It's Wednesday

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

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Today is November 5th, the 308th day of 2014. There are 57 days left in the year.

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Around the League notebook for Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Blackhawks forward Sharp sustains lower-body injury.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Singer Bryan Adams is 55. Tilda Swinton (Chronicle of Narnia films, Snowpiercer) is 54. Singer-guitarist Ryan Adams is 40. Kevin Jonas of The Jonas Brothers is 27.

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Tampa, FL. -- Regular readers of this column are aware of how often I’ve harped on the importance of putting early-season points in the bank. Teams that sprint out of the gates quickly give themselves some leeway to withstand mid-season dips. Conversely, the clubs that are down in the standings after a month or six weeks are seemingly “chasing points” for the rest of the season.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1844, in California, a grizzly bear underwent a successful cataract operation at the Zoological Garden.

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Boston College New No. 1 in USA Today/USAH Magazine College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2014-15 Women's College Hockey Poll - Regular Season #7 (First-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Rank 2014-15 Record Weeks in Top 10 1. Boston College, 182 (12) 3 7-0-1 7 2. University of Minnesota, 174 (6) 1 7-1-2 7 3. University of Wisconsin, 157 (1) 2 9-2-1 7 4. Harvard University, 130 4 2-0-0 7 5. Quinnipiac University, 108 5 7-0-1 6 6. Boston University, 87 7 6-2-0 7 7. Clarkson University, 65 9 8-3-0 7 8. Mercyhurst University, 58 8 8-1-1 7 9. University of North Dakota, 31 10 4-5-1 5 10. University of Minnesota Duluth, 26 n/a 6-4-2 2 Others Receiving Votes: Cornell University, 13; Bemidji State University, 10; University of Vermont, 2; Dartmouth College, 1; St. Lawrence University, 1. Notes: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all women's conferences with four ranked teams, while the ECAC has three and the Hockey East Association has two. College Hockey America has one ... A total of 15 schools received votes in this week's poll ... This season's previous polls can be found here. About the Poll: The 18th 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. USA Blanks Finland, 5-0, in Four Nations Opener Five Different Players Notch Goals in Shutout Over Finland KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) stopped all 14 shots she faced and five different players scored to lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a 5-0 victory over Finland in its opening game here today in the 2014 Four Nations Cup. For a full recap from today’s game, please click here. The U.S. is back in action tomorrow (Nov. 5) against host Canada. Opening faceoff is set for 10 p.m. ET, and the game can been seen live on FASTHockey.com. U.S. National Under-17 Team Tops Canada Red, 7-3, at 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge  Team USA Earns First Seed in Group B with Win LAMBTON SHORES, Ont. - Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) recorded a hat trick and added one assist,Max Jones (Rochester, N.Y.) scored twice and added a single assist, and goaltender Joseph Woll(Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) turned aside 30 shots to help lead the U.S. National Under-17 Team to a 7-3 win over Canada Red in World Under-17 Hockey Challenge preliminary play here at The Shores Recreation Center tonight. The U.S. opened the scoring 4:05 into the first frame when Jones corralled his own rebound and blasted the puck into the net. Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane, Wash.) assisted on the play. Just over two minutes later, Keller doubled the Team USA lead after weaving through three Canada Red defenders and beating Dylan Wells top shelf, glove-side. Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.) andLuke Martin (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded assists. Yamamoto pushed the U.S. advantage to three goals at the 12:21 mark, chipping a Patrick Khodorenko (Walnut Creek, Calif.) feed past Wells. Jones recorded the secondary assist. With just over one minute remaining in the period, Jones struck again, this time on the power play, roofing a shot over Wells. Keller and Martin combined to earn assists on the tally. Team USA notched its fifth goal at 1:44 of the second stanza. Skating on a two-on-one break, NickPastujov (Bradenton, Fla.) charged down the left side of the ice and found Keller to the right. Wells could not slide over and stop the puck as Keller tapped it far side for the tally. Canada Red found the board at 3:22 while up a skater, knocking a rebound past Woll. A James Sanchez (Northbrook, Ill.) shot caromed off Keenan Suthers (Macomb, Mich.) and into the net at 13:48 to give Team USA a 6-1 advantage heading into the third. Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.) also assisted on Suthers' marker. Canada Red potted two goals in the third period, one while enjoying a 5-on-3, to climb to within three goals of the U.S. Keller answered moments after Canada Red's third strike, however, to put Team USA ahead, 7-3, and claim victory. Anderson started the play and was denied on a breakaway chance before Pastujov scooped up the loose puck and found Keller for the score. The U.S. National Under-17 Team will next face the No. 4 seed in Group A, Canada Black, in the quarterfinal round, having earned the No. 1 seed in Group B with tonight's victory. The contest will take place Thursday, Nov. 6, at The Shores Recreation Centre at 3 p.m. EST. The game can be viewed live on FASTHockey.com. Notes: Max Jones was named U.S. Player of the Game ... Canada Red outshot Team USA, 33-32 ... The U.S. went 1-5 on the power play while Canada Red was 2-6 with the man advantage ... The quarterfinals will be streamed live on FASTHockey.com and the official tournament website, which can be found here ... The semifinals, third-place game and championship contest will be broadcast live on TSN ... The 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge includes two groups of four teams. Group A features Canada Black, Canada White, Finland and Russia, while Group B includes Canada Red, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States ... Follow @USANTDP or @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for tournament updates and join the conversation on social media by using #WU172014 ...Danton Cole (Pontiac, Mich.) leads the U.S. National Under-17 Team for the third time in this tournament, having previously coached the U.S. to a second-place finish in 2011 and a third-place showing in 2013. Team USA Schedule - 2014 World Under-17 Hockey ChallengeNov. 2-8 | Sarnia and Lambton Shores, Ontario Date Opponent Location Time / Result Fri., Oct. 31 Canada White Sarnia, Ont. W, 6-0 Sun., Nov. 2 Sweden Lambton Shores, Ont. W, 6-3 Mon., Nov. 3 Slovakia Lambton Shores, Ont. W, 7-1 Tues., Nov. 4 Canada Red Lambton Shores, Ont. W, 7-3 Thurs., Nov. 6 Canada Black - QF Lambton Shores, Ont. 3:30 p.m. ET Fri., Nov. 7 Semifinals Sarnia, Ont. TBA Sat., Nov. 8 Third-Place Game Sarnia, Ont. 1:00 p.m. ET Championship Game Sarnia, Ont. 7:30 p.m. ET

