It's Thursday

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

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Today is June 14th, the 166th day of 2012. There are 200 days left in the year.

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Parise's first choice is to stay with Devils.

Recapping Kings' rampage to the Stanley Cup.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Businessman-TV personality Donald Trump is 66; Singer Boy George is 51; Actor Kevin McHale (Glee) is 24.

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

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Today is Flag Day. Today in 1777 John Adams introduced the following resolution before the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation."

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Vancouver, B.C. -- The B.C. Lions looked in mid-season form while the Saskatchewan Roughriders looked like a team with more questions than answers, as B.C. rolled to a 44-10 win last night in the pre-season opener for both teams.

The Lions took the opening kick and moved smartly up field, but had to settle for a 20 yard Paul McCallum field goal, taking a 3-0 lead with 9:57 left in the first quarter. B.C. would threaten again late in the first on a big punt return by Anthony Stewart, but again settled for a 20 yard boot by McCallum, taking a 6-0 lead with 1:44 to play in period one. They'd end the opening quarter with a lopsided 74-1 advantage in total yards.

The Leos put together a solid drive in their opening possession of the second quarter, reaching the end zone this time on a Mike Reilly to Shawn Gore 9 yard major. Hugh O'Neill converted with 7:52 left in the half capping a 9 play, 73 yard drive, expanding the lead to 13-0. After a short drive stalled, Chris Milo snuck a 47 yard field goal across the bar with 5:47 still to play in the half, getting the Riders on the board and cutting the deficit to 13-3. On their next possession, B.C. rolled the dice on a 3rd and 10 in Saskatchewan territory late in the first half, getting 13 yard scramble from Reilly to keep the drive alive. Reilly found Nick Moore in the right back corner of the end zone on the next play for a 15 yard major. O'Neill converted with 24 seconds left and the Lions would take a 20-3 lead at two quarter time. Their first half total yards advantage was 219-62.

B.C. cashed in a pick six just 70 seconds into the second half as Adam Bighill returned an interception 44 yards for the major. O'Neill converted and suddenly the Lions were up 27-3 with just 1:10 gone in the third. After Chris Bodnar missed a 47 yard field goal, B.C. drove the ball the length of the field, ending with a Reilly to Moore 30 yard touchdown toss. O'Neill's convert with 4:55 to play in the third capped a 10 play, 98 yard drive, giving the Lions a 34-3 lead.

In the fourth, the Riders put together an impressive drive with their fourth quarterback on the night, Drew Willy, who capped a 12 play, 75 yard drive with a 3 yard touchdown pass to Jason Chery. Bodnar converted with 3:43 left, making the score 34-10 B.C. O'Neill added three more for the Lions with a 44 yard field goal with 2:14 left, then Andrew Harris walked in from 3 yards out with 25 seconds to go, with O'Neill converting for the final score of B.C. 44, Saskatchewan 10.

For the Lions, Mike Reilly shined, going 16-of-24 passing for 189 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nick Moore caught 2 touchdown passes, Shawn Gore 1. Andrew Harris rushed for a touchdown, Paul McCallum kicked 2 field goals, while Hugh O'Neill kicked 1 field goal and 5 converts. For the Roughriders, Drew Willy had the most success at the pivot position, going 7-for-13 passing for 64 yards passing and 1 major, which was caught by Jason Chery. Chris Milo kicked a field goal and Chris Bodnar a convert. B.C. won the total yards stat, 425 to 232.

Saskatchewan plays at home next week, hosting the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, June 22nd at 9:00pm EDT. The Lions play at Edmonton next Thursday, June 21st.

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

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Michelle Obama is now on Pinterest. One of her first boards boasts family photos for Father's Day: the First Family playing mini golf, President Obama coaching basketball, and a photo of Michelle's own father Fraser Robinson.

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Mommy puts a Blue Jays tattoo on Jimmy.

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Let's see, what's on the agenda for today....the Johnny Blog, my radio stuff, hanging out with Jimmy and waiting for Mommy to get home from work, as usual. How 'bout you?

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- The pitching match Wednesday delivered as advertised -- at first. But while R.A. Dickey dominated, left-hander David Price unraveled in the Rays' 9-1 loss to the Mets at Tropicana Field.

Read the rest here.

