Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is August 25th, the 236th day of 2014. There are 129 days left in the year.

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Flames' rebuild ready for next important step.

Improving Oilers enter season still a work in progress.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Sean Connery (James Bond, The Rock) is 84. Regis Philbin is 83. Gene Simmons (KISS) is 65. Chef Rachael Ray is 46. Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Green Lantern, married to Ryan Reynolds) is 27.

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Tampa, FL. -- In 2013-14, forward Alex Killorn was one of several Tampa Bay Lightning players who found their game and helped the team overcome a tumultuous season to post the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Entering his third season, Killorn is now tasked with building on that success.

Read the rest here.

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Hundreds of colonists from France arrived in Louisiana on this date in 1718. Some settled in present-day New Orleans.

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U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team Beats Canada, 3-2, in Shootout, Sweeping Under-22 Series USA Team captain Alex Carpenter scored game-tying goal and was two-for-two in shootout CALGARY, ALBERTA — The U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime and went on to a 3-2 shootout victory over Canada here today to complete a three-game sweep of the 2014 Under-22 Series. Team USA captain Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) scored the game-tying goal and was two-for-two in the shootout to lead the way offensively. "Both sides played well and we got down a couple of goals but our players never quit on each other and mounted a nice comeback late in the game," said Ken Klee, head coach of the U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team. "I was really proud of our team today and throughout the series." For a complete recap, highlights and photos click here. U.S. Women's Under-18 Select Team Beats Canada, 4-1, in U18 Series Finale Sophie Skarzynski and Sophia Shaver notch multi-point games CALGARY, ALBERTA — The U.S. Women’s Under-18 Select Team topped Canada, 4-1, in the final contest of the 2014 Under-18 Series to finish with a 1-2 record. Sophie Skarzynski (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Sophia Shaver (Wayzata, Minn.) registered multiple-point games and Rebecca Gilmore (Wayland, Mass.) scored for the third consecutive outing. Skarzynski had one goal and one assist and Shaver recorded a pair of assists. In net, Brittany Bulgalski (Lake Worth, Fla.) stood tall and stopped 24 of 25 shots she faced. “We got better each game of the series and had our best game here today,” said Joel Johnson, head coach of the U.S. Women’s Under-18 Select Team. “We had timely saves and our special teams play was improved. Overall, I was really proud of our effort and resiliency.” For a complete recap, highlights and photos click here.

************************************************ Joseph Gibbons received a patent for the seeding machine on this date in 1840. ************************************************

Vancouver, BC. -- Must Watch: Clark Plays the Part of Unlikely Hero.

Read the rest here.

Next up for the 6-2 Riders is a week 10 home game against the 6-3 Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, August 31st. Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium in Regina is set for 4:00pm EDT. Catch all the action with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com. The game can be seen in Canada on TSN and in the U.S. on ESPN3.com.

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Captain Matthew Webb swam from Dover, England, to Calais, France on this date in 1875, making him the first person to swim the English Channel. The feat took about 22 hours.

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. Stamps pull away late to gallop over REDBLACKS. Durant sidelined in Riders win over Lions. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ American Airlines announced that it will begin charging an extra $150 each way for having to keep an eye on unaccompanied children. [And three times that for unaccompanied celebrities.] ************************************************ Buffalo, NY. -- Tampa Bay led Buffalo, 24-0, at the end of a first half played by both teams’ starters on Saturday at Ralph Wilson Stadium, en route to a 27-14 preseason victory that featured a dominant Buc defense. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The San Francisco Bay area was hit Sunday with its most powerful and destructive earthquake in 25 years. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency after a 6.1 magnitude quake ruined buildings, started fires, and sent dozens to the hospital. The center of the earthquake was a few miles south of Napa Valley's wine country. ************************************************ Toronto, ON. -- The Rays aren't where they want to be in the standings, but manager Joe Maddon is proud of his club's resiliency. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1916, the National Park Service was established as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. ************************************************ Washington, DC -- The Giants' bullpen has remained extremely reliable. That's not the same as being perfect. Read the rest here. ************************************************ A couple in England were left speechless after a visit to the vet revealed their pet kitten Twinkle had both male and female genitalia. They always thought Twinkle was a female cat so they were amazed when the vet phoned to say she was a he-she. After speaking with the owners the vet removed Twinkle's male parts leaving her female once again. ************************************************ Jimmy, Flipper and Chase get ready for the first day of first grade. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as dropping your son off at school, isn't it? ************************************************

Today in Elvis History:

1958 - In Texas, Elvis Presley reported back to Fort Hood.

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This is a British survey of male soccer fans, but could it be the same here for football? 40% of men would rather watch sports on a weekend afternoon than have sex.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles single "A Hard Day's Night" was certified gold by the RIAA. 

1965 - The Beatles' movie "Help!" opened in the U.S.

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The movie "Wizard of Oz" opened around the United States on this date in 1939.

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Today in Sports History:

1946 - Ben Hogan won the PGA in Portland, OR. It was his first major golf title. 

1985 - Dwight Gooden became the youngest pitcher to win 20 major league baseball games in a season. 

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TV TONIGHT: THE 66th ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS - The Emmy awards are airing on Monday due to preseason football. Seth Meyers hosts as the best in TV are honored. Billy Crystal will pay tribute to his close friend Robin Williams during the In Memoriam segment. (8p ET, NBC)

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BRISTOL, Tenn. – Joey Logano believes he has the car, and Team Penske believes they have the team, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Read the rest here.

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Guardians of the Galaxy was the top-grossing film of the weekend, beating out a trio of new releases.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

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

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

Tuesday --

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

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

Wednesday --

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

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

Thursday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 3:45pm EDT

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

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Washington Redskins 7:30pm EDT

Friday --

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

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

Saturday --

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Portland State Vikings 4:00pm EDT

Verizon Indy Car Series -- MavTV 500 at Fontana, California 4:00pm EDT

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

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Great Clips 300 Benefitting Feed The Children at Atlanta Motor Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox 1:40pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers 4:00pm EDT

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

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway 7:30pm EDT

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