It's Thursday

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

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Today is October 31st, the 304th day of 2013. There are 61 days left in the year.

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Ducks' Selanne to miss two weeks with facial injury.

Penguins' Scuderi has surgery for broken ankle.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) is 52; Drummer Larry Mullen of U2 is 52; Rob Schneider (SNL, several movies, stand up comic) is 50; Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle) is 46.

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Raleigh, NC. -- There was no exact count of how many times Lightning coach Jon Cooper told his players to either pick up or maintain the snappy pace of Wednesday's practice.

Read the rest here.

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Nevada became the 36th state to join the U.S. on this date in 1864.

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Five U.S. Teams to Compete During Upcoming International Break FASTHockey to Stream Two Tournaments Live; Full Coverage on USAHockey.com, Twitter, Facebook COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The U.S. Women's National Team, U.S. National Under-18 Team, U.S. National Under-17 Team, U.S. Men's Select Team and U.S. Junior Select Team will all compete in tournaments next week (Nov. 2-10) during the first international break of the 2013-14 season. The U.S. Women's National Team will host the 2013 Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., as part of its pre-Olympic Bring on the World Tour. Both of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program squads will participate in international competition during the break. The U.S. National Under-18 Team will travel to Turku, Finland, for the 2013 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament, while the U.S. National Under-17 Team will be in Prievidza, Slovakia, for the 2013 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament. Two U.S. Select Teams -- the Men's and Junior squads -- will also be in action. The U.S. Men's Select Team will participate in the 2013 Deutschland Cup in Munich, Germany. The U.S. Junior Select Team will travel to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to play in the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. Details on each event can be found below. Notes: FASTHockey.com will provide live streaming of games from the Four Nations Cup and World Junior A Challenge ... Day-to-day coverage of all tournaments during the international break can be found atUSAHockey.com. Live scoring updates and up-to-the-minute information for all U.S. teams will be available on Twitter -- @USAHockey and @USAHockeyScores -- and on USA Hockey's Facebook. U.S. TO HOST 2013 FOUR NATIONS CUP IN LAKE PLACID, N.Y. The 2013 Four Nations Cup will take place Nov. 5-9 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., as part of the U.S. Women's National Team's pre-Olympic Bring on the World Tour. The tournament will feature teams from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Team USA is the two-time defending champion of the Four Nations Cup and has won the tournament five times total. For information on the Four Nations Cup, including rosters, game schedule and ticket information, click here. FASTHockey.com will stream all games of the tournament. Those interested in watching should sign up for a free account in advance at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com. To join the conversation on social media, use #4NationsCupand #USWNT, and like the U.S. Women's National Team's Facebook page. U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-18 TEAM TO PLAY IN 2013 UNDER-18 FOUR NATIONS TOURNAMENT The U.S. National Under-18 Team will travel to Turku, Finland, to participate in the 2013 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament Nov. 6-10. The U.S. squad will be competing against teams from Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. The United States has won the last five Under-18 Four Nations Tournaments, including the 2012 event, which was played at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube, home of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. For additional information on Team USA, including a team roster, schedule and statistics, visit USANTDP.com. To join the conversation on social media, use #4NationsU18 and like the U.S. NTDP's Facebook page. 2013 UNDER-17 FOUR NATIONS TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN PRIEVIDZA, SLOVAKIA The U.S. National Under-17 Team will take part in the 2013 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament Nov. 6-10 in Prievidza, Slovakia. Participating nations include Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States. Team USA went undefeated in the tournament last year, outscoring opponents, 18-7, in three games on its way to a fourth Under-17 Four Nations Tournament title in a row. For additional information on Team USA, including a team roster, schedule and statistics, visit USANTDP.com. To join the conversation on social media, use #4NationsU17 and like the U.S. NTDP's Facebook page. 2013 DEUTSCHLAND CUP SLATED TO BEGIN NOV. 8 IN MUNICH, GERMANY The U.S. Men's Select Team, which is comprised of players currently participating in European elite leagues, will compete in the 2013 Deutschland Cup Nov. 8-10 in Munich, Germany. Team USA will be playing against squads from Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. The United States has played in the Deutschland Cup on seven occasions (2002-05, 2007, 2009, 2011), winning the championship in 2003 and 2004. For complete information on the U.S. Men's Select Team, including a team roster, schedule and statistics, clickhere. To join the conversation on social media, use #DeutschlandCup. U.S. JUNIOR SELECT TEAM SET TO PLAY IN 2013 WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE The U.S. Junior Select Team will travel to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to take part in the 2013 World Junior A Challenge Nov. 5-10. In addition to the United States, the 2013 field includes Canada East, Canada West, Czech Republic, Russia and Switzerland. Team USA is the defending champion and has collected four of the last five tournament titles (2008-2010, 2012). FASTHockey.com will stream all games of the tournament. Those interested in watching should sign up for a free account in advance at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com. For complete infomation on the U.S. Junior Select Team, including a team roster, schedule and statistics, click here. To join the conversation on social media, use #WJAC.

