It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is September 3rd, the 246th day of 2013. There are 119 days left in the year.

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Blackhawks, Crawford agree to six-year extension.

Exceptional rookies look to avoid sophomore slump.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker is 90; Charlie Sheen (Wall Street, Platoon) is 48; Ashley Jones (True Blood) is 37: Olympic snowboarder Shaun White is 27.

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Crisis Averted: Stamps hold off late Eskimos surge.

Cauz: Just for fun, let's talk Tim Tebow.

Visit the CFL's official website, cfl.ca.

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Today is National Grilled Cheese Day.

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Regina, SK.- Earlier this week while guesting on 620 CKRM’s “Sportscage” with host and Riders play-by-play man Rod Pedersen, Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Geroy Simon revealed that one of the reasons why he wanted to continue his CFL career in green was so he could experience the Labour Day Classic from the home sidelines.

Read the rest here.

Next up for 8-1 Saskatchewan is a game Sunday afternoon, September 8th against the 1-8 Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg. Kickoff on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network, TSN and ESPN3.com is set for 4:00pm EDT.

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Today (Tuesday) Starbucks' famous Pumpkin Spice Latte officially goes on sale.

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Tampa, FL. — ESPN2 will air a special "E:60" profile of Buccaneer Darrelle Revis on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, chronicling the all-pro cornerback's journey to the NFL and his eventual trade to Tampa.

Read the rest here.

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NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK - Released Sept. 3

- Now You See Me
- The Iceman
- The Lords of Salem
- Empire State
- Arthur Newman
- Scandal: The Complete Second Season
- The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fourth Season
- Person of Interest: Season Two
- Criminal Minds: The Eighth Season
- The Shield: The Complete Series

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Corvallis, OR. -- Forgive me for interrupting the solemn mourning over the dismal performance of the Oregon State football program on Saturday. It's been a slow and curious procession of orange and black since Eastern Washington ran circles around the Beavers defense. And while I am not going to use this space to call for the head of coach Mike Riley, what I will do is call for an end to the complacency that Beaver Nation has shrouded itself in over the last three-plus seasons.

Read the rest here.

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A Florida woman fed up with a fellow driver at a Fort Lauderdale gas station allegedly ordered her 12-year-old to punch the other driver in the face. The classy mom then allegedly grabbed the woman's iPhone and took off in the victim's car.

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Anaheim, CA. -- Forget about the American League East, the AL West is wearing out the Rays.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1946, the Mel Blanc show "Blanc's Fixit Shop" debuted across America on CBS Radio Tuesday at 7:30pm. Mel played himself in a situation comedy about a man who has time to repair other peoples mistakes but not his own.

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San Diego, CA. -- Barry Zito joined some exclusive company Monday afternoon, and it wasn't the company he -- or the Giants -- would like to keep.

Read the rest here.

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Sixty-four-year-old champion swimmer Diana Nyad finally accomplished her long-held dream of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. [Let's hope her success will be an inspiration to school age kids -- to one day be able to find Cuba and Florida on a map.]

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Ice cream in a baseball hat at the Ray Guys game is a good thing, right Daddy?!?!

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as the watching your schnauzer snooze on the couch, isn't it?

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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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The Lava Lamp turns 50 today. The design was created by British inventor Edward Craven-Walker. 

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 -  The BBC aired "Pop Go The Beatles."

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The Butler was the Labor Day weekend box office champ. It's the third week The Butler has been No. 1. One Direction's 3D documentary opened in second place.

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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.

1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) recorded his 41st career shutout.

1966 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) signed his first NHL contract. The two-year deal paid $70,000 plus a signing bonus, giving 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 the previous day. The Mariners won the game 8-7.

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.

1990 - Bobby Thigpen set a major league record when he got his 47th save.

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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Fifty Shades Of Grey has finally picked its Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel. Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson will be steaming up the screen next August.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:10pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:40pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 8:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 9:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 9:10pm EDT

Sunday --

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets 1:00pm EDT

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

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

Monday Morning Meissnervations

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

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Today is September 2nd, the 245th day of 2013. There are 120 days left in the year.

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Predicting the United States roster for Sochi Olympics.

A look at the most unlikely seasons in NHL history.

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

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The U.S. Treasury Department was established on this date in 1789.

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Labour Day intensity still fuels Alberta rivalry.

CFL announces 101st Grey Cup entertainment.

Visit the CFL's official website, cfl.ca.