************************************************ On this date in 1872, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the presidential election. She never paid the fine. ************************************************

Regina, SK. -- Over a 20-year football career, I had enough injuries to acquire a better-than-average knowledge of the topic, and enough of a pool of reference to draw from for this article.

Read the rest here.

After a week 19 bye for the 9-8 Riders comes a week 20 home game against the 12-5 Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday, November 8th, which wraps up the regular season schedule. Game time at Regina's Mosaic Stadium is 7:00pm EST. 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. Calgary next hosts Winnipeg on Saturday, November 1st.

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A new report says that last year over $2 billion in U.S. lottery winnings went unclaimed. [Well, you intend to pick up that $50 million check, but one thing leads to another, and you just never seem to find the time.]

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MOP Watch: Week 19 stock analysis.

Harris ready to lead Boatmen in season finale.

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

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COMING UP - Veteran’s Day: November 11. Great American Smokeout: November 20. Thanksgiving: November 27.

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Tampa, FL. -- Buccaneers’ second-year QB Mike Glennon revealed on his radio show Tuesday night that he would be ceding the starting job back to veteran Josh McCown on Sunday against the Falcons.

Read the rest here.

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Of a dozen toy contenders, two will be inducted Thursday into the National Toy Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The new winners will be announced tomorrow (November 6).