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With smartphones and gadgets in hand, we're having a hard time dropping our work load when 5 PM rolls around. Even after an 8-hour day, many employees report checking emails and taking work-related calls after hours. Having constant access to our mobile communication streams tacks on an extra two hours of work a day.

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Leader of the Pack: Muamba honoured for defining season.

Argos' Ray to end regular season in record books.

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

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DC Comics , the home of Batman and Superman, announced that it will leave New York for California in 2015. [Superman could stay. It shouldn't be much of a problem for him to commute.]

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Regina, SK. -The Saskatchewan Roughrider nominees for the CFL awards were announced today. This year’s nominees are: Kory Sheets (Most Outstanding Player), Chris Getzlaf (Outstanding Canadian), Tyron Brackenridge (Outstanding Defensive Player), Brendon LaBatte (Outstanding Offensive Lineman), Levi Steinhauer (Outstanding Rookie) and Ricky Schmitt (Outstanding Special Teams Player).

Read the rest here.

Next up for the 11-6 Riders is a home game on Saturday, November 2nd against the 3-14 Edmonton Eskimos. Kickoff on 620CKRM, 620ckrm.com, the Rider Radio Network, TSN and ESPN3.com is set for 5:00pm EDT.

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Mount Rushmore was declared complete after 14 years of work on this date in 1941. At the time the 60-foot busts of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were finished.

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Tampa, FL. — It's a milestone more than six seasons in the making, but Bucs LT Donald Penn will start his 100th consecutive game Sunday at Seattle, which he says is a testament to resilience, steady play and good luck.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1956, Rear Admiral G.J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole. Dufek also became the first person to set foot on the South Pole.

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Corvallis, OR. -- Southern Cal presents a similar challenge to Stanford, at least on the defensive side, where the Trojans have a half-dozen NFL prospects and are, with the Cardinal, Utah, Oregon and Arizona State, considered the top defenses in the Pac-12.

Read the rest here.

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Wal-Mart Discount City stores were incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc on this date in 1969.

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St. Louis, MO. -- Commissioner Bud Selig said there have been no breakthroughs in the stalled talks on the Rays stadium situation, and he plans to talk soon with principal owner Stuart Sternberg to determine the next step.

Read the rest here.

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Facebook admitted this week what many teens already know: it's not as cool to be on Facebook anymore. But while some stories would have you believe teens are dumping Facebook in droves, it's not true. The company says while there is a decrease in "daily users among younger teens," just about every teen in the U.S. is still using the social media service.

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It's Spider Jimmy!

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching the Red Sox win the World Series, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1960 - Elvis Presley ended his first lengthy gospel music session. He had began the session the day before. Much of the work appeared on the 1961 album "His Hand In Mine."

1962 - The Elvis Presley film "Girls! Girls! Girls!" had its world premiere in Honolulu, HI. It opened across the United States on November 21.

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Ed Bolian claims he's the fastest man ever to drive across the United States. A record set in 2006 -- 31 hours, 4 minutes -- was allegedly broken by a three-man team consisting of Ed, a co-driver, and a passenger, in a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles' "I Feel Fine" and "The Beatles' Story" were certified gold by the RIAA.

