It's Saturday!

It's Saturday and for most of us, start of a three-day weekend. Here's what's happening....

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Today is September 4th, the 247th day of 2010. There are 118 days left in the year.

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Kovalchuk deal registered as NHL, NHLPA reach settlement.

Pens' Staal not ready yet, but hopeful for opener.

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September is International Square Dancing Month.

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USHL officials head to camp.

Steel name Jon Waibel Head Coach/General Manager.

Equipment Manager returns to help Black Hawks.

Video Report: Tri-City Storm press conference.

Former Muskie Louis Liotti enters spohomore season in pro hockey.

USHL Alumni Voices: Cameron Burt.

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Today is Newspaper Carrier Day.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West. Saskatchewan enters the Labour Day Classic with a 5-3 record while the Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th in their most recent game, are 2-6. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl, starting at 1:00pm EDT on Sunday, September 12th.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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September is Better Breakfast Month.

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Today in Sports History:

1948 - The longest pro tennis match in history was played when Pancho Gonzales and Ted Schroeder played 67 games in five sets.

1953 - The New York Yankees became the first baseball team to win five consecutive American League championships.

1972 - Swimmer Mark Spitz captured his seventh Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay event at Munich, Germany. Spitz was the first Olympian to win seven gold medals. World records were set in his seven events.

1993 - Jim Abbott, pitcher for the New York Yankees, pitched a no-hitter. Abbott had been born without a right hand.

2002 - The Oakland Athletics won their AL-record 20th straight game. The A's gave up an 11-run lead during the game and then won the game on a Scott Hatteberg home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The game hosted the largest crowd (55,528) ever for a regular season game at the Coliseum.

2002 - St. Louis manager Tony La Russa got his 1,905th major league win. He tied Casey Stengel for eighth place.

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September is National Blueberry Popsicle Month.

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Baltimore - A pair of two-run innings helped propel the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles last night in front of 13,507.

The Rays scored twice in the third and twice in the fourth. In the third, Carl Crawford singled home Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria doubled home Crawford, for a 2-0 Tampa Bay lead. In the fourth, Brignac singled home Matt Joyce and B.J. Upton scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Zobrist for a 4-0 lead. The Orioles scored in the bottom of the fourth when Ty Wigginton scored on a sacrifice fly by Felix Pie but that's as close as they'd get, as the Rays held on for the 4-1 win.

Matt Garza allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 3 strike outs and 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings to get the win for Tampa Bay, he's now 14-7. Chad Qualls(10), Randy Choate(15) and Joaquin Benoit(24) recorded holds, and Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 41st save of the season. Baltimore starter Kevin Millwood went 5 2/3, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, with 3 strike outs and 5 walks, dropping to 3-15 on the season.

The Rays are 83-51, and trail the Yankees by 1 1/2 games in the A.L. East. First pitch tonight is set for 7:05pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. After tomorrow's game in Baltimore, Tampa Bay will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, the Rays play four at New York on the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: James Shields(13-11, 4.73) will start for Tampa Bay tonight against Baltimore. He'll be opposed by the Orioles' Jeremy Guthrie(8-14, 3.94)....The Rays are 10-3 against the Orioles and a Major League-best 40-25 on the road this season. The 40 road wins matcg their franchise record for one entire season....Tampa Bay leads the all-time series against Baltimore, 110-107. Shields has earned a victory in five of his past eight starts. Shields is 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA in eight career starts at Camden Yards....Manager Joe Maddon received a nice personal milestone on Friday, when his team's victory pushed him to 391-391 for his career. Maddon hadn't been at .500 since owning an 8-8 record all the way back on April 20 of the 2006 season. Prior to Maddon's arrival in '06, the Rays had posted a 518-775 record under previous management....The Rays have held the best record in baseball for a total of 76 days this season, which is 36 more than in their first 12 seasons combined.

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Today is Internation Drive Your Studebaker Day.

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The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 1 1/2 games in the A.L. East, Boston is 8 1/2 back in the division race and trail in the Wild Card race by 7 1/2, Toronto is 15 1/2 back and Baltimore(Eliminated from post-season contention) is 36 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 games, they're 11 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 21 1/2 back and Cleveland 24 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 9 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 22 1/2 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 1 game(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 3 games), Florida trails by 9 (They're 8 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 12 behind and Washington is 21 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati leads St. Louis by 7 games,(The Cards are 5 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race), Houston and Milwaukee are both 16 back, the Cubs are 20 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh(Eliminated from post season competition) is 33 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 3 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 3 games). Colorado is 6 1/2 behind(They're 6 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 8 games out(They trail by 8 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 21 games behind.

