It's Thursday

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

************************************************

Today is November 3rd, the 307th day of 2011. There are 58 days left in the year.

************************************************







Ovi, coach address disagreement, move forward.

Avery excited to rejoin Rangers, awaits opportunity.

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

************************************************

Today's Birthdays: Actor Ken Berry (Capt. Wilton Parmenter on F Troop, Vinton Harper on Mama's Family) is 78; Magazine editor Anna Wintour (Vogue, thought to be real life person behind Meryl Streep's characters in The Devil Wears Prada) is 62; Actress/comedian Roseanne Barr is 59; Actress Kate Capshaw (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) is 58; Comedian Dennis Miller is 58; Kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart is 24.

************************************************

Tampa, FL. -- The Lightning brass doesn't want its players making a habit out of challenging each other to fight, but coach Guy Boucher had to admit he didn't mind Wednesday's confrontation between Ryan Malone and Dominic Moore.

It happened during a heated faceoff drill in which players on the side losing the draw skated five killer sprints from side wall to side wall at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Read the rest here.

************************************************

November is International Drum (Percussion) Month. (Linky Link)

************************************************

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Under-18 Team Sets Sights to Four Nations; U17's Prepare for First International Test

U17 TEAM PREPARES FOR FIRST INTERNATIONAL TEST: The U.S. National Under-17 Team is off this weekend as it prepares for its first international test of the season. Team USA will compete in the 2011 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament in Balashikha, Russia from Nov. 9-13 and will face teams from Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland. The U.S. will look to capture the title for the third consecutive year having placed first in 2009 (Trnava, Slovakia) and 2010 (Woodridge, Ill.).

U18 TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON UPCOMING FOUR NATIONS: The U.S. National Under-18 Team is also off this weekend as it sets its sights on the 2011 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament in Monthey, Switzerland. Games will take place from Nov. 9-13. Team USA is aiming to claim first place in the tournament for the fourth time in a row, having won the title in 2008 (Lake Placid, N.Y.), 2009 (Pori, Finland) and 2010 (Sundsvall, Sweden).

U18'S DROP TWO COLLEGIATE GAMES: Forward Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) notched one goal and collected one assist, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell, 6-4, to Adrian College at Arrington Ice Arena on Oct. 28. The following night (Oct. 29), Thomas Di Pauli (Woodridge, Ill.) netted a short-handed goal as the U.S. National Under-18 Team was clipped, 2-1, by Manhattanville College at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

U17'S TOPPLED BY CHICAGO STEEL: Forwards J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill./0-2) and Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich./2-0) each registered two points as the U.S. National Under-17 Team was toppled by Chicago, 6-4, at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill., on Oct. 28. Team USA held a 4-3 lead early in the final frame before Chicago notched three unanswered goals to earn the victory, 6-4.

THE USHL AND FASTHOCKEY: Catch all of Team USA's United States Hockey League action on FASTHockey.com, the premier online destination for ice hockey fanatics from around the world. Visitors can also choose from an incredible array of games from national governing bodies, conferences, leagues, teams, tournaments and other events.

UNDER-18 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Di Pauli has scored in three consecutive contests dating back to Oct. 22 ... Defenseman Seth Jones (Plano, Texas) has at least one assist in each of the previous three games and four in that span (Oct. 22-29). His seven total assists leads the team ... Goaltender Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) recently made a verbal commitment to play college hockey at the University of Michigan. Two other members of the Under-18 Team are committed to play their college careers with the Wolverines – Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich.) ... Forward Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass.) also stated his intentions to play collegiately, verbally committing to Northeastern University ... Team USA tallied one power-play goal over the weekend and holds a 14.9 percent success rate with the man advantage this season ... The U.S. has outshot its opponents, 389-336, in 13 games played and scores at a 2.77 goals-per-game pace.

UNDER-17 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forward Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) has now scored in four consecutive USHL games dating back to Oct. 7. Louis has five goals total which places him tied for ninth in the league in scoring ... Motte's two goals against Chicago on Friday (Oct. 28) gives him seven points (3-4) in five USHL games played ... Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) currently sit tied for 13th in points by a defenseman. Both blueliners have one goal and three assists on the USHL season ... The U.S. power play is clicking at a 24.2 percent success rate ... The Under-17 Team holds a 348-285 advantage in shots taken per game and scores at a 3.60 goals-per-game clip ... Team USA leads the USHL in goals scored with 37. The Under-17 Team has played in seven of the nine regular season games thus far. Conversely, the U.S. has given up the most goals through nine games, letting in 39 markers total.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./2003-05) was named October's Player of the Month in the National Hockey League. Kessel finished the month leading the league with 10 goals and 18 points in 11 games. He has five multiple-point games, including two three-point games and a season-high four-point game on Oct. 8 against the Ottawa Senators ... Defensemen Jack Johnson (Faribault, Minn./2003-05) of the Los Angeles Kings and Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska/2000-02) of the Philadelpha Flyers are tied for third place in power-play goals scored by a blueliner, notching two on the season ... James Van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J./2005-07) netted two goals in the third period in a 9-8 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday (Oct. 27). Van Riemsdyk also collected an assist for the Philadelphia Flyers for a three-point night ... Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler (Livonia, Mich./2000-02) helped lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 7-4 win over the Washington Capitals with two assists on Saturday (Oct. 29) ... Nashville forward Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn./2005-07) assisted on the game-winning goal on Saturday (Oct. 29) as the Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 3-0.

For the complete weekly update, click here.

ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a revolutionary new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Celebrating its 15th season of play in 2011-12, the goal of this full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.

************************************************

November is Military Family Appreciation Month.

