It's Thursday

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

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Today is May 8th, the 128th day of 2014. There are 237 days left in the year.

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Blues extend Hitchcock as coach through 2014-15.

Flyers promote Holmgren to president, Hextall to GM.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Toni Tennille is 74; Stephen Furst (St. Elsewhere, Animal House) is 60; Melissa Gilbert is 50.

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Tampa, FL. -- Tampa Bay Lightning prospects Kristers Gudlevskis, Andrei Vasilevskii and Dmitry Korobov have been added to Latvia, Russia and Belarus’ rosters, respectively, for the IIHF World Championships being held from May 9-25 in Minsk, Belarus.

Read the rest here.

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Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River on this date in 1541. He called it Rio de Espiritu Santo.

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Seventh Annual Warren Strelow National Team Goaltending Camp Opens Tomorrow Select Camp Will Run May 8-11 in Ann Arbor, Mich. ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The seventh annual Warren Strelow National Team Goaltending Camp, which features many of the top U.S. goaltenders eligible for international play within select age groups, opens Thursday (May 8), in Ann Arbor, Mich. The camp is named after the former National Hockey League goalie coach who served in the same capacity for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team. The elite four-day camp will cover both physical and mental aspects of goaltending, helping each player master the fundamentals of the position while developing a personal identity that translates to in-game success. The camp will be led by Kevin Reiter, Warren Strelow mentor and U.S. National Team goaltending coach, and regional mentors Adam Berkohoel, Justin Goldman and Jared Waimon. In addition, assistant mentors Mike Ayers, Joe Exter, Bob Janosz, David Lassonde,Matt Millar, Nick Petraglia and Alison Quandt will be on hand for instruction, as well as several guest coaches, including: Shane Clifford, former NHL goalie coach and current goalie coach for the United States Hockey League's Youngstown Phantoms; Bri McLaughlin, U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team goalie (2010, 2014); Phil Osaer, assistant and goalie coach for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders; Rob Stauber, U.S. Women's National Team goalie coach; John Vanbiesbrouck, former NHL and Olympic goaltender; and Jessi Vetter, U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team goalie (2010, 2014). A full list of camp attendees can be found here. NOTES: Fourteen of this year's attendees also participated in the 2013 camp, including Kaitlin Burt (Lynn, Mass.), Ryan Edquist (Lakeville, Minn.), Nicole Hensley (Lakewood, Colo.), Matt Jurusik (La Grange, Ill.), Ryan Larkin (Clarkston, Mich.), Michael Latorella (Washington, Mich.), Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.), Liam Moore (Syracuse, N.Y.), Conor O'Brien (Pinellas Park, Fla.), Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.), Evan Sarthou (Black Diamond, Wash.), Alexis Shaw(Troy, Mich.), Nic Sorgio (West Hartford, Conn.) and Blake Weyrick (Ojai, Calif.).

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Mitchell on BC Departure: 'I didn't leave on kind terms.'

Changing of the guard: Flory announces retirement.

Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca.

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George Selden applied for the first automobile patent on this date in 1879.

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Tampa, FL. — By calling one name Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instantly can be relevant.

Read the rest here.

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According to a new Cornell study, coffee may be good for your eyes. [Just don't forget to remove the spoon.]

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Tampa, FL. -- One pitch did in the Rays Wednesday night.

Read the rest here.

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T. Rex had a long-nosed cousin that has been christened with the nickname "Pinocchio Rex." Pinocchio Rex probably lived alongside T. Rex around 66 million years ago, but it was smaller -- 29 feet long vs. 42 feet long -- and faster.

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Pittsburgh, PA. -- Right-hander Tim Lincecum, the Giants' former Cy Young Award winner, had a rough afternoon as the Pirates downed San Francisco, 4-3, on Wednesday at PNC Park.

Read the rest here.

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So here's a great, simple idea: Young Brazilians want to learn English. Elderly Americans living in retirement homes just want someone to talk to. Why not connect them? Ad agency FCB Brazil did just that with its "Speaking Exchange" project for a language school company. The young Brazilians and older Americans connect via web chats, and they not only begin to share a language - they develop relationships that enrich both sides culturally and emotionally. | Video

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After practice, let's go to McDonald's!

