Free Republic

Penn State fans living in State College should run — not walk — to the Barnes & Noble on Benner Pike if they want to grab a copy of Jay Paterno’s new book before it potentially gets pulled from the shelves. The memoir “Paterno Legacy: Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father” isn’t due out until Sept. 1, but Barnes & Noble had stacks of the book for sale in its Local Interest section at closing time on Tuesday. No one from Barnes & Noble could be immediately reached for comment, so it’s not known if this...

Alabama and defending champion Florida State are co-favorites to win the 2014 national championship, according to odds released by Bovada. The Crimson Tide and Seminoles are both listed at 11/2 odds to win the title in the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff. Oregon comes next at 7/1, followed by Oklahoma at 9/1 and Auburn at 10/1.

The NFL hasn’t been sufficiently accepting of Michael Sam, who came out as the first openly gay professional football player earlier this year, due to the religious Right’s influence in NFL locker rooms, says one ESPN commentator. On Tuesday, Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon were discussing former NFL coach Tony Dungy’s recent comments that media attention would have pushed him away from drafting Sam. Kornheiser said he was optimistic that NFL players would be personally tolerant of Sam, though. “I’m more skeptical,” Wilbon countered. “I think there is a component, a subculture of the religious Right, that...

Tiger Woods finished an hour and a half before eventual winner Rory McIlroy teed off. In that moment, the Tiger Woods Era of golf officially ended. Over the weekend, lead Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said, "There was a beginning of his career, middle of his career, and this is the end of his career, no question about it. Chamblee isn't the only talking head in golf who thinks the Tiger Era died this weekend. At Golf.com, a roundtable of writers all agreed. Eamon Lynch a Golf.com put it best, saying, "This point isn't even worthy of debating. It's demonstrably...

Former Dallas Cowboys fullback Robert Newhouse, who will be remembered most for throwing a touchdown pass to Golden Richards while running to his left in Super Bowl XII on one of Tom Landry’s famous trick plays, died Tuesday night. He was 64. Newhouse battled health issues since suffering a stroke in 2010. He spent much of the past year at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., hoping to get a heart transplant. Newhouse never got strong enough for the transplant before succumbing to heart disease at the Mayo Clinic, his son Rodd Newhouse confirmed Tuesday night. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/07/22/5988448/former-cowboys-running-back-robert.html#storylink=cpy

Denver Broncos team owner Pat Bowlen is steeping down from day-to-day operations because he is battling Alzheimer's Disease ... The Broncos said Bowlen had already been reducing his role in recent years while he was, "courageously and privately battling Alzheimer’s disease." "The Broncos are very saddened that Mr. Bowlen is no longer able to be part of the team’s daily operations due to his condition," the team said on its website. "We continue to offer our full support, compassion and respect to ‘Mr. B,’ who has faced Alzheimer’s disease with such dignity and strength." Team president Joe Ellis will assume...

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS ESPN 3 WEDNESDAY (23 JULY)THE BEACH 9AM Pacific Points Available: 100 For time: Swim 250 yards 50 kettlebell thrusters (35 / 24 lb.) 30 burpees Swim 500 yards 30 burpees 50 kettlebell thrusters (35 / 24 lb.) Swim 250 yards OVERHEAD SQUAT 6:30PM Pacific Points Available: 100 1-rep-max overhead squat Athletes will each have 3 attempts.

Germany’s long and rowdy World Cup celebrations did not just take a toll of fans and players – the trophy was also damaged on Sunday night at the afterparty in Brazil as the team celebrated victory over Argentina. President of the German Football Association (DFB) Wolfgang Niersbach told Spiegel that a “small piece of it was chipped off”. “Don’t worry about it,” he added. “We have specialists who can fix it.” The 63-year-old added the culprit had not been identified, despite their “persistent” investigation. “The investigation was terminated without result,” Niersbach added. After beating Argentina 1:0 in the World Cup...

STURGIS | Perhaps, the comeback starts in Sturgis. Lance Armstrong, who has been stripped of seven Tour De France titles and received a lifetime ban from competitive cycling for doping, was named Monday as the grand marshal of the 12th Annual Mayor's Ride at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Today, the gun world is buzzing with news of a "revolution in silencers." SilencerCo has announced today they will be producing the Salvo 12, the first ever commercially produced shotgun sound suppressor. The official press release reads: “Confirming its place as a trailblazer in the firearms industry, suppressor manufacturer SilencerCo has unveiled the first commercially-viable shotgun silencer ever produced. The company made the announcement today at an exclusive event near its Utah headquarters.” Active content removed Active content removed “The Salvo 12 represents a revolution in silencers, not just an evolution,” said Joshua Waldron, Chief Executive Officer for SilencerCo. “There...