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The first issue of "McCall’s" magazine was published on this date in 1897. The magazine had been known previously as "Queens Magazine" and "Queen of Fashion."

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Regina, SK.- Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Justin Goltz celebrated his two rushing touchdowns by taunting the fans in the north end zone at Mosaic Stadium.

Read the rest here.

Next up for 8-1 Saskatchewan is a game Sunday afternoon, September 8th against the 1-8 Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg. Kickoff on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network, TSN and ESPN3.com is set for 4:00pm EDT.

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Theodore Roosevelt, then Vice President, said "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair on this date in 1901.

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Tampa, FL. — Once again making use of the "second draft" after Saturday's NFL-wide round of roster cuts, Tampa Bay has claimed two rookies, DT Chris Jones and WR Russell Shepard, off waivers and has released WR LB Najee Goode and WR Tiquan Underwood.

Read the rest here.

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The "Question Mark" made the first non-stop flight from Europe to the U.S. on this date in 1930. The plane was flown by Captain Dieudonne Coste and Maurice Bellonte.

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Corvallis, OR. -- So much for that 7-0 start to Oregon State's football season.

Read the rest here.

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The first railroad car to be equipped with fluorescent lighting was put into operation on the New York Central railroad on this date in 1938.

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Oakland, CA. -- Tampa Bay pitchers have combined for a 2.50 ERA over their past four games, and the Rays have lost all of them.

The latest example was Sunday when the Athletics completed a series sweep, beating the Rays, 5-1.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1963, "The CBS Evening News" was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.

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Phoenix, AZ. -- Yusmeiro Petit danced upon the proving ground known as September, striking out a career-high 10 batters and driving in a run Sunday to lead the Giants to an 8-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Read the rest here.

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NBC-TV canceled "Star Trek" on this date in 1969. The show had debuted on September 8, 1966.

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I'm silly, aren't I Daddy?

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as the watching the Riders pound on Winnipeg, isn't it?

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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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It was announced on this date in 1985 that the Titanic had been found on September 1 by a U.S. and French expedition 560 miles off Newfoundland. The luxury liner had been missing for 73 years. 

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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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The U.S. formally recognized the independence of Lithuania, Lativa and Estonia on this date in 1991.

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Today in Sports History:

1917 - Grover Cleveland Alexander (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched and won two 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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The U.S. and Russia agreed to a joint venture to build a space station on this date in 1992.

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HAMPTON, Ga.-- Perhaps it was appropriate, on the first weekend of college football this year, that solid team fundamentals and deft blocking should play such an integral part in Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Nationwide Series victory over Kyle Busch.

Read the rest here.

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In Canada on this date in 1998, pilots for Canada's largest airline launch their first strike in Air Canada's history.

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HAMPTON, Ga. -- Kyle Busch proved emphatically Sunday night that he knows what to do with a lead when he gets it.

Read the rest here.

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At Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on this date in 2010, Brooks & Dunn played their final show together at a fundraiser for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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BALTIMORE, MD. -- There were more twists in the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT than the 12 turns on the 2.04-mile street course, which ultimately benefited Simon Pagenaud.

Read the rest here.

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If you live on the east coast like me, can you actually stay up to watch sporting events from the west coast that don't start 'til 10pm?

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 3:40pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 9:05pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:10pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:40pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at L.A. Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 10:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 8:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 9:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 9:10pm EDT

Sunday --

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets 1:00pm EDT

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 4:10pm EDT

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

Riders beat Winnpeg in Labour Day Classic 47

Geroy Simon caught a pair of touchdown passes and Darian Durant threw for 310 yards and 4 scores, leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 48-25 win in the Labour Day Classic, before a crowd of 44,910 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg, at the end of their third possession, punted the ball out of bounds at the Rider 1, then turned it into points on the next play, as Cauchy Muamba nailed Kory Sheets in the end zone for a safety touch, putting the Bombers on top 2-0, with 6:19 to play in the opening quarter. Saskatchewan, on their next turn, finally started moving the football, quickly moving down field with medium length passes. After a scramble by Darian Durant advanced the ball to the Winnipeg 3, Drew Willy came on in the short yardage offence, pitching the ball to Sheets, who jogged into the end zone for the major. Chris Milo converted with 28 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, putting the Roughriders on top, 7-2.