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Kona, HI. -- The Oregon State women’s golf team wrapped up its fall season on Tuesday by finishing in 11th place at the Pac-12 Preview on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Read the rest here.

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After a recent concert in Los Angeles, alt-country band O’Death suffered a frustrating loss. Their van, known affectionately as the Maroon Cocoon, and equipment trailer were stolen. Inside were all of their instruments, personal belongings and merchandise. In a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money to replace everything, over 450 fans came together and raised more than $20,000 in just two days. » check the latest total

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San Francisco, CA. -- Maybe Bruce Bochy's managerial reputation has become too lofty to ignore.

Read the rest here.

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New York State Police stopped a guy on suspicion of speeding on Interstate 95 early on Sunday morning. The man, who appeared drunk, was arrested and taken into a trooper station. When troopers printed out the results of his breathalyzer results, which showed a blood alcohol level well above the New York state legal limit, he grabbed the paper printout and attempted to eat it.

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Hmmmm, what's this?

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as waiting for an important phone call, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History:

1960 -  Elvis Presley's single "It's Now Or Never" hit #1 in the U.K. 

1966 - Elvis Presley's single "Spinout" hit #40 in the U.S. 

1966 - Elvis Presley's single "All That I Am" hit #18 in the U.K. 

1977 - The Elvis Presley double album "In Concert" hit #13 in the U.K.

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ON TELEVISION: THE 48TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS - Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley again host as the best in country music is celebrated. (8p ET, ABC)

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - The Daily Mirror headlined an editorial "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" The article included this quote - "You have to be a real sour square not to love the nutty, noisy, happy, handsome Beatles. If they don't sweep your blues away, brother, you're a lost cause. If they don't put a beat in your feet, sister, you're not listening." 

2005 - The John Lennon album "Live Peace in Toronto, 1969" was released on CD. The show was John Lennon's first solo performance after leaving the Beatles.

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Not long after Bono said “sorry ’bout that” for forcing millions of people to download Songs of Innocence, news comes that U2 will once again invading your home with a weeklong visit on The Tonight Show as musical guest. Bono and Company will join Jimmy Fallon for the week of November 17.

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Today in Sports History:

1946 - A glass backboard broke shattered for the first time in an NBA game. Chuck Connors of the Boston Celtics was the man that broke it. 

1955 - Jean Beliveau (Canadiens) scored the 2nd fastest hat trick. He did it in 44 seconds. 

1959 - The American Football League was formed. 

1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers began a winning streak of 33 consecutive games. 

1981 - Mercury Morris (former Miami Dolphin) was sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine. 

1984 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NFL had exceeded antitrust limits in attempting to stop the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles. 

1994 - George Foreman, 45, became boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas, NV. 

1995 - Warren Moon (Minnesota Vikings) became the 6th player in NFL history to pass for 40,000 career yards. 

1995 - John Elway (Denver Broncos) became the 7th player in NFL history to pass for 40,000 career yards. 

1997 - The Milwaukee Brewers became the first major league baseball team to switch leagues during the 20th century. They moved from the American League to the National League. 

1999 - Dennis Rodman (NBA) and Carmen Electra were both arrested and charged with battery and domestic violence in a Miami Beach, FL, hotel. 

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The game "Monopoly" was introduced by Parker Brothers Company on this date in 1935.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Calgary Flames 7:30pm EST

Friday --

USPHL Empire and Elite Hockey -- At USPHL Boston Showcase Times TBA

Saturday --

USPHL Empire and Elite Hockey -- At USPHL Boston Showcase Times TBA

Nascar Nationwide Series -- DAV 200 - Honoring America's Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway 2:00pm EST

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Washington State Cougars 4:00pm EST

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Eskimos 7:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets 7:00pm EST

Sunday --

USPHL Empire and Elite Hockey -- At USPHL Boston Showcase Times TBA

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons 1:00pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway 3:00pm EST (Final race of Eliminator Round)

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings 6:00pm EST

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