San Diego Padres and Petco Park welcomed Agnes McKee to celebrate her 105th birthday in a very special wayAgnes McKee's birthday celebration wasn't just a first for her. It was also a first for Major League Baseball. At 105, McKee threw out the first pitch before Sunday’s San Diego Padres game and became the oldest person ever to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. “I haven’t thrown a ball in years,” she said before the game. “I do Wii Bowling which we do like this,” she said gesturing. “So it’s the same thing.” “Other than that, nothing on this scale...

"I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. “It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.’’ That's what former NFL defensive back and head coach Tony Dungy told Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune when asked about the prospects for rookie defensive end Michael Sam. Of course, Sam is the league's first openly gay player, and though many league executives and players may feel exactly that way, Dungy may feel the courage to speak to his own...

The Burlington, Iowa city council wants to ban open carry of toy guns. The ordinance will make it illegal to openly carry a toy gun or conceal one with clothes. ia Iowa Gun Owners Facebook page: The Burlington Iowa City Council is moving to pass an ordinance that would require you to get their WRITTEN permission before your kids can play with toy guns, replica guns, BB guns, etc! If your kids play with these toys in most outdoor situations, or if they play with toy guns in the car while you drive them around, you are looking at a...

24-year-old gymnast Kacy Catanzaro makes history by becoming the first female ever to qualify for the "American Ninja Warrior" national finals. After becoming a celebrity overnight, she hopes to use her newfound fame to encourage young people to get fit.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant says he's "scared" about his future after basketball, although he's embracing the challenge of finding something that he can be as passionate about as sports. Bryant turns 36 next month and is under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for two more years. He was limited to just six games last season because of two major leg injuries, leaving him with the kind of idle time he never had before in his career. Bryant gives a peek into his life in a Showtime documentary airing in November. "Kobe Bryant's Muse" covers much of last...

A sensational double eagle finish from Rory McIlroy gave him a six-stroke cushion going into the final round of the British Open as he crushed a chasing pack of challengers who tried and failed to hunt him down during a rain-hit third round. SNIP But by the time he reached the 12th hole that had vanished and he was caught in a dogfight with American shot-maker Rickie Fowler, hungry to win his first major. That was when McIlroy, who had been struggling off the tee, produced his best golf of the week at Royal Liverpool. A birdie at 14 eased...

England have dropped ten places to 20th in the latest FIFA world rankings, meaning they are now officially worse than Bosnia-Herzegovina according to the complex system. The Eastern European nation, who participated in their first World Cup in Brazil, also exited in the group stage but, unlike England, managed to win a game. They have now moved up two places to 19th, leapfrogging Wayne Rooney and co. Other nations to feature above the Three Lions now include surprise quarter-finalists Costa Rica plus Mexico, Greece and the USA – who all made the last 16 at the World Cup.

It was the best and the worst of life as a major league ball girl all wrapped up in one play. On one hand, the ball girl stationed along the right field line at Fenway Park on Friday night got to be part of the action, impressively fielding Kansas City Royals slugger Eric Hosmer's well hit grounder with millions of people watching. On the other hand, she somehow missed the fact that the ball crossed over first base in fair territory, meaning she had just interfered with a live play.

Swedish football coach Pia Sundhage has spoken out, the coaches concerned are under review and gender experts have warned that prejudice remains after two young players were accused of being boys. "Traditional gender roles are in many areas deeply entrenched," Sofia B. Karlsson, who is involved in the Football for All project, told The Local. Football for All (Fotboll för Alla) is a cooperation between Stockholm professional club AIK and Amphi Produktion and aims to develop training materials and methods to tackle racism, homophobia and sexism within the game at all levels. "We want to develop tools so that everyone...

The royal and her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, hosted at least 10 cockfighting derbies in a barn at their Oregon ranch. A Romanian princess has admitted running an illegal gambling operation after she was found to be hosting cockfighting derbies in rural Oregon. Irina Walker, 61, pleaded guilty to the charge along with her husband, former sheriff's deputy John Walker, 68, on Wednesday. Prosecutors agreed to drop other counts relating to animal fighting and animal welfare as part of a plea deal.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cornhole, the strange-sounding game made popular in backyards and at football tailgate parties, is taking on a serious side this week. The American Cornhole Organization will crown its world champions as about 380 competitors from 17 states vie for $10,000 in prize money in singles and doubles events. -snip- "When you're out there throwing, it's serious," Smith said. "And then as soon as it's over, it's time to buy somebody a beer."

Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who has claimed he was released in May 2013 due to his outspoken views on same-sex marriage, said Friday he will file a lawsuit against the Vikings as soon as Monday. His lawyer said the suit will ask for damages in excess of $10 million.

