It's Thursday

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

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Today is June 26th, the 177th day of 2014. There are 188 days left in the year.

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Penguins name Mike Johnston new coach.

Complete list of winners at NHL Awards.

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

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Today's Birthdays: NFL player-turned-sportscaster Shannon Sharpe is 46. Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) is 44. Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) is 44. Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) is 44. Singer-actress Ariana Grande is 21.

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Tampa, FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday signed forward Ryan Callahan to a six-year contract.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.

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Sweeney to Receive Inaugural Pat Tillman Award for Service at 2014 ESPYS U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Scored Gold-Medal Winning Goal at 2014 Paralympic Winter Games COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.) of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team is the inaugural recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service, an honor created by ESPN and the Pat Tillman Foundation that will be presented at The 2014 ESPYS July 16 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. "Growing up in Phoenix, I was very familiar with Pat Tillman and what he stood for; I aspired to be like him," said Sweeney, an alternate captain for the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "Receiving this award is truly an honor. I look forward to being a part of The 2014 ESPYS and assisting the Pat Tillman Foundation in its efforts to benefit veterans." Sweeney scored the gold-medal winning goal in Team USA's 1-0 triumph over Russia at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. As a result, the U.S. became the first nation to win back-to-back Paralympic gold medals in sled hockey. A sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sweeney was on patrol in Afghanistan in October 2009 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device. He received a Purple Heart for his service. An able-bodied hockey player in high school, Sweeney was drawn to sled hockey during his rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas. He was less than two years removed from his injuries when he began his career with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team in 2011-12. “We’re proud to honor Josh Sweeney with the first annual Pat Tillman Award for Service, which pays tribute to the lasting legacy of selflessness, leadership and sacrifice that Pat represented, and we look forward to this new tradition at the ESPYS," said Connor Schell, vice president, ESPN Films and Original Entertainment, who oversees the ESPYS.” Ten years after his death, the Pat Tillman Award for Service was created to honor former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman. The annual award will honor an individual with a strong connection to sports that has served others in a way that echoes the Tillman legacy. Tillman placed his NFL career on hold to enlist in the U.S. Army. He served tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as well as in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004. On the evening of April 22, 2004, Tillman’s unit was ambushed as it traveled through eastern Afghanistan leading to his tragic death. Founded in 2004, the Pat Tillman Foundation invests in military veterans and their spouses through educational scholarships – building a diverse community of leaders committed to service to others. “Pat was deeply committed to a life of service both in and out of uniform as a teammate and soldier,” said Marie Tillman, president and co-founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation. “Sgt. Josh Sweeney embodies the selfless spirit of service that has defined this generation of veterans for more than a decade. In Pat’s name, we’re proud to honor Josh for his incredible achievements leading Team USA, but especially for his dedication to inspire and empower others as leaders for our country.” The 2014 ESPYS will be televised live July 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Notes: Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) is a nominee for the 2014 ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. Fan voting is open at ESPN.com/ESPYS and runs to July 16. Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), Team USA's goaltender at the 2010 and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. ************************************************ The bicycle was patented by W.K. Clarkson, Jr on this date in 1819. ************************************************ Regina, SK. -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders today announced the addition of international running back Hugh Charles to the teams practice roster. Read the rest here. The Roughriders open the regular season and defence of their Grey Cup championship on Sunday, June 29th, when they host the defending Eastern champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Kickoff is at 7:00pm EDT, with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the action on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com. The game can also be seen on TSN.in Canada and ESPN3.com in the U.S. ************************************************ On this date in 1844, John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first U.S. President to marry while in office. ************************************************ Irving: Ready for Kickoff: Previewing the 2014 CFL Season. Prediction time: Nye makes his annual picks. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ It was 40 years ago today (Thursday) that the Universal Product Code -- the bar code -- was scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have said all the right things regarding quarterback Mike Glennon, but actions speak louder than words and it's now clear the rumors about a potential trade were legit. Read the rest here. ************************************************ North Korea now says that if the new Seth Rogen movie about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un reaches movie theaters, North Korea will consider it an act of war. [If any Seth Rogen movie reaches movie theaters, it's an act of war.] ************************************************ St. Petersburg, FL. -- If David Price in fact made his last start at Tropicana Field on Wednesday afternoon, he made it a good one. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1959, CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow interviewed Lee Remick. It was his 500th and final guest on "Person to Person." ************************************************ San Francisco, CA. -- Proving that he's a performer for the ages, Tim Lincecum reached across the centuries Wednesday to match a feat that only one other Giant accomplished. Read the rest here. ************************************************ U.S. President John Kennedy announced "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) at the Berlin Wall on this date in 1963. ************************************************ Hi everybody, I'm six!. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching hilites of Tim Lincecum's no hitter, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1909 - Colonel Tom Parker was born.  1957 - Elvis Presley spent his first night at Graceland.  1968 - A birthday party was thrown for Col. Tom Parker on the set of the 1968 TV Special "Elvis."  1977 - Elvis Presley's final concert took place at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis.  1979 - Elvis Presley's father, Vernon Elvis Presley, died.  2007 - The 21-song Elvis Presley collection "That's Alright" was released. ************************************************ With World Cup matches getting huge ratings in the U.S. it will be interesting to see how many workers take early and extra-long lunches today (Thursday) to watch the U.S. play Germany. The game begins at noon ET. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1963 -   John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song "She Loves You" in a hotel room in Newcastle, England. They recorded the song five days later.  1964 - The Beatles album "A Hard Day’s Night" was released in the U.S.  1975 - Paul McCartney's theme for ITV's "Crossroads" aired for the first time.    ************************************************ With wedding season in full swing, guests everywhere are asking the same question: How much money should I give the newlyweds? Though most guests will spend an average of $109 this year, the average cost nearly doubles to $200 if the recipient is a close family member (according to the American Express Spending & Savings Tracker) ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1819 -  Abner Doubleday was born.  1910 - For the second consecutive year, Hazel Hotchkiss won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships.  1916 - The Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians appeared in a game with numbers on their sleeves. The event marked the first time that players were identified by numbers that corresponded to the scoreboard.  1938 - Lonney Frey (Cincinnati Reds) had eight hits in a doubleheader split with the Philadelphia Phillies.  1944 - The New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played against each other in a six inning contest in a war bonds fund-raiser. Over 50,000 people watched the game. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1 and the Giants 0.  1962 - Earl Wilson (Boston Red Sox) pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels. Wilson also hit a home run.  1970 - Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) hit two grand slams against the Washington Senators in a 12-2 win.  1976 - Shortstop Toby Harrah (Texas Rangers) played an entire doubleheader without handling a batted ball from the Chicago White Sox.  1979 - Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.  1985 - Wilbur Snapp was ejected after playing "Three Blind Mice" during a baseball game. The incident followed a call made by umpire Keith O'Connor.  1986 - Jockey Sandy Hawley won his 5,000th career race.  1990 - Jennifer Capriati, at age 14, became the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.  1998 - Jamaica won soccer's World Cup. It was the first time a Caribbean team had won the World Cup since 1938.  1999 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago White Sox) hit his 300th career home run.  1999 - Cal Ripken (Baltimore Orioles) got his 995th extra base hit.  2000 - Alex Cabrera (Arizona Diamondbacks) hit a two-run home run in his first major league at-bat.  2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement just 17 days after winning his first Stanley Cup. Bourque retired after 22 years and held the NHL record for highest-scoring defenseman and playing in 19 consecutive All-Star games. ************************************************ Madonna's daughter Lourdes Ciccone Leon joins the student body at the University of Michigan this fall. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:15pm EDT Friday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:05pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT Nascar Nationwide Series -- John R. Elliott Hero Campaign 300 Presented By Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:15pm EDT Saturday -- Verizon Indy Car Series -- The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park Race One 3:00pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 4:05pm EDT Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Quaker State 400 Presented By Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:05pm EDT Sunday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT Verizon Indy Car Series -- The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park Race Two 3:00pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 4:05pm EDT CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats 7:00pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!