************************************************





And the nominees are....

Nye: Roughriders in it to win it for Miller.

Visit the team's official website at http://www.riderville.com/.

************************************************

You may not know the name Rovio, but you probably know Rovio's No. 1 product, Angry Birds. On Wednesday the software company said Angry Birds had reached 500 million downloads -- and in less than two years since its launch.

************************************************




Road to the Grey Cup: 2011 Playoff Scenarios.

Webb sharing his secrets prior to facing Argos.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

************************************************

Today is National Men Make Dinner Day.

************************************************

Men's golf wins title, Moore finishes second at Pacific Invitational.

Visit the official football website by clicking here.

Visit the school's official athletics website by clicking here.

************************************************

Kate Gosselin has a new job. The Kate Plus 8 star is now blogging about coupons. Gosselin has scored a gig at CouponCabin.com. Her first blog post debuts on November 22 about shopping for the holidays.

************************************************

The 2011 NFL season is underway. Here's the week eight results:

Week 8

Sunday, October 30th

At Baltimore 30, Arizona 27
Minnesota 24 at Carolina 21
At Houston 24, Jacksonville 14
At NY Giants 24, Miami 20
At St. Louis 31, New Orleans 21
At Tennessee 27, Indianapolis 10
Detroit 45 at Denver 10
Buffalo 23, Washington 0 at Toronto
Cincinnati 34 at Seattle 12
At San Francisco 20, Cleveland 10
At Pittsburgh 25, New England 17
At Philadelphia 34, Dallas 7

Monday, October 31st

At Kansas City 23, San Diego 20 (OT)

·Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

Week 9

Sunday, November 6th

All times Eastern

Miami at Kansas City 1:00 PM
Atlanta at Indianapolis 1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at New Orleans 1:00 PM
NY Jets at Buffalo 1:00 PM
Seattle at Dallas 1:00 PM
Cleveland at Houston 1:00 PM
San Francisco at Washington 1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Tennessee 4:05 PM
Denver at Oakland 4:05 PM
NY Giants at New England 4:15 PM
St. Louis at Arizona 4:15 PM
Green Bay at San Diego 4:15 PM
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 8:20 PM

Monday, November 7th

Chicago at Philadelphia 8:30 PM

·Bye: Detroit, Minnesota, Carolina, Jacksonville

************************************************

National Sandwich Day is today.

************************************************

There's my two favorite humans!

************************************************

The House of Representatives passed a resolution reaffirming the national motto as "In God We Trust." (It narrowly beat out "OMG.")

************************************************

Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley's single "Love Me Tender" stayed at #1 in the U.S. for a second week.

1957 - Elvis Presley had eight singles in the U.K. Top 30. The songs were "Party" (3), "Teddy Bear" (11), "All Shook Up" (17), "Got a Lot of Livin' to Do" (19), "Trying to Get to You" (21), "Loving You" (24), "Paralyzed" (26) and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (30).

************************************************

National Chicken Lady Day is today.

************************************************

Today in Beatles History:

1984 - The soundtrack "Give My Regards To Broad Street" hit #1 in Britain. Paul McCartney starred in the film that was described as a "musical fantasy drama." The soundtrack contained re-recordings of Beatles tracks and McCartney hits.

************************************************

If you own an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, tracking down a lost or stolen gadget is easy -- as long as you have Apple's free Find My iPhone app installed. But when a guy stole an iPad from an Ohio Walmart the store quickly called police, who quickly tracked the thief down. Not because the iPad had the Find app installed, but because the man had left his debit card at the store.

************************************************

Today in Sports History:

1929 - Providence became the first NFL team to host a game at night under floodlights. The game was against the Cardinals.

1948 - Gordie Howe (Detroit Redwings) made the first of his record 21 All-Star appearances.

1953 - The Rules Committee of organized baseball restored the sacrifice fly. The rule had not been used since 1939.

1972 - Joe Namath was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.

1989 - The Minnesota Timberwolves played their first NBA game. They lost to Seatlle 106-94.

1989 - Lou Piniella was named the manager of the Reds. He replaced the banned Pete Rose.

1993 - Greg Maddux (Atlanta Braves) became the first player to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards on different teams.

1993 - Ken Daneyko (New Jersey Devils) set a record when he played in his 322nd consecutive game.

1995 - The FleetCenter, Rose Garden and the Skydome hosted their first NBA games.

1996 - Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) became the first NFL player to catch 1,000 career receptions.

1998 - Minnesota elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former pro wrestler, as its governor.

************************************************

Oh yeah, it's really over. Not only did Kim Kardashian file paperwork for a divorce this week, she's no longer following husband Kris Humphries on Twitter.

************************************************

Coming up:

Tonight:

Nothin' Doin'

Friday:

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks 7:30pm

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Eskimos 9:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season.)

Saturday:

Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway 12:55pm EDT

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Stanford Cardinal 3:30pm EDT

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 5:00pm EDT

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 8:00pm EDT

Sunday:

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 9:30pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 12:15pm EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints 1:00pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway 3:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 5:00pm EST

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Wednesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Philadelphia Flyers 7:30pm EST

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs Boston Bandits 10:10am EST

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs New England Huskies 5:00pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs TBD TBA

Saturday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Wypall 200 at Phoenix International Raceway 3:30pm EST

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs Valley Jr. Warriors 5:30pm EST

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers at California Golden Bears 6:30pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Louis Blues 8:00pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs TBD TBA

Sunday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase vs New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 10:30am EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Houston Texans 1:00pm EST

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway 3:00pm

EJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Valley Jr. Warriors Showcase TBA TBD

************************************************

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so again tomorrow. Thanks again!