Peru’s Reimond Manco was once rated better than Colombian superstar James Rodriguez. So where is he now?<Colombian soccer star James Rodriguez appears to have it all. At just 22, he is the World Cup’s current top scorer, with six goals, and viewed by many as the standout player of the tournament in Brazil. He also appears to be a good kid: hardworking, focused and grounded. #176506735 / gettyimages.com Peru’s Reimond Manco But there was a time when James (pronounced HA-mes), as he is known, labored in the shadow of an even more outrageously talented South American player, Peru’s Reimond Manco....

You don’t need to be tall to be an “American Ninja Warrior.” Kacy Catanzaro shocked “Ninja” viewers with her height-defying performance on an impossibly challenging obstacle course that required the 5-foot-tall former NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year to leap through the air. Though Catanzaro’s height should have hindered her from completing the course, she breezed through some of the toughest obstacles, conquering every last one to become the first woman ever to make it through the Dallas finals and qualify for the Las Vegas finals round.

It's such a long read - I'm just going to link the article

Hockenheim Race Date: 20 Jul 2014 Circuit Name: Hockenheimring First Grand Prix: 1970 Number of Laps: 67 Circuit Length: 4.574 km Race Distance: 306.458 km Lap Record: 1:13.780 - K Raikkonen (2004) Friday Sunny 32C Saturday Sunny 33C Sunday T-Storms 28C

This will be fun. It was announced Wednesday that Alabama and Southern California will square off to kick off the 2016 season with a neutral site game. The game will be played as a part of the eighth annual Cowboys Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on September 3.

Brazil, Neymar Are Most Commonly Seen in Anguish; Bosnia Is Most Likely to 'Grin and Bare It' One of the most common complaints during this otherwise splendid World Cup is the amount of time players spend embellishing injuries. All too often during matches, seemingly fit men fall to the ground in agony. They scream, wince, pound the grass with their fists and gesture to the sidelines for a stretcher. Some of them clutch a limb as if it was just freed from the jaws of a wood chipper. But after a few moments, just as the priests arrive to administer...

Contrary to what those who defend the right to own high-powered assault rifles believe, not all guns are created equal. Due to a combination of availability, portability and criminal usage the following five types of guns are the country's most dangerous. Using firearm trace data from the ATF, as well as FBI homicide records, we determined the types of guns most often recovered from crime scenes and/or used in murders. The numbers are stark: According to the FBI's 2012 Crime in the US data, nearly 70 percent of homicides for which the FBI received weapons data involved the use of...

Major League Baseball has hired openly gay former ballplayer Billy Bean as their new Ambassador For Inclusion. Bean's job will be to assure all MLB stakeholders of an inclusive and equitable workplace and provide awareness and educational resources that help mandate the league's workplace code of conduct. "It's ironic that I am returning to baseball to help erase the same reason I left," Bean told Outsports in an exclusive interview. Bean left baseball in 1995 shortly after his then-partner passed away. Bean skipped his partner's funeral to play in a game for the Padres, lest someone discover he was gay.

All right, where's Vin Scully? He's the most iconic baseball announcer in the game's history, but has obviously been snubbed by the East coast liberal establishment. Where did Scully's career begin? With the Brooklyn Dodgers, but that STILL doesn't buy him a seat with the terrible announcers from back East at THIS All Star game. This is an outrage!

I have been able to do many (free) basic repairs on bikes in this poor inner city, thank God, but now my neighbor needs a new rear wheel for a BMX bike as the old rim was run over by a car. It has the smaller type sprocket on both the crank ("chainring?") and the rear wheel, and when i tried to put the old hub in a freewheel rim then it would not fit. And with the smaller type crank then a the larger, standard type rear sprocket is not feasible. I have looked a lot online, and see...

Germany were intent on enjoying themselves as they arrived back in Berlin to celebrate winning the World Cup - even pre-rehearsing a hilarious routine to delight supporters. Around half-a-million fans flocked to Brandenburg Gate in the country's capital on Tuesday morning to greet their heroes, and were in for a surprise. Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels, Erik Durm and Christoph Kramer looked to be striding out on to the podium alone, but captain Philipp Lahm was behind them, unseen.

Sad, a bygone Era...:-|

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Alice Coachman Davis, the first black female to win Olympic gold, died Monday. She was 90 years old. Coachman Davis suffered a stroke in April, and died at an Albany hospital Monday morning.

this is the jaw-dropping moment a sharp-suited footballer shows off his skills again three deadly LIONS. Kevin Richardson, known as the Lion Whisperer, has spent 20 years building an amazing report with some of the world's most feared animals. And with the World Cup approaching, he decided to play football against the real three lions in a fascinating battle on the plain. Kevin, 40, showed of his silky skills to evade the wild predators, whose powerful jaws could pop a leather football with the smallest of bites.