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching Sportscenter on your tablet and seeing the same commercials over and over again, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1965 - The Elvis Presley album "Girl Happy" hit #7 in the U.K.

1976 - The Elvis Presley single "Hurt" hit #37 in the U.K.

2005 - CBS aired the first part of the new four-hour mini-series "Elvis." The second part aired on May 11. Jonathan Rhys Meyers played the part of Elvis. 

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On this date in 1886, pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented what would later be called "Coca-Cola."

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Today in Beatles History:

1970 -  The Beatles album "Let it Be" was released. 

1980 - Paul McCartney received the Special Award For International Achievemnet at the 25th annual Ivor Novello Awards. 

1982 - The album single "The Beatle's Movie Medley" hit #12 in the U.S. 

1982 - The Beatles album "Reel Music" hit #19 in the U.S. 

1982 - Paul McCartney's album "Tug Of War" hit #1 in the U.K. 

1989 - Paul McCartney released "My Brave Face" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey." 

1998 - The album "Lennon Legend - The Very Best Of John Lennon" was certified double platinum by the BPI. 

2007 - The Yoko Ono limited edition CD-single "Cambridge 1969/2007" was released. 

2007 - The Beatles album "LOVE" was released on limited edition vinyl. The album was the soundtrack to the Cirque de Soleil show "LOVE."  

  
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Two guests on a Jordanian current affairs show became so irate they tried to batter one other with part of the studio set. A bitter on-air argument was about the conflict in Syria. The studio set was pretty much destroyed after the two men leapt out of their seats and began grappling, attempting to shove each other with a table-top. The program's host attempted to break-up the melee but couldn't.

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Today in Sports History:

1866 - Australian Rules Football was created. 

1878 - Paul Hines made baseball's first unassisted triple play. 

1909 - Chief Bender (Philadelphia Athletics) hit two inside the park home runs against Boston. 

1915 - H.P. Whitney's Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby. 

1935 - Ernie Lombardi (Cincinnati Reds) hit four doubles on consecutive at-bats against four different Philadelphia pitchers. 

1954 - Parry O'Brien became the first to toss a shot put over 60 feet. O'Brien achieved a distance of 60 feet 5 1/4 inches. 

1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets. 

1966 - Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) became the first player to hit a ball completely out of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. 

1966 - The St. Louis Cardinals played their last game at Busch Stadium. They lost to San Francisco 10-5. 

1967 - Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army. 

1970 - The New York Knicks won their first NBA title when they defeated Los Angeles in Game 7 of the Finals. 

1971 - Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali at New York's Madison Square Garden. 

1973 - In Cincinnati, Ralph Miller, the last of the 19th century baseball players, died at the age of 100. 

1984 - Kirby Puckett (Minnesota Twins) debuted with four singles. 

1984 - The Soviet Union announced that they would not participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games in Los Angeles. 

1984 - The Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The game was actually completed on May 9. 

1988 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) completed the first round the playoffs with 226 points in five games against Cleveland. 

1993 - Lennox Lewis defended his WBC heavyweight title for the first time. He was in a unanimous 12-round decision over Tony Tucker. 

1995 - Mark Messier (New York Rangers) became the third player to reach 100 playoff goals. 

1999 - Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners) hit his 361st home run. The feat tied him for 45th place on the all-time home run list with Joe DiMaggio. 

2000 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 534 home run. He tied Jimmie Foxx for ninth place on the all-time home run list. 

2000 - Jason and Jeremy Giambi (Oakland) became the 10th set of brothers to hit home runs in the same game.

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George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have set a wedding date. A source says the wedding will take place in September. But don't expect press to be there because they've told family and friends they will only disclose the location at the last minute, and it will be very private.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 7:10pm EDT

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

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians 7:10pm EDT

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

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 4:10pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 7:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation at Kansas Speedway 7:30pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 1:40pm EDT

Verizon Indy Car Series -- Grand Prix of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course 3:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 4:10pm EDT

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