It's Wednesday

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

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Today is June 25th, the 176th day of 2014. There are 189 days left in the year.

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Healthy Crosby cleans up at NHL Awards.

Cancer patient has unforgettable time at NHL Awards.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Carly Simon is 69; Jimmie Walker (Good Times) is 67; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is 60; Ricky Gervais is 53; Busy Philipps (Cougar Town, ER, Dawson's Creek) is 35.

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Tampa, FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning has initiated the compliance buyout process for veteran wing Ryan Malone, the Times has learned.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the 10th state of the United States.

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Farmer Nominated for 2014 ESPY Award

Paralympic Gold Medalist Candidate for Best Male Athlete with a Disability

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team is one of five nominees for the 2014 ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability, ESPN announced today. The winner will be determined by fan voting and presented at The ESPYS July 16 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Fan voting is open now atESPN.com/ESPYS and runs through July 16. On March 15, Farmer helped the U.S. become the first nation to win back-to-back Paralympic gold medals in sled hockey by defeating Russia, 1-0, in the gold-medal game in Sochi, Russia. Farmer tied for the Team USA lead in both goals (3) and points (5) at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. He tallied two goals and an assist in the 3-0 semifinal win against Canada. In his Paralympic debut, the 16-year-old notched a goal and an assist versus Italy. Farmer was voted the International Paralympic Committee's Best Male Paralympian in April. Notes: Steve Cash, Team USA's goaltender at the 2010 and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. ************************************************ Lucien B. Smith patented the first barbed wire on this date in 1867. ************************************************

Regina, SK. -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added the following players to the practice roster:

Read the rest here.