Germany has honoured a Bangladesh farmer and diehard fan for making a 3.5-kilometre-long (2.2 mile) flag of the country in support of Philipp Lahm's World Cup team, officials said on Sunday. The massive flag was on display Saturday at a stadium in the western town of Magura, which the German charge d'affaires, Ferdinand von Weyhe, visited to pay tribute to the farmer. "The 3.5-kilometre-long German flag circled the stadium four times and hundreds of people have turned up to see this amazing sight," said Ishrat Hossain, a German embassy spokeswoman. She said Von Weyhe handed the farmer, 65-year-old Amjad Hossain,...

Joachim Low's men already lead tournament hosts 5-0 at halftime in their semi-final and agreed not to humiliate them further in the last 45 minutesGermany's players made a half-time dressing room pact not to "humiliate" Brazil ‎during their World Cup mauling. Defender Mats Hummels ‎revealed he and his teammates spoke in the dressing room in Belo Horizonte after storming into a 5-0 interval lead. They agreed not to 'show-boat', and, after their historic 7-1 semi-final win, Manchester United target Hummels explained: "We just made it clear that we had to stay focused and not try to humiliate them. "We said...

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says that the Washington Redskins' name 'ought to be changed' and that it's 'an offensive name,' reports TMZ. Holder made the comments in an appearance on ABC News.

Pam Oliver is no longer Fox's top NFL sideline reporter. And after this coming football season, she will no longer be a sideline reporter at all. Oliver confirmed the news to Sports Illustrated on Sunday night that she will move to the network’s No. 2 team for her 20th NFL broadcasting season. Erin Andrews has been elevated to the No. 1 sideline spot, joining the team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Oliver’s last season working as a reporter on the NFL will be spent with the No. 2 Fox team of Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch.

Red Klotz, who owned, coached and played for a number of teams that toured with and lost to the Harlem Globetrotters — most famously the Washington Generals — died Saturday in his sleep in Margate, N.J., the Press of Atlantic City reported. He was 93. Klotz was a prep basketball standout in Philadelphia, twice being named that city’s high school player of the year before going on to play at Villanova. He was on the Baltimore Bullets’ 1947-48 NBA championship team. At 5 feet 7, he is tied with six others as the third-shortest NBA player ever, and was the...

Germany won the World Cup. Host Brazil won a world of new friends. The now four-time champions, the first European team to win the World Cup on Latin American soil, earned the honor of lifting the most recognized trophy in sports with a tooth-and-nail 1-0 victory in a final as terrifically entertaining as the tournament itself. For a 32-day showcase of football at its best, the winning goal was beautifully appropriate. Mario Goetze controlled the ball with his chest and then volleyed it into the Argentine goal, making difficult skills look so simple. Scored in the 113th minute, the mortal...

Floyd Mayweather has been cashing multi-million checks for his fights for more than a decade. He banked at least $25 million for each of his past nine bouts going back to 2007 when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya in the most watched fight in the history of boxing pay-per-view events. Mayweather has earned almost $400 million in the ring since he turned pro in 1996 after the Olympics, but he has never had a year like this past one. Mayweather earned $105 million during the past 12 months for 72 minutes of work in the ring for fights against...

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BRAZIL––The German National Team today stunned soccer fans across the globe with their announcement that they would abdicate the World Cup title, effective today. UEFA, the administrative body for association football in Europe and part of Asia, said today it has voted the largely unknown Argentinian National Team to assume the title of champions of the soccer world. In a statement issued today, the German National Team wrote: “…in today’s game, subject to so many rapid changes on the pitch and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the beautiful game, in order to govern the bark of the World...

Brazilian TV station dubs Stones frontman 'the biggest jinx in history' after he attended the match Mick Jagger has been blamed by a Brazilian TV station for Brazil’s record-breaking 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Germany yesterday (July 8). Jagger has endured a six-game losing streak at the World Cup since 2010, by publicly endorsing countries who promptly lose. It even led to Brazil fans dressing cut-outs of The Rolling Stones singer in the colours of Chile and Colombia before their victories over those countries. But they lost when Jagger and his son Lucas attended the Germany game in Belo...

FIFA World Cup Championship: Germany V Argentina 3pm EDT ABC TV; Univison - Thread

As Germany seek their first World Cup win since 1990, when they beat Argentina in Rome, Low, 54, relished the prospect of re-writing the history books with winning on this continent. "We know we can write history," he said. "In the past we have never had this. Latin Americans, on this continent, have dominated all the time. So why not? This could be an additional joy for us if we were to win as Europeans on Latin American soil." And the prospect of facing Messi as he tries to emulate Diego Maradona, who inspired Argentina to their last World Cup...

The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Production of the Final Match will pioneer a 360-degree viewing experience thanks to a panoramic, Ultra HD OmniCam developed by scientists at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin. Football fans will be able to re-live all the drama and emotion of the 13 July match between Germany and Argentina in this ground-breaking format for the first time at the new FIFA World Football Museum in Zürich, which is scheduled to open its doors to the public in early 2016. The innovation is the latest visual technology to be introduced by FIFA as part of...