It's Friday

It's Friday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is July 27th, the 209th day of 2012. There are 157 days left in the year.

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'Canes agree to terms with Alexander Semin.

Quinn, Bowman to coach Classic alumni teams.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Comedian Bill Engvall is 55; Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four) is 44; Wrestler Triple H is 43; Actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Mission: Impossible III, August Rush) is 35.

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2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Announced

2012-13 U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team Also Revealed

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fourteen members of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that won the gold medal at the 2012 International Paralympic Committee Sledge Hockey World Championship punctuate the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team roster, announced today by USA Hockey.

The roster was selected following tryouts in Rochester, N.Y., in mid July. The 17-member team will represent the United States at various international exhibitions and International Paralympic Committee-sanctioned events throughout the season.

"Our tryout camp featured a number of very talented players, which made for great competition," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. "We are pleased to welcome back so many of the players who helped us win the gold medal back in the spring. Additionally, it's great to be able to promote players from our developmental roster who are eager to help us continue our tremendous success."

Among the returnees from the 2011-12 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team are goaltenders Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) and Jen Yung Lee (San Francisco, Calif.); defensemen Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), Tyler Carron (Fort Collins, Colo.), Nikko Landeros (Berthoud, Colo.) and Rico Roman (San Antonio, Texas); and forwards Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas), Daniel McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.), Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa), Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), Josh Pauls (South Plainfield, N.J.) Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.), Greg Shaw (Park City, Utah) and Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.).

Three players are making their debut on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, including defenseman Craig Brady (Norwood, Mass.) and forwards Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) and Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.). Brady and Schaus played for the 2011-12 U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team.

NOTES: For the full roster, click here ... Eight members of the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games ... The U.S. has won the last three major international events - 2009 IPC World Sledge Hockey Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic, 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, B.C. and the 2012 IPC World Sledge Hockey Championship in Hamar, Norway ... Both Head Coach Jeff Sauer and Assistant Coach Guy Gosselin are returning to the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team for the second consecutive season ... The 2013 IPC World Sledge Hockey Championship is scheduled for April 12-20, 2013, in Goyang City, South Korea ... The competition schedule for the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will be released later this summer.

Twelve States Represented Among 20-member Developmental Roster

Twenty players have been selected for the 2012-13 U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team, it was announced by USA Hockey. The roster includes nine athletes from the 2011-12 squad. A total of 12 states are represented, including four from Pennsylvania. For the roster, click here.

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The British Parliament passed a second Navigation Act on this date in 1663, which required all goods bound for the colonies be sent in British ships from British ports.

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Pressure Perfect: Bombers shut down Esks for first win.

Alouettes’ Brandon Whitaker chafes for carries.

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

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The Gilroy Garlic Festival begins today in Gilroy, California, "Garlic Capital of the World." Two tons of garlic are used each year at the festival.

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History shows many unhappy returns to Riderville.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are back in action tomorrow, when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a team they beat 43-16 in week one. Catch the game starting at 6:00pm EDT with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the action on 620 CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Watch the game on TSN in Canada and ESPN3.com in the U.S.

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

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Facebook is coming closer to the one billion user mark, which is an incredibly massive milestone when you consider there are just over 7 billion people on Earth. The actual number is 955 million active users as of June 30.

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Jimmy is serious about his drawing.

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Let's see, what's on the agenda for today....WMEL stuff, plus some housework maybe. How 'bout you?

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Baltimore, MD. -- James Shields' outing quickly went from dominant to disappointing during the fifth inning on Thursday.

After keeping the Orioles quiet for four frames, the right-hander pitched his way into trouble in the fifth. So many times he was one pitch away from limiting the damage, and in nearly every at-bat the O's hitters battled back.

Nick Markakis, Jim Thome, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters all faced 0-2 counts before eventually reaching base in the five-run frame that propelled the O's to a 6-2 victory, preventing the Rays from finishing a sweep at Camden Yards.

Read the rest here.

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The latest research shows that the more movie sex a teenager watches the earlier he's likely to engage in sex. [Often before the movie even ends.]

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San Francisco, CA.-- After a day off yesterday, the San Francisco Giants are home to face their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matt Cain starts for the Giants, the Dodgers have not named their starter.

First pitch is set for 10:15pm EDT.

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Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare" on this date in 1940.

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Today in Elvis History

1962 - Filming began on the Elvis Presley film "It Happened At The World's Fair."

1989 - Rhonda Boler auctioned a Diamond Medallion Cross that had been given to her by Elvis Presley during his 1974 comeback concert in Monroe, LA. The event was carried on televisions "A Current Affair."

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If the best part of waking up is "Folger's in your cup" followed by a shot of 5 Hour Energy, maybe you need to switch up your coffee brands. While it's not as dangerous as the name might seem, Death Wish Coffee is serious stuff. Two times as powerful as your typical coffee shop cup, it's made from beans with an especially strong amount on caffeine, roasted to a medium-dark level for a strong flavor, and then ground to a specific level for maximum potency.

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Today in Beatles History:

1976 - John Lennon finally had his request for permanent residency in the United States approved.

1992 - The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" hit #6 in the U.K.

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If it were up to you, would you rather have a male or female boss? A survey from Gallup gives the edge to men, 32 to 22 percent. But the gap has narrowed since the 1950s when men had a 66 to 5 percent edge.

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Today in Sports History:

1918 - Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman made his major league debut and his last major league appearance in the same day. He pitched four straight hits to the St. Louis Cardinals, left the game and never played again in the majors.

1921 - Baseball fan Reuben Berman sued the New York Giants, claiming he suffered mental and bodily distress after refusing to return a foul ball May 16th at the Polo Grounds. Berman was eventually awarded $100.

1937 - The United States captured the Davis Cup by beating Britain, four matches to one.

1946 - Rudy York (Boston Red Sox) hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs to lead the Red Sox over the St. Louis Browns, 13-6.

1984 - Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb’s record for most singles in a career when he got his 3,503rd base hit.

1986 - Greg LeMond of the U.S. became the first non-European to capture the Tour de France cycling race.

1992 - Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice. He was 27 years old.

1992 - China's Fu Mingxia, only two weeks away from her 14th birthday, became the second youngest gold medalist in Olympic history when she won the women's 10-meter platform diving event.

1996 - At the Atlanta Olympics a pipe bomb exploded at the public Centennial Olympic Park. One person was killed and more than 100 were injured.

1996 - Canadian Donovan Bailey ran the Men's 100 Meter Dash with a time of 9.84. The previous record was 9.85 held by Leroy Burrell of the United States.

2001 - Deion Sanders announced his retirement from the NFL.

2003 - Lance Armstrong won his 5th consecutive Tour de France.

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Police in suburban Chicago said they were able to quickly identify an armed robbery suspect by a distinctive tattoo. Police said officers responded to a report of an armed robbery Monday afternoon and the victim told them the robber's forehead was tattooed. Cops soon spotted a suspect matching the description of the robber.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at California Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Indy 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 4:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 4:05pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats 6:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at California Angels 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 12:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at California Angels 3:35pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 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!