South Bend, Indiana; December 31, 2008

S.B. Free Press Sports

ND Scores: Basketball, ND Women--(12) ND 59, (20) Vanderbilt 57; Saint Mary’s--Blackburn 66, SMC 54.

NFL Wildcard Weekend: Saturday--Falcons at Cardinals (4:30 p.m., NBC); Colts at Chargers (8 p.m., NBC); Sunday--Ravens at Dolphins (1 p.m., CBS); Eagles at Vikings (4:30 p.m., Fox). Titans, Panthers, Giants, and Steelers get byes.

NFL Notes: Broncos--Broncos fire Mike Shanahan after 8-8 season; won two Super Bowls but missed playoffs last three seasons; Seattle--Mike Holmgren announces he’s taking a sabbatical from coaching; has more wins than any active coach; Falcons--QB Matt Ryan is AP Offensive Rookie of the Year; Browns--Browns to interview recently-fired Jets coach Eric Mangini.

NCAA Football Scores, Bowls: Humanitarian--Maryland 42, Nevada 35; Texas--Rice 38, Western Michigan 14; Holiday--(15) Oregon 42, (13) Oklahoma St. 35.

NBA Scores: Hawks 110, Pacers 104; Knicks 93, Bobcats 89; Heat 104, Cavaliers 95; Suns 101, Grizzlies 89; Hornets 97, Wizards 85; Bucks 100, Spurs 98; Mavericks 107, Timberwolves 100; Kings 92, Clippers 90; Trailblazers 91, Celtics 86.

NHL Scores: Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 0 (Blackhawk win streak ends at nine); Capitals 4, Sabres 2; Bruins 5, Penguins 2; Canadiens 2, Lightning 1 (SO); Maple Leafs 4, Thrashers 3 (OT); Devils 4, Blues 3; Senators 3, Oilers 2; Flyers 3, Canucks 2;

College Basketball Scores: Men--Bethel 73, Florida Memorial 59; Siena Heights (MI) 88, IUSB 69; Illinois 71, (9) Purdue 67 (OT); (25) Butler 72, UAB 68; Valparaiso 78, North Park 47; (6) Wake Forest 83, Radford 61; (13) Syracuse 100, Seton Hall 76; (20) Clemson 98, South Carolina 87; Arkansas 96, (4) Oklahoma 88; Women--Bethel 75, Evangel (MO) 62; Alabama 81, Ball St. 75; Valparaiso 58, North Florida 49; Kentucky 82, IUPUI 60; (2) UNC 93, Austin Peay 61; (14) Maryland 80, Mississippi St. 73; (23) Georgia Tech 77, Florida A&M 42; (5) Oklahoma 87, St. Louis 61; (19) Pittsburgh 93, Western Kentucky 50; (10) Louisville 82, New Hampshire 40; (9) Auburn 68, Miami (FL) 53; (18) Florida 75, Miami (OH) 56; (22) Kansas St. 73, Washington 60; (8) Tennessee 77, Gonzaga 58; (3) Texas A&M 83, (25) New Mexico 51; San Diego St. 60, (4) Texas 55.

MLB: Rays--Rays sign reliever Joe Nelson to $1.3-million, 1-year deal; Diamondbacks--Diamondbacks sign C Chris Snyder to 3-year deal; Nationals--Nats sign P Daniel Cabrera to 1-year, $2.6-million deal; Reds--Reds sign OF Willy Taveras to 2-year contract.

High School Basketball: T-Mobile Invitational--Washington High School Lady Panthers (10-0) beat Bob Jones High School (AL) 64-55 to win tournament of nation’s best at Ball St.; beat Detroit Martin Luther King 70-35 in early round.

Local

Local Headlines: Overcharge--Macy’s overcharges debit cards; people who shopped at Macy’s with debit card Saturday before Christmas should check bank statement; Macy’s says overcharges will be refunded.

Nation/World

Nation/World Headlines: Transition--Obama to seek quick economic rescue bill; atheists sue to get prayer, God out of Obama’s swearing-in; Obamas move to Washington this weekend; will stay in hotel suite since official guest house is unavailable; Obama will hold meetings in Washington next week on how to revive the faltering economy; Illinois--embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich picks former state Attorney-General Roland Burris, 71, to fill President’elect Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat; Illinois Secretary of State Jessie White says he will not certify pick; Blagojevich is charged with trying to sell the Senate seat; Senate Democrats, including Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, say they will refuse to seat Blagojevich’s pick; Madoff--Bernie Madoff, who cheated investors out of $50-billion dollars, will file list of assets today; actor Kevin Bacon and actress wife Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”) are among those who lost money investing with Madoff; China--head of Chinese dairy pleads guilty in melamine deaths from tainted milk; GM--GM, GMAC ease lending rules to entice car buyers.

Deaths: Jazz musician Freddie Hubbard, 70; vigilante killer Ellie Nessler, 56; her fatal shooting of son’s accused molester in a courtroom was made into TV movie; was diagnosed with cancer while serving sentence.

Weather

Today High 23 Low 14 Snow Showers

Thu High 31 Low 23 Mostly Cloudy

Fri High 27 Low 18 Chance Snow

Sat High 27 Low 18 Partly Cloudy

Sun High 31 Low 18 Chance Snow

South Bend, Indiana; September 4, 2008

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

McCain Takes Stage Tonight: John McCain will take the stage tonight at the Republican National Convention and try to regain the spotlight from running mate Gov. Sarah Palin and her son Trig.

Trig was awake in his mother's arms on the stage after her acceptance last night and checking out the crowd, but he still appeared only slightly interested. His main interests appear to be snuggling and food.