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A truck carrying 20,000 pounds of toilet paper caught fire on an Ohio interstate and spilled much of its contents onto the road. The trailer's air lines dislodged and caught fire, leading to flames spreading to the rear axles and the load of toilet paper.

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San Francisco, CA.-- Matt Cain finally crossed the finish line Wednesday night.

On five previous occasions, Cain nursed a no-hitter into the seventh inning but never sustained one past 7 2/3 innings. This time, the Giants' resolute right-hander finished the deal.

Cain hurled the first perfect game in the Giants' 129-year history, subduing the Houston Astros in a 10-0 decision at AT&T Park.

Read the rest here.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt's mom and best friend Patricia has lost her battle with cancer. She passed away on Tuesday at age 67.

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Today in Elvis History

1953 - Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis, TN.

1958 - Elvis Presley returned to Fort Hood, TX, for ten weeks of advanced tank training.

1963 - Priscilla Beaulieu gradutated from the Immaculate Conception Cathedral High School.

1975 - The Elvis Presley single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" hit #35 in the U.S.

1975 - The Elvis Presley album "Today" hit #48 in the U.K.

1995 - Michael Jackson appeared on TV with his wife Lisa Marie Presley in a live interview on "Prime Time Live" with Diane Sawyer.

2004 - It was announced that TV Guide would be issuing four commemorative Elvis Presley covers in celebration of 50 years of Rock 'n' Roll. The covers were to be on newsstands July 1 (July 4th issue).

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Smoking will shorten your lifespan -- we know this as fact. But it won't hurt your future offspring. British researchers found that smoking, heavy drinking, doing drugs, and being overweight doesn't affect sperm.

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Today in Beatles History:

1965 - Paul McCartney recorded "Yesterday."

1975 - Paul McCartney's album "Venus and Mars" hit #1 in the U.K.

1997 - Paul McCartney's album "Flaming Pie" hit #2 in the U.S.


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It turns out there's a big disconnect between what women think men want for Fathers Day, and what those men actually want. A survey found 60% of women think their man would love a ticket to a sporting event, while only 36% of men pick that as their top choice. Women also thought their man would love a powertool. Maybe not.

... What do men really want? Here it is: a smartphone or tablet. That was followed by a home cooked meal. The majority of men ranked those two as their top choices.

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Today in Sports History:

1963 - Duke Snider (New York Mets) hit his 400th career home run.

1964 - The St. Louis Cardinals traded Ernest Broglio for Chicago Cub Lou Brock.

1969 - Reggie Jackson hit two home runs and drove in 10 runs in a 21-17 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

1987 - The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title by defeating the defending Boston Celtics.

1992 - The Chicago Bulls won the NBA championship beating the Portland Trailblazers.

1994 - The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Vancouver Canucks. It was the first time the Rangers had won the cup in 54 years.

1996 - Cal Ripken Jr. broke Sachio Kinugas's record of 2,216 consecutive games played.

1996 - Jeff Bagwell (Houston Astros) tied a major league baseball record when he hit four doubles. The Astros defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1.

1996 - John Smoltz (Atlanta Braves) tied a franchise record with his 13th consecutive win.

1996 - Ellis Burks hit the first inside-the-park home run in Coors Field.

1995 - The Chicago Bulls won their third straight NBA Championship and the sixth of the decade.

2002 - The U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals. It was the best showing in the World Cup for the U.S. since 1930.

2002 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) hit his 25th home run of the season. The home run tied him with Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 19th on the all-time list at 475 homers.

2003 - The Frankfurt Galaxy became the first team in the NFL Europe League to win three World Bowls.

2004 - Jim Thome (Philadelphia Phillies) became the 37th player in major league history to reach 400 career home runs.

2005 - The Detroit Pistons defeated the San Antonio Spurs 96-79 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It was the first time in history that the first three games had been decided by 15 points or more.

2009 - Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers) recorded his 10th NBA title as coach.

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The first Canadian parliament opened in Kingston on this date in 1841.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Mets 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros 3:45pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Florida Marlins 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

Saturday --

IZOD Indy Car Series -- Milwaukee IndyFest at West Allis, WI. 1:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway 3:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Florida Marlins 7:15pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway 12:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Florida Marlins 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm 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!