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Run Jimmy, run!

My turn to drive Daddy!









I like my new Big Boy car seat!

Jimmy wants to join the band, after the drummer gave him a pair of sticks.

This car, a 1966 Dodge Charger, belongs to the drummer of the Flashback Band, who played at last night's car show at Biff Burger in St. Petersburg. (I used to drive a '67.)





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Los Angeles - Barry Zito endured another defeat Friday night, but didn't absorb punishment from Bruce Bochy with it.

The Giants manager lifted Zito after the fourth inning, in which the left-hander walked the first two hitters -- both of whom scored on opposing pitcher Chad Billingsley's bases-loaded single. Those runs made the difference in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-2 victory, which prevented the Giants from gaining a game on first-place San Diego in the National League West standings.

Read the rest here.

Notes: Matt Cain(10-10, 3.11) starts tonight against the Dodgers, who start Ted Lilly(8-9, 3.59).... Cain has lost 8-of-9 decisions lifetime to the Dodgers, but he's 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 2 starts this season....Second baseman Freddy Sanchez is batting .431 over his past 17 games....Catcher Buster Posey has hit safely in 24 of 31 contests versus NL West competition....The Dodgers own a 231-187 record against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

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Today in Elvis History:

1964- Elvis Presley's single "Such A Night" hit #13 in the U.K.

1982- The album "Romantic Elvis/Rockin' Elvis" hit #62 in the U.S. 

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Lions pound Montreal 38-17.

GMs hope to bolster rosters for stretch run.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

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Today in Beatles History

1962 - The Beatles began recording at EMI's Abbey Road for the first time. They reluctantly record Mitch Murray's "How Do You Do It." "Love Me Do" was also recorded.

1970 - George Harrison released "My Sweet Lord."


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Today (and tomorrow) is Oatmeal Day.

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The Beavers begin the 2010 season against the TCU Horned Frogs tonight at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

Here's news and notes on tonight's game from the Portland Tribune's Kerry Eggers.

Here's a look at tonight's game from FoxSports.com.

Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

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September is Healthy Aging Month.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

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

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 8:00pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 8:00pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

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That's it for today. See you tomorrow. Go Beavers!

It's Friday!

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

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Today is September 3rd, the 246th day of 2010. There are 119 days left in the year.

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Canadiens sign Price to two-year deal.

Avery moves on from disappointing season.

Cam Neely heads 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy Recipients.

Predators ownership completes purchase.

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September is Apple Month.

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Traditional look for Saints.

Black Hawks go for gold.

Dan Sova's Michigan Tech bio.

Dream summer for Justin Selman.

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Today is National Lazy Mom's Day.

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Tampa Bay Lightning announce 2010-11 single game tickets on-sale.

Go here to see the Lightning's all-time roster.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month.

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Defending Darian.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West. Saskatchewan enters the Labour Day Classic with a 5-3 record while the Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th in their most recent game, are 2-6. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl, starting at 1:00pm EDT on Sunday, September 12th.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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September is International People Skills Month.

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Houston - Rookie WR Arrelious Benn’s second touchdown catch of the game allowed the visiting Buccaneers to hold on to a 24-17 win at Houston in the preseason finale.

Read all about it right here.

Season tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is Shameless Promotion Month.

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Today in Sports History:

1895 - The first professional football game was played in Latrobe, PA. The Latrobe YMCA defeated the Jeannette Athletic Club 12-0.

1947 - The New York Yankees got 18 hits in an 11-2 win over Boston. All 18 hits were singles.

1966 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) signed his first NHL contract. The two-year deal paid $70,000 plus a signing bonus, gave Orr the top salary in hockey.
1970 - Vince Lombardi died of cancer at the age of 57.

1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) ended his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played.

1981 - The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners played the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was ended in a 7-7 tie after 19 innings on September 2nd. The Mariners won the game 8-7 when it was resumed on September 3rd.

1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) set a National League record when he played in his 1,117th consecutive game.

1984 - Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by earning his 38th save of the season.

1986 - The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 8-7 in the 18th inning. The game was ended the day before after 14 innings were played. The two teams had used a record 53 players the day before.

