It's Thursday

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

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Today is October 13th, the 286th day of 2011. There are 79 days left in the year.

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Melrose Blog: Barry's mullet of the week.

Caps, Pens unite to benefit Lokomotiv families.

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

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Todays Birthdays: Musician Paul Simon is 70 ... Rocker Sammy Hagar is 64 ... Entertainer Marie Osmond is 52 ... Actress Kelly Preston (married to John Travolta) is 49 ... Actress Kate Walsh (Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy) is 44 ... Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 42 ... TV host Billy Bush is 40 ... Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 40.

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Back to basics for Lightning tonight against Islanders.

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October is Sausage Month.

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National Team Development Program Weekly Update

U18 Team Continues with College Schedule; U17 Team Looks to Rebound Against Ice Saturday

U17 TEAM LOOKS TO REBOUND AGAINST ICE: The U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped two tough decisions to the Indiana Ice last weekend, but will get a chance to exact revenge on Saturday (Oct. 15) when Team USA visits the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

U18 TEAM CONTINUES COLLEGE SCHEDULE: The U.S. National Under-18 Team continues with its collegiate schedule this weekend. Team USA takes on former National Team Development Program skaters Chris McCarthy (Collegeville, Pa./2008-09) and Michael Paliotta (Westport, Conn./2009-11), now with the University of Vermont, at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Oct. 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET and will continue the action the following night (Oct. 15) against SUNY Plattsburgh at Stafford Ice Arena at 7:00 p.m. ET.

U18 TEAM SHUTOUT BY TOP RANKED COLLEGIATE TEAMS: Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) stopped 37 shots as the U.S. National Under-18 Team was blanked, 3-0, by the University of Denver at Magness Arena on Oct. 7. The following night (Oct. 8), Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) stopped 38 shots as the U.S. National Under-18 Team was shutout, 5-0, by Colorado College at World Arena. Both the University of Denver (No. 3) and Colorado College (No. 8) were recently ranked in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll.

U17 TEAM EDGED TWICE BY USHL RIVAL: Last Friday (Oct. 7) Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) notched a goal and added an assist, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team was edged by Indiana, 5-3, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in the first of three straight meetings with the Ice. In game two on Saturday (Oct. 8), Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) and Luke Voltin (Blaine, Minn.) each recorded two points, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped a 7-4 decision to Indiana.

UNDER-18 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: The Under-18 Team holds a 13 percent success rate with the man advantage through seven games ... Team USA is 36-42 in killing penalties ... The U.S. is averaging 29.14 shots and holding opponents to 28.29, while scoring 2.71 goals and allowing 3.00 goals per game.

UNDER-17 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Kelleher leads the United States Hockey League in goals scored with four. He also ranks third in points (1-4) along with teammate Voltin (2-3) ... J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) is tied for third in goals scored (3) in USHL action ... Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) has four assists in four games and leads the USHL in that category ... Will Butcher's (Sun Prairie, Wis.) three points (1-2) place him second in points by a defensemen in the USHL ... Connor Clifton (Matawan, N.J.) made his debut with the U.S. National Under-17 Team on Friday (Oct. 7) against the Indiana Ice ... Saturday's game at the Pepsi Coliseum will mark the first USHL road test for Team USA. The U.S. is 1-2-1 at home ... The U.S. power play is clicking at a 26 percent success rate ... Team USA is 29-39 in killing penalties ... The Under-17 Team holds a 238-195 advantage in shots taken per game and scores at a 3.71 goals-per-game clip.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill./2001-02) made 20 saves for the New York Islanders and earned the game's first star in a 2-1 victory against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 10 ... Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./2005-07) tallied one goal on Oct. 10 in a 5-2 St. Louis Blues triumph over the Calgary Flames. Shattenkirk also finished with a plus-two rating ... Forward Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./2003-05) recorded his third career hat trick in a 6-5 win over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 8. It was the first three-goal game for Kessel as a Toronto Maple Leaf ... Buffalo Sabres forward Nathan Gerbe (Oxford, Mich./2003-05) collected two assists in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 8 ... Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./2001-03) notched a power play goal and added an assist in the Predators' 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 7 ... A total of 46 skaters from the National Team Development Program were on National Hockey League opening day rosters. The Toronto Maple Leafs boast five alumni, tops in the NHL ... A total of 43 skaters from the NTDP were on American Hockey League opening day rosters.

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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October is Right Brainers Rule! Month.

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Riders and Eskimos make deal.

Slim playoff hopes force Riders into survival mode.

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

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It's been awhile since we've heard much about cheapy European airline Ryanair's plan to charge people to use the toilet. That's because the airline has apparently ditched the idea in favor of simply removing two out of three toilets from each of their planes. But it's not just about making flights more uncomfortable for travelers. Those removed toilets would be used to squeeze on another six seats. A Ryanair spokesman says the removed toilets and extra seats would lower air fares by about 5% for all passengers.

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By The Numbers: Anthony Calvillo edition.

A Mann with a plan: Receiver happy to be in T.O.

Moffat: Looking back on a legendary career.

Irving: Bombers haven't looked this good in years.

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

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October is Photographer Appreciation Month.

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Fall carnival at Parker Plaza Saturday.

