It's Thursday

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

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Today is April 12th, the 103rd day of 2012. There are 263 days left in the year.

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Nashville makes All-Star Game pitch to NHL.

EA simulator favors Rangers, Bruins in first round.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Actor Ed O'Neill (Modern Family, Married with Children) is 66; Talk show host David Letterman is 65; Singer-actor David Cassidy (The Partridge Family) is 62; Actress/former Dancing with the Stars contestant Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210) is 41; Model Brooklyn Decker (wife of tennis player Andy Roddick) is 25.

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Tampa, FL. --Adorning the walls of the Tampa Bay Lightning locker room are photographs of the team’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship postgame celebration.

Typically, the display serves a reminder of good times gone by, but on Monday in particular, it just as much provided an impetus for change.

“That’s what we want to get back to,” captain Vincent Lecavalier said.

Read the rest here.

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Today is: National D.E.A.R. Day (National Drop Everything And Read Day), International Day of Human Space Flight, Licorice Day, Support Teen Literature Day, Walk On Your Wild Side Day and Day of Silence.

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U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Named USOC
Team of the Month for March

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- After winning the gold medal at the 2012 International Paralympic Committee Sledge Hockey World Championship in Norway, the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team was named the U.S. Olympic Committee Team of the Month for March.

The U.S. posted a 3-1-1-0 record (W-OTW-OTL-L) en route to its second straight gold medal at the event and became the first sled team to win back-to-back world titles.

"We had an outstanding tournament and we're honored to be recognized by the USOC," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. "Our team came together and got better as the tournament went on."

After opening preliminary-round play with a shootout win and a shootout loss, Team USA rattled off three straight wins en route to the gold medal. In a 2-1 victory over Canada in the semifinals, goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) made 15 saves, several of which came in the final minutes of action. Forward Taylor Lipsett (Richardson, Texas) tallied three goals and added an assist as Team USA defeated Korea, 5-1, in the gold-medal game.

Forward Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.), defenseman Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and Cash were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.

NOTES: For a complete 2011-12 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team roster, including bios, click here ... Team USA has medaled in the last four world championships (2012-gold, 2009-gold, 2008-bronze, 2004-silver). The IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship was first staged in 1996 and has been conducted six times (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012).

Eighth Annual USA Hockey National Disabled Festival
Set for This Weekend in Dallas Area

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The eighth annual USA Hockey National Disabled Festival is set to take place this weekend (April 13-15) in Farmers Branch and Euless, Texas.

The Festival encompasses all four disciplines of disabled hockey, including deaf/hard of hearing, special, sled and standing/amputee hockey. A total of 32 teams will compete in the event in 11 divisions, making it the largest gathering of disabled hockey athletes anywhere in the world.

The event will feature youth and adult sled tournaments, including the second-annual Adult Sled Hockey National Championships; special and standing/amputee hockey competition; and deaf/hard of hearing hockey practices, games and seminars.

A full schedule can be found here. All events are open to the public.

NOTES: An opening ceremony will be held on Friday (April 13) at the Texas Star Meeting and Event Facility from 7-10 p.m. ... Last year's USA Hockey National Disabled Festival took place in Blaine, Minn.

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The police chief of Richlands, North Carolina, has been suspended for not being able to shoot straight during his firearms qualifications test. [He's pretty dejected. To make him feel better Andy took him home for one of Aunt Bee's homecooked meals.]

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Bombers Set To Honour Brown, Two Former Presidents.

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

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America's new household budget buster may soon be the $200 a month cable bill. Cable bills have climbed 6% a year and will pass $200 a month by 2020. Many aren't putting up with it, however. About 9 percent of TV homes cut cable from their household budget in 2011.

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Look Daddy, I got one!

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Let's see, what's on the agenda for today....Watch some Jimmy shows, some Rays baseball, do the dishes and figure out what to make for dinner. What will you be doing today?

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Detroit, MI. -- Justin Verlander looked invincible heading to the mound in the ninth inning of Wednesday afternoon's Tampa Bay-Detroit contest at Comerica Park.

But you have to get 27 outs, and the Rays used every one of theirs while taking a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Tigers with a crowd of 28,180 fans watching.

Read the rest here.

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WE LIKE VIDEOS THAT DON'T SUCK - Share a video with me and it better be funny or amazing. Oh, and short. Like this.

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Denver, CO.-- The Giants managed to pick up the smithereens Wednesday after Tim Lincecum made the shortest of his 157 career starts, a mere 2 1/3 innings. They survived that unexpected event, erased the six-run deficit he created and even took the lead.

Briefly.

But the Rockies, who had scored just 10 runs in their first four games, scored in each of the first five innings. They treated relievers Guillermo Mota and Jeremy Affeldt as rudely as Lincecum and whipped the Giants, 17-8.

Read the rest here.

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Talk about THIS around the dinner table tonight. A new study out of Oregon State University found that women are far less likely to exercise for 30 minutes every day than men. While men got 30 minutes, women averaged 18. One could argue, and one may have a point, that women are constantly moving at home picking up after Mr. Fitness while getting the kids fed and dressed. So that may balance out the equation a bit.

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Today in Elvis History

1969 - Elvis Presley's single "Memories" hit #35 in the U.S.

1994 - Eddie Fadal, long time friend of Elvis Presley, died. He opened an Elvis museum in Waco, TX.

2001 - Elvis Presley Enterprises sent out letters to several fan clubs demanding the stop of sale of any form of video regarding the New Gladiator project.

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A couple of senior citizens hopped aboard Twitter this week: comedian and actress Betty White (@BettyMWhite) and country music legend Merle Haggard (@MerleHaggard).

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Today in Beatles History:

1973 - The film "That'll Be the Day," starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, premiered in London.

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Phineas Pratt patented the comb cutting machine on this date in 1799.

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Today in Sports History:

1877 - A catcher's mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng.

1966 - Emmett Ashford became the first African-American major league umpire.

2004 - The Philadelphia Phillies played their first game at Citizens Bank Park.

2004 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball's career list.

2007 - The Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks played 138 minutes and 6 seconds before the Canucks were able to score an overtime goal and win the game. It was the sixth-longest game in NHL history.

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Lucy and Snoopy of the comic strip "Peanuts" made the cover of "Saturday Review" on this date in 1969.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers 1:05pm EDT

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

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 2:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Pittsburgh Pirates 4:35pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway 8:30pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 4:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway 7:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Pittsburgh Pirates 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Pittsburgh Pirates 4:05pm EDT

Monday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 11:05am EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies 10:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies 10:10pm EDT

Wednesday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies 10:10pm EDT

Thursday --

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

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins 7:07pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at New York Mets 7:10pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at New York Mets 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins 7:07pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- STP 400 at Kansas Speedway 12:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at New York Mets 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins 1:40pm EDT

Indy Car Series -- Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach at Long Beach, CA. 3:30pm EDT

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