1973 - Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.

1981 - The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners played to a 7-7 tie after 19 innings. It was the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was resumed the following day and the Mariners won 8-7 in 20 innings.

1999 - Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially took over the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux became the first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he had once played for.

2000 - Kenny Lofton tied a major league record when he scored in his 18th straight game.

2001 - Bud Smith became the 16th major league rookie to throw a no-hitter. It was his 11th career start.

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September is Healthy Aging Month.

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St. Petersburg - After Wednesday's 2-1 win over Toronto, the Tampa Bay Rays had last night off, in preparation for a nine game road trip, beginning tonight in Baltimore.

The Rays are 82-51, and trail the Yankees by 1 1/2 games in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 8 games in the division and 6 1/2 games in the Wild Card race.

First pitch tonight is set for 7:05pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. Tampa Bay will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, the Rays play four at New York on the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: Matt Garza(13-7, 3.53) will start for Tampa Bay tonight night against Baltimore. He'll be opposed by the Orioles' Kevin Millwood(3-14, 5.34)....The Rays are 49-58 at Camden Yards and 16-8 against the Orioles since 2008....The Rays are 9-3 against the Orioles and a Major League-best 39-25 on the road this season....Tampa Bay leads the all-time series against Baltimore, 109-107.

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September is Reunion Planning Month.

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The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 1 1/2 games in the A.L. East, Boston is 8 back in the division race and trail in the Wild Card race by 6 1/2, Toronto is 14 1/2 back and Baltimore(Eliminated from post-season contention) is 35 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 3 1/2 games, they're 11 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 20 1/2 back and Cleveland 23 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 10 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 23 1/2 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 2 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 2 games), Florida trails by 10 (They're 8 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 12 behind and Washington is 21 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati has opened up a 8 game lead on St. Louis(The Cards are 5 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race). Houston and Milwaukee are both 16 back, the Cubs are 21 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh(Eliminated from post season competition) is 34 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 3 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 2 games). Colorado is 7 1/2 behind(They're 6 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 9 games out(They trail by 8 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 22 games behind.

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Auntie DD, is that for me, or Smokey?





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San Francisco - The San Francisco Giants, fresh off Wednesday's 2-1 win over Colorado, had last night off, before starting a 10-game road trip tonight in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. San Francisco will play 3 games at Los Angeles, 3 games at Arizona and 4 games at West-leading San Diego.

Notes: Beginning tonight, the Giants will play 16 of their next 22 games on the road, where they are just 32-33. They have posted losing records in each of their past two road trips, going 2-4 on both. San Francisco has 28 games left, 22 against NL west opponents, who they are 23-27 against this season....Barry Zito(8-10, 4.07) starts Friday against the Dodgers, who start Chad Billingsley(10-8, 3.73).... Zito is 6-6, 3.83 lifetime against the Dodgers.

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Today in Elvis History:

1966- Elvis Presley's album "Paradise Hawaiian Style" hit #7 in the U.K.

1969- The Elvis Presley film "The Trouble With Girls (And How To Get Into It)" premiered in the U.S.

1977- Elvis Presley's single "Way Down" hit #1 in the U.K.

1977- The album "The Elvis Presley Sun Collection" hit #16 in the U.K.

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Moffat: Can Gators climb mountains?

Playing for Proudfoot: Sanchez donates pay.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

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Today in Beatles History

1966 - The BBC aired "Pog Go The Beatles."

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September is Schoolhouse Triangle Project Month.

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Can Beavers run over Horned Frogs?

Everyday Champion: James Rodgers.

Oregon State, Nike unveil Pro Combat uniforms.

Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU tomorrow night at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

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September is Pleasure Your Mate Month.

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The final week of the 2010 NFL preseason was played last night. Detroit beat Buffalo 28-23, Cincinnati edged Indianapolis 30-28, the Giants were 3 better than New England 20-17, Jacksonville slipped past Atlanta 13-9, Pittsburgh topped Carolina 19-3, the Jets beat Philadelphia 21-17, St. Louis stopped Baltimore 27-21, Cleveland edged Chicago 13-10, Minnesota beat Denver 31-24, Kansas City knocked off Green Bay 17-13, Dallas over Miami 27-25, Tennessee beat New Orleans 27-24, Tampa Bay edged Houston 24-17, San Francisco beat San Diego 17-14, Oakland won over Seattle 27-24 and Arizona stopped Washington 20-10.