The Roughriders open the regular season and defence of their Grey Cup championship on Sunday, June 29th, when they host the defending Eastern champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Kickoff is at 7:00pm EDT, with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the action on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com. The game can also be seen on TSN.in Canada and ESPN3.com in the U.S.

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On this date in 1868, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union.

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Irving: New-look Bombers a mysterious team.

Butler all business ahead of return to Riderville.

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

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY - 34,625: Messages posted on Twitter by the time I finish saying this sentence. 

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Tampa, FL. — Here's a sampling of media reports on the Buccaneers yesterday.

Read the rest here.

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Officials say that the New York City subway is on pace to have one of its lowest crime years. [A spokesman explained that the turning point came when they banned Alec Baldwin.]

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- Chris Archer hung tough after getting dinged up, Brandon Guyer had a clutch hit in the ninth, and the Rays managed to get the winning run to the plate. Despite all the positives, the Rays still lost.

Read the rest here.

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In Philadelphia, PA on this date in 1877, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone for Sir William Thomson (Baron Kelvin) and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil at the Centennial Exhibition.

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San Francisco, CA. -- The Giants' slump, which continued with Tuesday night's 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, is all-encompassing. As usual, however, pitching is at the heart of their problems, just as it often seems to be the source of their success.

Read the rest here.

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In New York, the first regular commercial color TV transmissions were presented on CBS on this date in 1951, using the FCC-approved CBS Color System. The public did not own color TV's at the time.

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Here's the birthday boy with his best friend, Flipper.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as going to lunch with a friend, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - Elvis Presley returned to Memphis after finishing his duties with the film "Jailhouse Rock." 

1958 - Elvis Presley's parents celebrated their 25th anniversary. 

1961 - Elvis Presley recorded the song "Little Sister." The single was released in August 1961. 

2002 - A remixed version of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" was released.

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We keep hearing that teens are dumping Facebook in droves. But a new study (by Forrester) shows that maybe teens don't hate Facebook after all. There was a survey of 4,500 U.S. online users between 12 and 17 about their habits on social networks and apps. Among apps they use "all the time," both Facebook and Instagram finished ahead of Snapchat.

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Today in Beatles History:

1967 -  The Beatles recorded "All You Need Is Love" live on the British TV program "Our World." Marianne Faithfull sang in the chorus. 

1992 - Ringo Starr performed at "Summerfest '92 The Big Encore" in Milwaukee, WI.

  

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A Texas man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after he plowed his SUV into a San Antonio house and then asking the homeowner if he could use the bathroom. The homeowner was watching TV at the time of the incident. The homeowner asked the driver if he was all right; the driver then asked the homeowner if he could use his restroom.

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Today in Sports History:

1918 - Babe Ruth became the second American League player to hit a home run in four consecutive games. 

1921 - Jock Hutchinson became the first U.S. citizen to win the British Open. 

1968 - Bobby Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit a grand-slam home run in his first game with the Giants. He was the first player to debut with a grand-slam. 

1985 - ABC’s "Monday Night Football" began with a new line-up. The trio was Frank Gifford, Joe Namath and O.J. Simpson. 

1985 - New York Yankees officials enacted the rule that mandated that the team’s bat boys were to wear protective helmets during all games. 

1997 - The NHL officially approved expansion to 30 teams by the year 2000 with the announcement of new teams in Atlanta, Columbus, Minnesota and Nashville. 

2002 - Muhammad Ali received a humanitarian award at the second annual BET awards. 

2003 - Todd McFarlane bought Barry Bonds 73rd home run ball at auction for $517,500.

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Tom Cruise won't be making a cameo in next Star Wars film, Episode VII, which started shooting in London last month. A rep for Cruise told Entertainment Tonight that rumors about his participation were "pure fiction." A tabloid reported over the weekend that Cruise met Abrams for "dinner and drinks at the Belgravia Hotel" in London.

... Though film No. 4 is in the can, Fans still have to wait until November 21 to see Mockingjay -- Part 1.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates 12:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 3:45pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:15pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:05pm EDT

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

Nascar Nationwide Series -- John R. Elliott Hero Campaign 300 Presented By Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Verizon Indy Car Series -- The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park Race One 3:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 4:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Quaker State 400 Presented By Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 10:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

Verizon Indy Car Series -- The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park Race Two 3:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds 4:05pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats 7:00pm EDT

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