas 3, Detroit 2
Detroit at Texas PPD, Rain
At Texas 7, Detroit 3
At Detroit 5, Texas 2
Texas 7 at Detroit 3
At Detroit 7, Texas 5
At Texas 15, Detroit 5 (Texas wins 4-2)

National League Championship Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 6
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 3
At St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
Milwaukee 4 at St. Louis 2
At St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 12 at Milwaukee 6 (St. Louis wins 4-2)

World Series (Best of Seven -- All times Eastern)

At St. Louis 3, Texas 2
Texas 2 at St. Louis 1
St. Louis 16 at Texas 7
At Texas 4, St. Louis 0
At Texas 4, St. Louis 2 (Texas leads 3-2)
Wednesday, October 26th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm
Thursday, October 27th Texas at St. Louis 8:05pm****

****if necessary

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The microwave oven, for home use, was introduced by The Tappan Company on this date in 1955.

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Today in Elvis History:

1960 - Elvis Presley began his only visit to Scotland.

1977 - The album "Elvis - A Legendary Performer, Vol. 2" was certified gold by the RIAA.

1990 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Known Only to Him: Elvis Gospel 1957-1971" was released.

1990 - The Elvis Presley album "How Great Thou Art" was released on CD.

1994 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Amazing Grace - His Greatest Sacred Performances" was released.

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The Accutron watch by the Bulova Watch Company was introduced on this date in 1960.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - The Beatles did their first-ever interview. It was for the radio station at Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospital.

1963 - In Karlstad, the Beatles began their first tour of Sweden.

1964 - The Beatles won five Ivor Novello Awards frm the British music industry.

1968 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced that their first child should be born the next January. Yoko miscarried.

1973 - John Lennon sued the U.S. government claiming that his fight against deportation was prejudiced by U.S. officials.

1974 - John Lennon completed his self-produced sessions for his "Rock 'n' Roll."

1990 - John Lennon's album "Rock N Roll" was released on CD.

2005 - George Harrison's remastered live album "The Concert for Bangladesh" was released.

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American author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature on this date in 1962.

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Today in Sports History:

1947 - The Army football team was defeated by Columbia 21-20. The team had gone unbeaten in 32 games that spanned four seasons. They had earned two national titles in the same time frame.

1964 - Cotton Davis (Oakland Raiders) threw for 427 yards in a 40-7 victory over the Denver Broncos.

1964 - Jim Marshall (Minnesota Vikings) picked up a San Francisco fumble and ran the wrong way 66 yards into his own team's end zone for a safety.

1978 - Gaylord Perry became the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues when he won the award in the National League.

1981 - David Woodley (Miami Dolphins) passed for 408 yards in a 28-27 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

1981 - Brian Sipe (Cleveland Browns) threw for 444 yards in a 42-28 victory over Baltimore.

1986 - The Boston Red Sox lost Game 6 of the World Series to the New York Mets. The winning run was scored in the 10th inning when a ground ball went through Boston first baseman Bill Buckner's legs.

1987 - The Minnesota Twins defeated St. Louis in the first World Series to include indoor games. It was the first championship for the Twins.

1998 - Jason Elam (Denver Broncos) kicked a 63-yard field goal. The kick tied Tom Dempsey's 28-year-old NFL record.

1998 - Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) set an NFL record when he caught a pass in his 184th consecutive game. Also during the game, Rice became the first player to surpass 17,000 career receiving yards.

1998 - Cris Carter (Minnesota Vikings) broke the team record when he caught a pass in his 106th straight game. He also tied Bill Brown's Minnesota record of 76 career touchdowns in the 34-13 victory over the Detroit Lions.

2000 - NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves would forfeit their next five first-round draft picks and would be fined $3.5 million due to violations of the NBA's salary cap.

2003 - Bobby Bowden (Florida State) became the winningest coach in major college football history with his 339th victory.

2005 - The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-5 in the first World Series game to be held in Texas. The game also was the longest in World Series history at 5 hours and 41 minutes. The game actually ended on October 26th.

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It was announced on this date in 2001 that scientists had unearthed the remains of an ancient crocodile which lived 110 million years ago. The animal, found in Gadoufaoua, Niger, grew as long as 40 feet and weighed as much as eight metric tons.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres 7:30pm EDT

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tigercats 3:00pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 5:00pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers at Utah Utes 7:00pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 7:45pm EDT

Sunday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 8:00am EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Atlanta Knights 10:45am EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway 1:30pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!