The Beavers look to build on last week's win over Arizona, when they host the BYU Cougars on Saturday. Mike Parker, Jim Wilson and Ron Callan call the action on 860AM KPAM and the Beaver Sports Network, with kickoff set for 4:05pm EDT. Listen link is on the left side of this blog. The game can be seen on Fox College Sports-Pacific, KBYU-TV in Utah and online (on a subscription basis) at cbssports.com via OSU Beavers all-access.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

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

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National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work and School Day is today.

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

Week 5

Sunday, October 9th

At Pittsburgh 38, Tennessee 17
Seattle 36 at NY Giants 25
Cincinnati 30 at Jacksonville 20
New Orleans 30 at Carolina 27
Oakland 25 at Houston 20
At Buffalo 31, Philadelphia 24
Kansas City 28 at Indianapolis 24
At Minnesota 34, Arizona 10
At San Francisco 48, Tampa Bay 3
At New England 30, NY Jets 21
San Diego 29 at Denver 24
Green Bay 25 at Atlanta 14

Monday, October 10th
At Detroit 24, Chicago 13

·Bye: Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington, Baltimore.

Week 6
Sunday, October 16th (All times Eastern)
San Francisco at Detroit 1:00 PM
St. Louis at Green Bay 1:00 PM
Carolina at Atlanta 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Cincinnati 1:00 PM
Buffalo at NY Giants 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM
Philadelphia at Washington 1:00 PM
Houston at Baltimore 4:05 PM
Cleveland at Oakland 4:05 PM
Dallas at New England 4:15 PM
New Orleans at Tampa Bay 4:15pm
Minnesota at Chicago 8:20 PM

Monday, October 17th (All times Eastern)
Miami at NY Jets 8:30 PM

·Bye: Denver, Tennessee, Kansas City, Arizona, San Diego, Seattle.

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Today is the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction.

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Jimmy and his oldest brother Snoopy.

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Today is M&M Lovers day.

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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 (Texas leads 3-1)
Next: Texas at Detroit Thursday, October 13th 4:19pm
Detroit at Texas Saturday, October 14th 8:05pm****
Detroit at Texas Sunday, October 15th 8:05pm****

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 (St. Louis leads 2-1)
Next: Milwaukee at St. Louis Thursday, October 13th 8:05pm
Milwaukee at St. Louis Friday, October 14th 8:05pm
St. Louis at Milwaukee Sunday, October 16th 4:05pm
St. Louis at Milwaukee Monday, October 17th 8:05pm

****if necessary

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My wife Kim and I had fun on our weekend getaway.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - The Elvis Presley single "Blue Moon" hit #55 in the U.S.

1963 - Elvis Presley and a film crew traveled to the Big Bear resort in San Bernadino Mountains for location shooting for "Kissin' Cousins." Shooting began the next day.

1998 - The Elvis Presley album "Memories - The '68 Comeback Special" was released.

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You've just moved to a new town. Before you spend time unpacking or checking out the local amenities, your first priority is to get high. What do you do? If your name is Anamicka Dave then you get on Craigslist and see who can help. The New Mexico woman posted that she was new in town and "looking for Mary Jane".

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - In Britain, the Beatles appeared on the ITV's "Sunday Night at the Palladium." It was their first appearance on a major TV show.

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Bruce Willis is making a comeback as that one-man wrecking crew, John McClane, in A Good Day to Die Hard. 20th Century Fox announced the title and release date -- Valentine's Day, 2013 -- yesterday (Wednesday).

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Today in Sports History:

1903 - The Boston Red Sox defeated the Pittsburgh Pirate 3-0 in the first modern World Series. They won the series five games to three.

1947 - The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to a group of NHL All-Stars in the first official All-Star Game.

1951 - In Atlanta, GA, a football with a rubber covering was used for the first time. Georgia Tech beat Louisiana State 25-7.

1960 - The World Series ended on a home run for the first time. Bill Mazeroski's bottom-of-the-ninth home run allowed the Pirates to beat the Yankees.

1961 - Jacky Lee (Houston Oilers) threw for 457 yards and two touchdowns against the Boston Patriots. The game ended 31-31.

1967 - The first game of the new American Basketball Association was played. Pat Boone, the owner of the Oakland Oaks, sang the national anthem.

1970 - Dave McNally (Baltimore Orioles) became the only pitcher to date to hit a grand slam in the World Series.

1971 - The first World Series night game was telecast on NBC. Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh 4-3 in Game 4 at Three Rivers Stadium.

1971 - Bing Crosby, part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, threw out the first ball in Game 4 of the World Series between the Pirates and the Orioles.

1985 - Phil Simms (New York Giants) passed for 513 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. He set NFL records with 62 pass attempts and 29 first downs.

1998 - The Pittsburgh Penguins filed for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in their history.

1998 - The NBA canceled regular season games, due to work stoppage, for first time in its 51-year history.

2002 - The Anaheim Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins to advance to their first World Series.

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A new study reveals Avatar to be the most pirated film in Hollywood history. The film has been downloaded some 21 million times since it was released in 2009.

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Coming up:

Tonight:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders 7:00pm

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway 7:30pm

Saturday --

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs BYU Cougars 4:00pm

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

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway 7:30pm

Sunday --

IZOD Indy Car Series -- IZOD Indy Car World Championships at Las Vegas at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 4:00pm

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints 4:15pm

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