It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is May 5th, the 126th day of 2012. There are 240 days left in the year.

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Friday's Scores:

East --

No games

West --

Phoenix 1, Nashville 0 (Phoenix leads series 3-1)

Saturday's Games:

East --

New York Rangers at Washington (New York leads series 2-1) 12:30pm EDT NBC

West --

No games

Caps fans find Washington oasis in heart of Big Apple.

Callahan has come into his own as Rangers captain.

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

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Christopher Columbus sighted Jamaica on his second trip to the Western Hemisphere on this date in 1494. He named the island Santa Gloria.

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U.S. Men's National Team Overpowers France, 7-2,
to Start 2012 IIHF Men's World Championship

Six Different Goal Scorers; Twelve Players Record a Point

HELSINKI, Finland - Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn./New York Islanders/Univ. of Minnesota) scored twice and Max Pacioretty (New Canaan, Conn./Montreal Canadiens/Univ. of Michigan) tallied a goal and two assists as the U.S. Men's National Team defeated France, 7-2, here today at Hartwall Arena in the opening game of the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship.

"It's obviously good to open with a win," said Scott Gordon, head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team. "It was a much closer game than the final score indicated. I like what I've seen from our team so far, both in the two games we've played and in practice."

France opened the scoring at 12:17 of the first period, but Okposo scored on a breakaway 4:35 later to tie the game. Alex Goligoski (Grand Rapids, Minn./Dallas Stars/Univ. of Minnesota) hit Okposo in stride through the neutral zone to create the scoring chance.

The U.S. took its first lead of the game at 3:56 of the second period when captain Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets/Univ. of Michigan) ripped a one-timer from the center point while on the power play past France netminder Cristobal Huet. Ryan Lasch (Lake Forest, Calif./Lahti Pelicans/St. Cloud State Univ.) and Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./Carolina Hurricanes/Univ. of Minnesota Duluth) assisted on the play.

On the power play once again, the U.S. extended its lead to 3-1 on a goal by Bobby Ryan (Cherry Hill, N.J./Anaheim Ducks). Pacioretty fed the puck from the left corner into the crease, where Ryan one-touched it between the legs of the Huet at 9:15.

Following a French goal at 13:17 that made it 3-2, Team USA reestablished a two-goal advantage with just 22 seconds left in the middle stanza when Pacioretty redirected a Goligoski's wrist shot from the left point.

Team USA put the game away in the third period by scoring three times. Jim Slater (Lapeer, Mich./Winnipeg Jets/Michigan State Univ.) converted a two-on-one thanks to a feed from Kyle Palmieri (Smithtown, N.Y./Anaheim Ducks/Univ. of Notre Dame) at 5:38. Okposo scored into the upper corner of the net on a sharp-angle shot at 11:00 and Jeff Petry (Ann Arbor, Mich./Edmonton Oilers/Michigan State Univ.) ended the scoring at 17:41 during a delayed penalty against France.

Jimmy Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Detroit Red Wings/Univ. of Maine) picked up the win in the U.S. net with 21 saves. Paul Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./Colorado Avalanche/Univ. of Denver) and Faulk each had three assists.

The U.S. Men's National Team continues Group H play tomorrow (May 5) against Canada. Faceoff is 7 p.m. local time (noon ET). The NBC Sports Network will air the game same-day delay at 7:30 p.m. ET.

NOTES: USA improved to 7-1-0 against France in the IIHF Men's World Championship ... Team USA went 2-for-6 on the power play, scored on a delayed penalty and killed all three France power plays ... Max Pacorietty, with a goal and two assists, was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... A total of 12 players, including five defensemen, contributed points in the contest ... Defenseman Jack Johnson was named team captain on May 3. The alternate captains are forwards Jim Slater and Nate Thompson ... For Team USA's updated roster, click here ... Twenty of the 23 members of Team USA played U.S. college hockey ... Six of the 23 players announced are products of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, including Joey Crabb, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Jimmy Howard, Jack Johnson and Kyle Palmieri ... Fourteen NHL teams are represented on the roster. The Anaheim Ducks have three representatives, while the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning have two players apiece ... Scott Gordon is the head coach of the 2012 U.S. Men's National Team. Greg Cronin and David Quinn are serving as assistant coaches ... The 2012 U.S. Men’s National Team is under the direction of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group, led by Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. Other members include NHL general managers Stan Bowman (Chicago), Brian Burke (Toronto), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Dale Tallon (Florida) and Pittsburgh Penguins pro scout Don Waddell ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams ... Sixteen teams will compete at 2012 IIHF Men's World Championship. There will be two groups of eight with one group playing in Helsinki, Finland, and the other playing in Stockholm, Sweden. The semifinals and medal games will be conducted in Helsinski ... NBC Sports will televise all Team USA games in the 2012 IIHF Men's World Championship. The complete television schedule is available here.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 1 3 3 7
France 1 1 0 2

First Period – Scoring: 1, FRA, Besch (Meunier, Auvitu), 12:17; 2, USA, Okposo (Goligoski, Faulk), 16:52. Penalties: FRA, Roussel (interference), 4:38; FRA, da Costa (tripping), 7:41; USA, Crabb (roughing), 17:53.