1983 - Paul McCartney released the album "Pipes of Peace."

1988 - Paul McCartney released the album "Back in the USSR."  

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On this date in 1981, Antiqua and Barbuda became independent of Great Britain.

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Today in Sports History:

1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their first game. They beat Detroit 138-118.

1995 - The NHL's New Jersey Devils announced that they would stay in New Jersey.

1999 - Bryan White sang the National Anthem at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville prior to the game between the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Following the game, White gave his second annual Howl-O-Ween concert at the north end of the coliseum.

2001 - In Miami Beach, FL, Jose Canseco was involved in a nightclub brawl. Canseco later violated his probation and was sentenced to two years of house arrest and three years probation.

2010 - For the first time in major league history, two former presidents attended the same World Series Game. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush both attended Game 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

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Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department reached a tentative agreement to settle the antitrust case against the software company on this date in 2001.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs USC Trojans 9:00pm EDT

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 3:30pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:30pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Eskimos 5:00pm EDT

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 6:30pm EDT

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues 7:00pm EDT

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT

Sunday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 9:30am EST

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 12:30pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:00pm EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks 4:05pm EST

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!

It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is October 30th, the 303rd day of 2013. There are 62 days left in the year.

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Athletes gear up with Sochi Olympics 100 days away.

Seven up, seven down as Sochi Olympic candidates.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Henry Winkler (Here Comes the Boom, Happy Days) is 68; Gavin Rossdale of Bush (married to Gwen Stefani) is 46; Matthew Morrison (Glee) is 35.

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Newark, NJ. -- After seeming to continuously find a way despite the circumstances, the Tampa Bay Lightning stumbled Tuesday night and dropped a 2-1 decision to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.

Read the rest here.

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John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, MA on this date in 1735. His son became the sixth President of the U.S.

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University of Minnesota Maintains No. 1 Ranking in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2013-14 Women's College Hockey Poll - #5(First-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Ranking 2013-14 Record (W-L-T) Weeks in Top 10 1 University of Minnesota, 190 (19) 1 6-0-0 6 2 University of Wisconsin, 154 2 6-2-0 6 3 Cornell University, 148 4 4-0-0 6 4 University of North Dakota, 125 6 6-1-1 6 5 Clarkson University, 111 5 6-2-1 6 6 Boston College, 100 3 5-2-0 6 7 Harvard University, 80 7 2-0-0 6 8 Mercyhurst University, 49 9 5-3-1 6 9 University of Minnesota Duluth, 25 RV 4-3-1 3 10 Quinnipiac University, 24 8 6-1-1 3 Others receiving votes: Ohio State University, 23; Boston University, 8; University of New Hampshire, 3; Syracuse University, 3; Robert Morris University, 2. Notes: The University of Minnesota received all 19 first-place votes in this week's rankings ... Minnesota has been the No. 1-ranked team in each of the last 32 polls dating back to March 20, 2012 ... ECAC Hockey and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association lead the way with four ranked programs each, while College Hockey America and the Hockey East Association are both represented with one school in the poll ... A total of 15 teams received votes. About the poll: The 17th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey. Try Hockey For Free Day to Take Place Saturday at Nearly 500 Locations Nationwide Event is Part of Third Annual Come Play Hockey Month COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Try Hockey For Free Day is set to take place Saturday (Nov. 2) as part of the third annual Come Play Hockey Month. Nearly 500 rinks spread across 48 states will welcome boys and girls, ages 4 to 9, to come to a local participating rink and try youth hockey free of charge. More than 10,000 kids took to the ice for the first time as part of USA Hockey's Try Hockey For Free Day last November. A total of 454 rinks, representing 47 states, held events. "Youth hockey has seen tremendous growth in recent years by introducing new kids to the game," said Pat Kelleher, assistant executive director of development for USA Hockey. "Thanks to the support of the NHL and the outstanding work of local volunteers, thousands of families will enjoy their first youth hockey experience during Try Hockey For Free events on Saturday." Equipment will be provided for children attending Try Hockey For Free Day and no experience is required to participate. USA Hockey certified coaches will be instructing at each location. For those interested in registering for the event, full details and local participating ice rinks can be found at TryHockeyForFree.com. Notes: Try Hockey For Free Day is part of Come Play Hockey Month, which provides children the opportunity to play hockey. USA Hockey's Try Hockey For Free Day, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations a national platform to introduce new kids to the sport. Total Hockey and Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports are the official sponsors of Try Hockey For Free Day ... Join the conversation on social media by using hashtag #TryHockey4Free.