The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

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September is National Rice Month.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

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

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 8:00pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 8:00pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

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That's all for now. See you tomorrow.

It's Thursday!

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

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Today is September 2nd, the 245th day of 2010. There are 120 days left in the year.

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NHL, NHLPA extend deadline for Kovalchuk decision.

Report: Niemi headed to Sharks.

Turco aiming to add to Blackhawks' success.

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September is Atrioal Fibrillation Month.

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Poapst accepts AHL coaching position.

Saints to unveil new uniforms.

Lancers add Zucker to coaching staff.

Wiki page for former Gambler Jake Taylor.

Former Stamp Luke Greiner skates for Harvard.

Two RoughRiders Lead The Pack At International Tournaments.

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September is Backpack Safety America Month.

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Jackson travelling on road to NHL.

Go here to see the Lightning's all-time roster.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is Be KInd to Editors & Writers Month.

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Pedersen: What's up with the Riders?

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West. Saskatchewan enters the Labour Day Classic with a 5-3 record while the Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th in their most recent game, are 2-6. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl, starting at 1:00pm EDT on Sunday, September 12th.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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September is College Savings Month.

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Final auditions.

Season tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is National Chicken Month. (Stand up and take a bow if you're a coward!)

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Today in Sports History:

1917 - Grover Cleveland Alexander (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched and won to entire games of a doubleheader versus Brooklyn (5-0 and 9-3).

1924 - Bill Tilden won his fifth straight U.S. Open men's singles title.

1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) set a record for left-handed pitchers when he recorded his 41st shutout.

1961 - The estate of Ty Cobb was estimated at $11.78 million. Cobb had died two months earlier.

1962 - Ken Hubbs (Chicago Cubs) set a record for a second baseman when he played his 74th game without an error.

1966 - The Miami Dolphins played their first regular-season game. They lost the game to the Oakland Raiders 23-14.

1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) set a National League record when he played in his 1,117th consecutive game.

1970 - Jimmy Connors played in his first match at the U.S. Open. He lost to Mark Cox.

1971 - Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors won their first U.S. Open singles matches.

1973 - Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.

1981 - The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners played to a 7-7 tie after 19 innings. It was the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was resumed the following day and the Mariners won 8-7 in 20 innings.

1986 - The Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs played 14 innings and used 53 players in the game. Houston won the game 8-7 when the game resumed the next day.

1990 - Bobby Thigpen (Chicago Cubs) set a major league record with his 47th save.

1996 - Mike Greenwall (Boston Red Sox) set a major league record when he drove in all nine runs in a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners.

1996 - David Cone (New York Yankees) pitched in a game for the first time in four months after an aneurysm was removed from his shoulder.

1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 58th and 59th home runs of the season. The record at the time was 61 held by Roger Maris.

1998 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) hit his 56th home run of the season.

1998 - Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox) hit his 30th home run of the season. He joined Mark McGwire, Rudy York, Ron Kittle and Jose Canseco as a player that hit 30+ home runs in his first two years.

1998 - Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) signed a six-year contract for $36 million. The deal made him the highest paid wide receiver in the league.

1999 - Cal Ripken (Baltimore Orioles) hit his 400th career home run.

2003 - Eric Gagne (Los Angeles) established a major league record with his 55th consecutive save.

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September is Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-Fat Pizza Bake Month.

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St. Petersburg - The Tampa Bay Rays squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night in front of another embarrassingly small crowd of 14,859 at Tropicana Field.

John Buck hit a lead-off homer in the top of the fifth to give Toronto a 1-0. The Rays tied it in their half of the fifth on a one-out homer by Sean Rodriguez. Tampa Bay scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth, when Evan Longoria singled home Ben Zobrist, sending the Rays on to the 2-1 win.

David Price pitched 8 strong innings for Tampa Bay to get the win, allowing 1 run on 4 hits, with 7 strike outs and 2 walks. He's now 16-6. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth, giving out 1 hit and striking out 1 for his 40th save of the season. Sean Camp was tagged with the loss out of the bullpen for Toronto, allowing 1 run on 1 hit, with 2 strike outs and 1 walk. He's now 4-3.