Mike Renaud kicked a 55 yard punt single with 2:04 gone in the second, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Then the Bombers, aided by a pass interference call on Dwight Anderson near the goal line, got a 1 yard major on their next possession from Jason Boltus to regain the lead. Sandro DeAngelis kicked the convert and with 9:45 to play in the half, Winnipeg was back on top, 10-7. After an interception by Muamba, the first thrown by Durant this season and aided by three penalties against Saskatchewan, Justin Goltz would roll to the left and score from 6 yards out. DeAngelis converted and with 2:01 to go 'til halftime, the Blue Bombers had a 17-7 lead. The Riders, on their next chance with the ball, went 57 yards in 3 plays. After a circus catch by Taj Smith, Durant would find Geroy Simon from 22 yards out and with the Milo convert, Saskatchewan was back within three, at 17-14, with 1:30 left until two quarter time. Renaud would then boot a 58 yard punt single with 45 seconds to go and Winnipeg would take an 18-14 lead.

The Roughriders would take the opening kick of the second half and quickly march to the shadow of the Bomber goal line. The big play was a scramble out of trouble by Durant, who then found Chris Getzlaf, who took the ball to the 2. After a Winnipeg penalty, Sheets would go in standing up for his second touchdown of the day. Milo kicked the convert and with 4:13 gone in the third, Saskatchewan was back on top, 21-18. The lead would grow on a 47 yard Milo field goal with 5:40 to go in the third, putting Saskatchewan up by 6, at 24-18.

The Riders would break it open in the fourth, scoring early in the fourth on a 12 yard swing pass from Durant to Smith, that capped a 10 play, 92 yard drive, that took 5:10 off the clock. Milo made the convert and with 1:55 gone in the final quarter, Saskatchewan had their biggest lead of the day, 31-18. The Blue Bombers responded as Goltz scooped up a bad snap and ran right up the middle for 46 yards and a touchdown. DeAngelis converted and with 3:59 gone in the fourth Winnipeg was back in it, trailing 31-25. Goltz was picked by Anderson on the Bombers' next possession and Sheets, on two consecutive runs starting at the Winnipeg 42, got the ball to the Winnipeg 10. Two plays later, Smith caught his second TD pass of the game, this an 8 yarder from Durant. Milo converted and with 5:24 left in regulation time, the Riders were back up by 13, at 38-25. Spencer Moore of Saskatchewan blocked a Renaud punt at the end of the Blue Bombers' next possession and with 2:38 remaining, Milo would put it out of reach with a 23 yard field goal, which gave the Riders a 41-25 lead. Terrell Maze grabbed an interception on the next Winnipeg turn with the ball, returning it to the Bomber 10. Two plays later, Durant would flip a 5 yard pass to Simon for the major, Simon's 1,006th career reception, tying him for second place on the all-time CFL list. Milo converted again and Saskatchewan was up 48-25, with 2:07 to play. The Riders would get the ball back with 38 seconds left and ran out the clock, winning the game 48-25.

For Saskatchewan, Darian Durant was 24-of-35 passing for 310 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception. Kory Sheets ran 18 times for 82 yards and 2 majors, Chris Getzlaf caught 7 passes for 112 yards, Taj Smith and Geroy Simon each caught a pair of touchdown passes, Chris Milo kicked 2 field goals and 4 converts and Ricky Schmitt pented 6 times for a 44.2 yard average. Craig Butler helped pace the defence, with 4 tackles and 2 special teams tackles. Macho Harris chipped in with 5 tackles. Dwight Anderson and Terrell Maze had interceptions. ForWinnipeg, Justin Goltz was 17-of-28 passing for 185 yards and 2 interceptions. He also rushed 5 times for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jason Boltus, the short yardage QB, also rushed for a touchdown. Cory Watson caught 3 passes for 74 yards, Sandro DeAngelis kicked 3 converts, Mike Renaud punted 9 times for a 46.1 yard average and Cauchy Muamba paced the defence, with 8 tackles, 1 special teams tackle and 1 interception. The Riders had 27 first downs to the Bombers 17, outrushed them 117 to 100 and won the total yards stat, 427 to 285.

With the win, the Roughriders improve to 8-1 for the first time in franchise history, which is also the best record in the CFL so far this season. With their 7th straight loss, the Blue Bombers fall to 1-8.

These same two teams meet again next Sunday at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg in the annual Banjo Bowl contest. Kickoff is set for 4:00pm EDT with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri on 620CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com. You can watch the game on TSN and ESPN3.com.