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Movember's coming. During November each year, the Movember campaign is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men's faces. With their Mo's, the men raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

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Bowman: 'I feel like there’s a lot more to come.'

Status Unknown: Bombers unsure if Hall will play vs. 'Cats.

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

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Maintaining close ties with your good friends on Facebook increases your self esteem -- but also your waistline. According to a study, keeping watch of your good friends' activities on social media correlates to a higher body-mass index and higher levels of credit card debt. These close connections increase your self-esteem, thereby allowing you to let your guard down and temporarily lose self control.

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Regina, SK. -The Saskatchewan Roughriders are seriously teetering on a cliff right now.

Read the rest here.

Next up for the 11-6 Riders is a home game on Saturday, November 2nd against the 3-14 Edmonton Eskimos. Kickoff on 620CKRM, 620ckrm.com, the Rider Radio Network, TSN and ESPN3.com is set for 5:00pm EDT.

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Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" aired on CBS radio on this date in 1938. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners.

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Tampa, FL. — Whenever the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decide to fire head coach Greg Schiano, we won't look back at his team's winless start or the backlash among local fans as the deciding factor.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1944, Martha Graham's ballet "Appalachian Spring" premiered at the Library of Congress.

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Corvallis, OR. -- Oregon State junior football players Sean Mannion, Brandin Cooks and Steven Nelson have all been named to national college football awards semifinalists lists.

Read the rest here.

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The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing on this date in 1945.

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- The Rays' sure-handed infielders came away from Tuesday night's Gold Glove Awards show empty-handed.

Read the rest here.

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Kanye West revealed that he and Kim Kardashian will exchange vows next summer. [By then their little kid will be old enough to say "pre-nup".]

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Ride, Jimmy, ride.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching the World Series, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1960 - Elvis Presley began his first lengthy gospel music session. Much of the work appeared on the 1961 album "His Hand In Mine."

1960 - Elvis Presley recorded "Crying In The Chapel."

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Want tickets to Game 6 of the World Series? For $800 you can stand for the whole game. Some tickets on StubHub are going for over $11,000.

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - Work finished on "With the Beatles." The album was the second by the Beatles.

1973 - John Lennon released the album "Mind Games."  

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A downtown Helena, Montana, building was closed down Monday after officials found lead levels up to 40 times higher than federal standards. The building they shut down: the state Department of Environmental Quality.

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Today in Sports History:

1919 - The professional baseball association ruled that spitballs and shineballs were illegal.

1974 - In Kinshasa, Zaire, Muhammad Ali regained his heavyweight-boxing title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round.

1988 - The New York Jets beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time.

1992 - Magic Johnson played his last game in the NBA before retiring for the second and last time.

1997 - Violet Palmer became the first woman to officiate an NBA game. The game was between the Dallas Mavericks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

2001 - In New York City, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2001 - Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards after a 3 1/2 year retirement. The Wizards lost 93-91 to the New York Knicks.

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Smartphone cases can be expensive, so what's a person to do if they want to swap their case out every month? Now there's Reset My Case, an iPhone case subscription service that brings a new look to your phone case each month instead of an entirely new case. Reset My Case does this with custom-designed printed inserts which fit into a durable, high-quality transparent case. The subscription, which gets you a new insert every month, is $5 a month.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs USC Trojans 9:00pm EDT

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 3:30pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:30pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Eskimos 5:00pm EDT

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 6:30pm EDT

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues 7:00pm EDT

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT

Sunday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 9:30am EST

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 12:30pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:00pm EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks 4:05pm EST

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!