The Rays are now 82-51, and trail the Yankees by 1 game in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 8 games in the division and 7 games in the Wild Card race. Tampa Bay has today off, then embarks on a nine game road trip, beginning with a three game series in Baltimore starting Friday, with first pitch set for 7:05pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. Tampa Bay will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, the Rays play four at New York on the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: Matt Garza(13-7, 3.53) will start for Tampa Bay tomorrow night against Baltimore. He'll be opposed by the Orioles' Kevin Millwood(3-14, 5.34)....The Rays could arrive in Baltimore at the same time as Hurricane Earl. The storm has prompted watches and warnings from South Carolina up into Canada could be the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States this hurricane season....Tampa Bay is the seventh team overall to follow 10 consecutive losing seasons with three straight winning seasons....The Rays are 49-58 at Camden Yards and 16-8 against the Orioles since 2008....The Rays are 9-3 against the Orioles and a Major League-best 39-25 on the road this season....Tampa Bay leads the all-time series against Baltimore, 109-107.

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September is Update Your Resume Month.

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The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 1 game in the A.L. East, Boston is 8 back in the division race and trail in the Wild Card race by 7, Toronto is 14 back and Baltimore(Eliminated from post-season contention) is 34 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 games, they're 12 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 21 back and Cleveland 24 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 9 1/2 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 23 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 3 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games), Florida trails by 10 1/2 (They're 7 1/2 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 13 behind and Washington is 21 1/2 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati has opened up a 8 game lead on St. Louis(The Cards are 5 games behind in the Wild Card race). Houston and Milwaukee are both 16 back, the Cubs are 21 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh(Eliminated from post season competition) is 34 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 3 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 1 1/2 games). Colorado is 7 behind(They're 5 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 9 games out(They trail by 7 1/2 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 22 games behind.

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Bye Bye Mommy. Have fun at work!

It's America's Sweethearts.

Jimmy has fun playing in the backyard.

Jimmy and Daddy enjoy Toddler Story Time at the Library.

Jimmy enjoys more playtime in the backyard.

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San Francisco - When Wednesday's game started, Darren Ford was sitting in a car and listening to it on the radio.

By the time it ended, the speedy September callup had ran away with Tim Lincecum's thunder.

With Andres Torres at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning, Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez thew a wild splitter in the dirt, which bounced a few feet away from catcher Miguel Olivo. Ford, at second, took off for third and, after Olivo's throw sailed in the outfield, scored the game-winning run to give the Giants a 2-1 win on Wednesday night at AT&T Park.

Read the rest here.

 Notes: Beginning Friday, the Giants will play 16 of their next 22 games on the road, where they are just 32-33. They have posted losing records in each of their past two road trips, going 2-4 on both. San Francisco has 28 games left, 22 against NL west opponents, who they are 23-27 against this season....Barry Zito(8-10, 4.07) starts Friday against the Dodgers, who haven't named their starter yet. Zito is 6-6, 3.83 lifetime against the Dodgers.

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Today in Elvis History:

1957- The Elvis Presley EP "Loving You Vol II" hit #18 in the U.S.

1957- The Elvis Presley soundtrack EP "Love Me Tender" hit #22 in the U.S.

1961- Joe Dowell's version of Elvis' "Wooden Heart" hit the U.S. charts.

1966- Elvis Presley completed his work for the film "Double Trouble."

1967- Elvis Presley's album "Double Trouble" hit #34 in the U.K.

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Rivalries renewd for Labour Day weekend.

Pair of Argos headline Player of the Month awards.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

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Today in Beatles History

1965 - The Beatles received a gold record for the song "Help!"

1965 - The Beatles released "Yesterday."

1978 - George Harrison married Olivia Trinidad Arias. She was a secretary at his Dark Horse record company.

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September is Library Card Sign-Up Month.

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Wheaton ready to become prime target for Katz.

DE Paea's amazing progress on and off field.

Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU this coming Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

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September is International Strategic Thinking Month.

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The final week of the 2010 NFL preseason(Don't you dare call it exhibition, or Roger Goodell will be quite displeased) action is tonight. Buffalo is at Detroit, Cincinnati visits Indianapolis, New England is at the Giants, Atlanta visits Jacksonville, Carolina is at Pittsburgh, the Jets play at Philadelphia, Baltimore will be in St. Louis, Chicago is at Cleveland, Denver is on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay is at Kansas City, Miami is at Dallas, New Orleans travels to Tennessee, Tampa Bay goes to Houston, San Diego heads North to San Francisco, Seattle is at Oakland and Washington travels to Arizona.