Second Period – Scoring: 3, USA, Johnson (Lasch, Faulk), 3:56, (pp); 4, USA, Ryan (Pacioretty, Stastny), 9:15, (pp); 5, FRA, Bellemare (Treille), 13:17; 6, USA, Pacioretty (Goligoski, Stastny), 19:38. Penalties: FRA, Guttig (hooking), 2:59; FRA, Rouleau (interference), 5:12; FRA, da Costa (holding), 7:58; USA, Palmieri (slashing), 11:00.

Third Period – Scoring: 7, USA, Slater (Palmieri), 5:38; 8, USA, Okposo (Fowler, Faulk), 11:00; 9, USA, Petry (Pacioretty, Stastny), 17:41. Penalties: FRA, Treille (holding), 6:54; USA, Palmieri (hooking), 14:56.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 11 16 8 35
France 8 8 7 23

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Howard, 60:00 8/7 8/7 7/7 23/21
FRA, Huet, 60:00 11/10 16/13 8/5 35/28

Power Play: USA 2-6; FRA 0-3
Penalties: USA 3-6; FRA 6-12

Team USA 2012 IIHF Men's World Championship Schedule
May 4 - 20 • Helsinki, Finland & Stockholm, Sweden

Date Opponent Location Time (Local/EDT)
Television

Fri., May 4 France Helsinki 12:15 p.m./5:15 a.m. W, 7-2
Sat., May 5 Canada Helsinki 7:00 p.m./12:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network
(Delay/7:30 p.m. ET)
Mon., May 7 Slovakia Helsinki 8:15 p.m./1:15 p.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Thurs., May 10 Belarus Helsinki 4:15 p.m./9:15 a.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Fri., May 11 Kazakhstan Helsinki 4:15 p.m./9:15 a.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Sun., May 13 Finland Helsinki 4:15 p.m./9:15 a.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Tues., May 15 Switzerland Helsinki 8:15 p.m./1:15 p.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Thurs., May 17 Quarterfinals Helsinki TBD NBC Sports Network (Live)
Sat., May 19 Semifinals Helsinki TBD NBC Sports Network (TBD)
Sun., May 20 Bronze Medal Game Helsinki 4:00 p.m./9:00 a.m. NBC Sports Network (Live)
Gold Medal Game Helsinki 8:30 p.m./1:30 p.m. NBC Sports Network (Delay/9 p.m. ET)

Arenas: Hartwall Arena (Helsinki); Ericsson Globe (Stockholm)

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On this date in 1798, U.S. Secretary of War William McHenry ordered that the USS Constitution be made ready for sea. The frigate was launched on October 21, 1797, but had never been put to sea.

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Edmonton, AB. -- The Portland Winterhawks played a solid, complete game Friday night to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-1 and even the Western Hockey League finals at 1-1.

Minus injured star Ty Rattie, Portland skated, worked and moved the puck much better one night after losing 3-2.

Brendan Leipsic scored in the first and second periods to give the Winterhawks a 2-0 lead. The Hawks doubled that to 4-0 going into the third period, and then never let the Oil Kings gain too much momentum down the stretch. Taylor Peters potted a second period goal and Sven Bartschi scored twice, once in the second period and again near the end of regulation into an empty net. Kristians Pelss scored Edmonton's lone goal, early in the third period.

Goalie Mac Carruth was among the top stars for Portland, stopping 38 of 39 shots before a crowd of 10,720 at Rexall Place. His counterpart, Laurent Brossoit stopped 22 shots for the Oil Kings.

It was Edmonton's first loss in nine home games of the 2012 WHL playoffs.

The shots were fairly even for most game two — the Oil Kings finished with a 39-27 edge — but Portland had better chances than in game one, and Carruth kept the Oil Kings at bay.

The Portland penalty pill was stellar, too, going 3 for 3, as the Oil Kings dropped to 0 for 8 on power plays in the series.

The series shifts to Portland for game three at 6 p.m. PDT Sunday and game four at 7 p.m. PDT Tuesday, both at the Rose Garden.

Portland 1 3 1 - 5
Edmonton 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period-1, Portland, Leipsic 5 (Ross, Rutkowski), 2:37. Penalties-Sautner Edm (hooking), 11:38; Lowe Edm (roughing), 16:00; Leipsic Por (roughing), 19:38; Rutkowski Por (cross checking), 19:38; Maxwell Edm (roughing), 19:38.

2nd Period-2, Portland, Leipsic 6 9:20. 3, Portland, Bartschi 9 (Rutkowski, Pouliot), 10:28 (PP). 4, Portland, Peters 1 (Leier, Gabriel), 18:38. Penalties-Peters Por (high sticking), 3:31; Morrow Por (roughing, roughing), 9:58; Lowe Edm (roughing, roughing), 9:58; Peddle Edm (cross checking), 9:58.

3rd Period-5, Edmonton, Pelss 5 (Gernat, Lazar), 4:44. 6, Portland, Bartschi 10 18:34 (EN). Penalties-Petan Por (holding opp. stick), 16:01; Lowe Edm (cross checking), 19:44.