The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

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September is National Prime Beef Month.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

NFL Preseason Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

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

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 8:00pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

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That's it for today. See you tomorrow.

It's Wednesday!

It's Wednesday, downhill to the weekend from here. Here's what's happening....

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Today is September 1st, the 244th day of 2010. There are 121 days left in the year.

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Chelios retires, joins Wings' Front Office.

NHL names NFL programming executive Coplin to newly created position as Executive VP of Content.

Former Flyers quartet becoming U.S. citizens.

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Today is Bison-Ten Yell Day.

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Former Stamp enters senior season at RPI.

Hockey road takes Matthew Friese from Alaska to Kearney, Nebraska.

USHL officials earn advancement.

Former Muskie inks deal with Rangers.

Lumberjacks begin off-ice training in preparation for upcoming season.

Storm renews radio deal for upcoming season.

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Today is Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day.

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Steve Griggs Named Chief Operating Officer of Lightning, St. Pete Times Forum.

Go here to see the Lightning's all-time roster.

Need Lightning tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is Children's Good Manners Month.

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Riders set for Fan Day.

Canadian Mint set to offer Rider Commemorative circulation coin.

James Patrick named CFL Defensive Player of the Week.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to rebound from Week 9's 17-14 loss at Edmonton, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Riders, who have lost 3 of their past 5, trail Calgary by 4 points in the CFL West. Saskatchewan enters the Labour Day Classic with a 5-3 record while the Bombers, who dropped a 39-17 decision at Montreal on August 19th in their most recent game, are 2-6. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 4:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog. The Riders will travel to Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl, starting at 1:00pm EDT on Sunday, September 12th.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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September is Baby Safety Month.

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Bucs Release Ward, Nunn in cut to 75.

Bucs and young athletes celebrate USA Football Month.

Talib suspended by NFL for one game.

Season tickets? Get 'em here.

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September is AKC Responsible Dog Owner Month.

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Today in Sports History:

1906 - Jack Coombs of the American League’s Philadelphia Athletics pitched 24 innings against the Boston Red Sox. .

1971 - Danny Murtaugh of the Pittsburgh Pirates gave his lineup card to the umpire with the names of nine black baseball players on it. This was a first for Major League Baseball.

1982 - J.R. Richard returned to major league baseball after a two year absence following a near-fatal stroke.

1998 - Mark McGwire, of the St. Louis Cardinals, hit his 56th and 57th homeruns to set a new National League record. He would eventually reach a total of 70 for the season on September 27.

1999 - Twenty-two of major league baseball's 68 permanent umpires were replaced. The problem arose from their union's failed attempt to force an early start to negotiations for a new labor contract.

2004 - In Colorado, the sexual assault charge against Kobe Bryant was dropped after the victim decided not to participate.

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Today is the start of Self-University Week, as well as International Enthusiasm Week.

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St. Petersburg - The Tampa Bay Rays had a 3-1 lead after five innings last night, but the Toronto Blue Jays hung a 10 spot on the board in the sixth, on their way to a 13-5 win in front of another embarrassingly small crowd of 12,972 at Tropicana Field.

John McDonald homered to left with one out in the third, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay would strike for 3 in the fifth, to take a two-run lead. With two outs, Ben Zobrist singled home Evan Longoria, and Dan Johnson doubled home Sean Rodriguez and Zobrist, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead.

That advantage disappeared quick, and then some in the top of the sixth. Facing Tampa Bay starter Jeff Niemann, DeWayne Wise singled up the middle to score Fred Lewis, then moments later, Wise and Jose Bautista scored on a Vernon Wells doubled, putting Toronto on top 4-3. The onslaught was just getting started. Adam Lind doubled home Wells, Lind scored on a John Buck double, giving the Jays a 6-3 lead and bringing Niemann's night to a close. Lance Cormier came out of the bullpen and promptly served up a pair of taters. The first, by Aaron Hill, with Buck aboard and the second, a 3-run blast by Bautista that also brought in McDonald and Wise, gave the Blue Jays an 11-3 lead.

Both teams would score a pair of runs in the eighth. Toronto's McDonald scored when Wise hit into a fielder's choice, and Lewis scored on a Bautista single. The Rays' Reid Brignac singled home Zobrist and Johnson to end the scoring as the Blue Jays would, on a rather forgettable night, roll to the 13-5 win.

Ricky Romero was the winning pitcher for the Jays, 5 runs, 4 earned on 3 hits, with 5 strike outs and 5 walks. He's now 11-8. Jeff Niemann took the loss for Tampa Bay, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits, with 3 strike outs and 2 walks in 5 innings, falling to 10-5.

The Rays are now 81-51, and for the first time in 9 days, fall behind the Yankees, who now have a 1 game lead in the A.L. East. Boston trails by 8 games in the division and 7 games in the Wild Card race. Tampa Bay meets Toronto again tonight, in the third and final game of their three game set, with first pitch set for 7:10pm EDT on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. After tonight's game with Toronto, the Rays hit the road for nine games, beginning with a three game series in Baltimore starting Friday. Tampa Bay will then play three in Boston and three more in Toronto, before returning home on Monday, September 13th, for a big three-game set with the Yankees to jump start a six-game home stand, that includes three games with the Angels. After that short stay at home, the Rays play four at New York on the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All games for the remainder of the season can be seen on Sun Sports with the exception of the September 18th game at Anaheim, which will be available online at MLB.tv. Two Wednesday games with the Yankees, September 15th and September 22nd, will air on ESPN.

Notes: David Price(15-6, 3.01) will start for Tampa Bay tonight against Toronto, on David Price Figurine Night. He'll be opposed by the Jays' Shaun Marcum(11-7, 3.61)....The AL East rivals will meet one more time in the regular season, September 10th through 12th, at Rogers Centre in Toronto....As part of the September 1st roster expansion, the Rays have announced they are calling up catchers Dioner Navarro and Jose Lobaton, outfielders Desmond Jennings and Rocco Baldelli and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson....Joe Maddon's record as a Major League Manager is now 416-415. His record with the Rays is now 389-391. He was 27-24 in two stints as interim manager with the Angels.

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Today is Calendar Adjustment Day. (What? Flip it from August to September? That kind of adjustment?)

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The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 1 game in the A.L. East(The first time in 9 days the teams haven't been tied in the standings), Boston is 7 back in both the division and Wild Card races, Toronto is 13 back and Baltimore(Now eliminated from post-season contention) is 33 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 games, they're 11 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 20 back and Cleveland 23 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 8 1/2 and the Angels by 10 1/2 games, with Seattle trailing by 22 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 3 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games), Florida trails by 10 1/2 (They're 7 1/2 back in the Wild Card race), the Mets are 12 behind and Washington is 20 1/2 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati has opened up a 7 game lead on St. Louis(The Cards are 4 games behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 15 behind, Houston is 16 back, the Cubs are 21 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh(Eliminated from post season competition) is 33 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 4 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail the N.L. Wild Card chase by 1 1/2 games). Colorado is 7 behind(They're 4 1/2 back in the Wild Card), the Dodgers are fourth, 9 games out(They trail by 6 1/2 games in the Wild Card race), and Arizona is 23 games behind.

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Snoopy says there's nothing better than a roll in the grass on a sunny day. Smoke just likes to lay out and get warmed up.

Snoopy and Smoke discuss whether or not going inside is a good idea.

They decide to stay out awhile longer.

Jimmy has nummies on his new dinner tray. He's such a good little guy!

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For last night's 13-5 loss to Toronto, the Rays drew a crowd of 12,972. In an article appearing yesterday at NESN.com, outfielder Carl Crawford said: "It was a big letdown. We came out all fired up and you see that, it's really depressing." The usually positive Manager Joe Maddon said: "There's nothing we can do about that anymore, honestly. Whether it's winning or losing or whatever, we can't even be concerned about that. Of course it's disappointing, but we do appreciate the group that did come out. It's too bad because you're missing really good baseball."

An ESPN study shows the Rays, even with the second best won-loss record in baseball, playing to 52.8% capacity, 23rd in baseball. That ranks them ahead of just Pittsburgh, Florida, Arizona, Baltimore, Toronto, Oakland and Cleveland, teams with a combined combined record of 395-520. Read the rest of the article here.

When players and management start critizing the fans, right or wrong, if you stop and listen close enough, you'll think you can hear the beep, beep, beep of the backing alarms on the moving trucks.

It's turning into a situation that's likely to get worse before it gets better, and could result in the Tampa Bay area losing it's major league baseball team.

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Today is Chicken Boy's Day. (He's everywhere, he's everywhere!)