Shots on Goal-Portland 8-13-6-27. Edmonton 11-17-11-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 1 / 4; Edmonton 0 / 3.
Goalies-Portland, Carruth 13-4-0-0 (39 shots-38 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 13-2-0-0 (26 shots-22 saves).
A-10,720
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Nathan Wieler (18).
Linesmen-Justin Hull (49), Jeff Jobson (52).

Information gathered from report in the Portland Tribune

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Weather today at my house: Mostly sunny, high near 87, with a light breeze from the west/northwest.

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City of Regina eyes open-air stadium at Evraz Place.

Linebacker Sam Hurl hopes to stick with Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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

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On this date in 1809, Mary Kies was awarded the first patent to go to a woman. It was for technique for weaving straw with silk and thread.

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Fresh Beat Band! Fresh Beat Band!

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Let's see, what's on the agenda for today....wash dishes (Only a few thankfully), watch some hockey, maybe some baseball and love my family, as usual. How 'bout you?

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- The Rays' winning streak moved to six Friday night with a 7-2 win over the Athletics at Tropicana Field.

The Rays maintained the best record in baseball at 19-8 with their 10th consecutive win at Tropicana Field and their 12th win in their last 13 games.

Read the rest here.

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The first mainland railway line opened in Belgium on this date in 1834.

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San Francisco, CA.-- Sergio Romo remained unscored upon this season but did not emerge unscathed Friday, as he yielded Aramis Ramirez's tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh inning that hastened the Giants' 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

With the score tied, 4-4, Norichika Aoki and Rickie Weeks beat out infield singles, prompting Romo to replace Clay Hensley (1-3). After Corey Hart's fly to deep center field advanced the runners, Ramirez broke the deadlock by lining an 0-1 pitch into left field.

The Giants, losers of four games in a row, dropped to 2-5 on their nine-game homestand.

Read the rest here.

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The Battle of Puebla took place on this date in 1862. It is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo Day.

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Today in Elvis History

1956 - Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel" hit #1 in the U.S. The song was Elvis' first million seller.

1956 - Elvis Presley's debut album "Elvis Presley" hit #1 in the U.S. The album was RCA's first million-dollar album by a solo artist.

1973 - Elvis Presley's album "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" hit #1 in the U.S. The ablum was Presley's first #1 album in nine years. It was also his last #1 album.

2005 - TV GUIDE issued four different covers featuring Elvis Presley. Each cover also featured a mini-CD of a previously unreleased version of the song "Young and Beautiful."

2005 - The 32-track, double CD set "Elvis by the Presley" was released. The album was to accompany the television special. The special aired May 13, 2005.

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Music Hall was dedicated in New York City on this date in 1891. It was later renamed Carnegie Hall.

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Today in Beatles History:

1979 - George Harrison's single "Blow Away" hit #51 in the U.K. and #16 in the U.S.

1983 - The Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder duet "Ebony and Ivory" won International Hit Of The Year at the 28th annual Ivor Novello Awards.

1990 - The "John Lennon Tribute Concert" was held at the Pier Head Arena in Merseyside.

1992 - The Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson single "Say Say Say" was certified platinum by the RIAA.

1997 - Paul McCartney released the album "Flaming Pie."

2010 - The 14th Annual Webby Awards named TheBeatlesRockBand.com as Best Games-Related Site of the year. ("The Beatles - Rockband")

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On this date in 1917, Eugene Jacques Bullard becomes the first African-American aviator when he earned his flying certificate with the French Air Service.

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Today in Sports History:

1904 - The third perfect game of the major leagues was thrown by Cy Young (Boston Red Sox) against the Philadelphia Athletics. It was the first perfect game under modern rules.

1922 - A contract was awarded to New York's White Construction Co. for the construction of Yankee Stadium I.

1925 - Everett Scott (New York Yankees) ended his game playing streak of 1,307 games.

1956 - Jim Bailey became the first runner to break the four-minute mile in the U.S. He was clocked at 3 minutes, 58.5 seconds.

1966 - Willie Mays broke the National League record for home runs when he hit his 512th.

1978 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds registered his 3,000th major league hit.

1989 - In Albany, NY, Mike Tyson got his second speeding ticket for drag racing.

1995 - The last game was played at Boston Gardens. The Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics.

2004 - It was announced that "Spider-Man 2" ads would appear on bases in major league games during games from June 11-13. The plan was canceled the next day.

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On this date in 1936, Edward Ravenscroft received a patent for the screw-on bottle cap with a pour lip.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway 3:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 7:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway 12:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 4:05pm EDT

Monday --

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

Tuesday --

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

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

Wednesday --

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

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

Thursday --

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

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway 6:30pm EDT

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

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

Saturday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Bojangle's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway 6:30pm EDT

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

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

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

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

Monday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 10:15pm EDT

Tuesday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 3:45pm EDT

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

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Oakland Athletics 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Oakland Athletics 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves 4:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Sprint Showdown/Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway 7:00pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway 1:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Oakland Athletics 4:05pm 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!