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San Francisco - Time will determine whether the Giants' 5-2 victory Tuesday night over the Colorado Rockies was an encouraging omen or merely an isolated, random incident.

The Giants responded admirably to Monday's potentially demoralizing 2-1 loss to Colorado as Andres Torres homered leading off the eighth inning to break a 2-2 deadlock and Buster Posey followed with a bases-loaded double to cap San Francisco's three-run rally.

Read the rest here.

 Notes: Tim Lincecum(11-9, 3.80) goes to the hill tonight against Colorado, which starts Ubaldo Jimenez(17-5, 2.71) in tonight's 9:15pm EDT game....Jimenez outdueled Lincecum on May 31st, tossing a shutout to pace Colorado to a 4-0 victory....The Rockies hold an 8-6 advantage in the season series. The two teams will square off in Denver September 24th-26th....The Giants hit the road for 10 games, beginning Friday, September 3rd, playing 3 at Los Angeles, 3 at Arizona and 4 at San Diego....Edgar Renteria will be activated off the 15-day disabled list Wednesday when rosters expand to 40 men. Renteria has been out since Aug. 11 with a biceps strain but said he feels 100 percent.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956- Elvis Presley shared his success with his family by purchasing his mother a pink Cadillac.

1956- Elvis Presley recorded the song "Love Me."

1956- Elvis Presley's single "Hound Dog" hit #2 in the U.S.

1957- Jimi Hendrix went to see Elvis Presley perform at Sicks' Seattle Stadium.

1962- Elvis Presley's single "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" hit #55 in the U.S.

1978- A 10-day Elvis Presley convention began at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel.

1978- The album "Our Memories Of Elvis Volume 2" hit #157 in the U.S.

1990- The Elvis Presley album "The Great Performances" hit #62 in the U.K.

2003- The Elvis Presley album "White Christmas" was released. The album contained 25 Christmas songs.

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Irving: Healthier Bombers back from bye.

Less than four weeks to Touchdown Atlantic.

Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Trophy unveiled.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

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Today in Beatles History

1986 - Paul McCartney released his "Press to Play" LP.

2005 - Ringo Starr published "Postcards from the Boys".

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Today is Emma N. Nutt Day. (Emma N. Nutt was the first female telephone operator, back in 1878.)

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McAndrews Endures Pain, may start at Left Tackle Vs. TCU.

High octane offense ahead: Q&A with Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf.

Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

And here's the 2010 football roster.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU this coming Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

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Today is National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day.

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The final week of the 2010 NFL preseason(Don't you dare call it exhibition, or Roger Goodell will be quite displeased) action is tomorrow. Buffalo is at Detroit, Cincinnati visits Indianapolis, New England is at the Giants, Atlanta visits Jacksonville, Carolina is at Pittsburgh, the Jets play at Philadelphia, Baltimore will be in St. Louis, Chicago is at Cleveland, Denver is on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay is at Kansas City, Miami is at Dallas, New Orleans travels to Tennessee, Tampa Bay goes to Houston, San Diego heads North to San Francisco, Seattle is at Oakland and Washington travels to Arizona.

The 2010 regular season starts on Thursday, September 9th.

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Today is Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants 9:15pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Lakeland Flying Tigers 7:00pm EDT

NFL Preseason Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 8:00pm EDT

Friday --

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Saturday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 1 9:00am EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Florida Eels 6:00pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series: Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 6:30pm EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

College Football: Oregon State Beavers at TCU Horned Frogs 7:45pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series: Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky 8:00pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs Atlanta 2 11:00am EDT

Baseball: Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa Yankees 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Junior Hockey: SEJHL Showcase at Fort Myers Skatium, Tampa Bay Minor Juniors vs TBA 3:00pm or 5:00pm EDT

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

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers 8:00pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 7:30pm EDT

Monday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Tuesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game One Dunedin Blue Jays at TBA Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Wednesday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Two TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40pm EDT

Thursday --

Baseball: Florida State League North Division Playoffs, Game Three TBA at Dunedin Blue Jays Time TBA (If necessary)

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series: Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 7:30pm EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 5:15pm EDT

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Minor Juniors 9:30am EDT

MJHL Hockey: Palm Beach Hawks at Tampa Bay Major Juniors 12:15pm EDT

CFL Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1:00pm EDT

NFL Football: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays 1:07pm EDT

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

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That's it for today. See you tomorrow.