There was no word on whether Trig stayed awake for the speech but then there was no word on whether Joe Biden's children remained awake for their father's acceptance speech.

Trig's sister, mom-to-be Bristol, was also there along with the three other siblings and their dad; the family didn't feel any need to keep Bristol in hiding because of her condition. The governor introduced each of the family members.

One wonders if the pregnancy would be as much of an issue if it was McCains 17-year-old daughter. He does have one, Bridget. McCain has seven children ranging in age from 49 to 17.

Gov. Palin did get off one classic line. When she spotted signs that declared "Hockey Moms 4 Palin," she ad-libbed, "Know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."

Palin resembled a pit bull (figuratively not literally) in her speech. She took a swipe at prospective first lady Michelle Obama, saying people in small towns "love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America." Speaking of Democratic nominee Barack Obama, she said people in the small towns like the one she grew up in "don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when the are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and their guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk to us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco."

When McCain accepts the nomination tonight he will be the oldest nominee of a major party at the age of 72.

Herald Sports

Silver Hawks 5, Whitecaps 3: Sean Coughlin the Hawk offense with four hits and two RBIs as the hosts won their playoff opener.

Collin Cowgill had hits; Winston Linton and Ryne White contributed two hits apiece.

Winning pitcher Jarrod Parker pitched six innings, gave up four hits, three runs—two of them earned, one walk, and struck out five. Clay Zavada, who had been virtually untouchable during the season with an ERA of less than 1.0, did give up a hit in picking up the save.

The series moves to West Michigan tonight and tomorrow night. Both games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

MLB NL: Astros 4, Cubs 0 (Cub lead still 4.5 games); Mets 9, Brewers 2; Marlins 5, Braves 3; Giants 9, Rockies 2; Diamondbacks 4, Cardinals 3; Pirates 6, Reds 5; Nationals 9, Phillies 7; Dodgers 6, Padres 4.

MLB AL: White Sox 4, Indians 2 (ChiSox lead Twins by one game); Blue Jays 5, Twins 4 (11); Red Sox 5, Orioles 4 (BoSox trail Rays by three games); Yankees 8, Rays 4; Rangers 1, Mariners 0; Athletics at Royals PPD.

MLS Scores: No games scheduled.

WNBA Scores: Mercury 103, Lynx 96.

NFL Notes: Correction—QB Joey Harrington was released by the Falcons not the Browns.; Patriots—Belicheck expects Tom Brady to be ready; Ravens—QB Kyle Boller out for season; Jaguars—Jags try to cope with Collier's shooting as back OT continues to fight for life; Jets—Jets name Brett Favre one of captains; Panthers—Panthers do not vote Steve Smith one of captains; Rams—Holdout RB Steven Jackson in camp; Rams expect him to carry full load.

Other Sports Notes: LSU—LSU-Troy game postponed due to Hurricane Gustav; Cubs—Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden both sitting out with arm trouble as Cub loss streak hits five.

U.S. Open Tennis: Serena Williams held off 10 set points to beat sister Venus 7-6, 7-6 and move ahead in the sibling rivalry 9-8.

Venus had prevailed at the last meeting, in the Wimbledon finals.

The other top seeds, including number one Rafael Nadal and the USA's Andy Roddick, also moved on.

Weather

Today High 74 Low 61 T-Storms

Fri High 72 Low 56 Chance Rain

Sat High 74 Low 58 Partly Cloudy

Sun High 76 Low 58 Partly Cloudy

Mon High 74 Low 56 Chance Storms

TV Schedule: 16—7-10 p.m., NFL: Redskins vs. Giants; 10 p.m., *Republican National Convention; 22—8 p.m., Big Brother; 9 p.m., CSI; 10 p.m., *Republican National Convention; 25—8-10 p.m., New 90210 (two-hour episode); 28—8-10 p.m., Kitchen Nightmares (two-hour episode); 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching; 8:30 p.m. Live From Studio B; 9 p.m., Harvest; 57—8 p.m., Ugly Betty; 9 p.m., Grey's Anatomy; 10 p.m., *Republican National Convention; 69—8-10 p.m., The Contractor (movie); (Note: John McCain will give his acceptance speech tonight).

South Bend, Indiana; September 5, 2008

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

"Love" Takes a Holiday: Bad news for Jennifer Love Hewitt fans (I know, there's a political convention going on. I'll get to it). He show "Ghost Whisperer" is being preempted by a special called "Stand Up To Cancer." It will be shown on NBC, CBS, and ABC at 8 p.m. tonight.

If they'd had a cure for cancer in 1969 my father might have lived to see Jennifer Love Hewitt or at least the first granddaughter who was on the way at the time. He'd have enjoyed both of them, although perhaps the latter a little bit more.

McCain Pledges Chance: Like his Democratic counterpart Barack Obama, Republican presidential nominee John McCain also pledged change in his acceptance speech last night.

The oldest nominee of a major party at 72, McCain touted his experience and preached a message of bipartisanship. I remember last week when Obama did that the spirit of bipartisanship lasted until the first political ad. I'm sure it was the same way for the GOP (I didn't stay up to watch; I did read the excerpt of the speech). Elections are not about bipartisanship.

They criticized McCain running mate Sarah Palin for support or lack of same in regard to Alaska Senator Ted Steven's infamous "Bridge To Nowhere." Palin was (still is) the Alaska governor at the time the project was being funded and built. She was accused of being "not entirely honest."

Unfortunately, entirely honest political candidates are seldom elected except possibly at the local level.

McCain could not have been blamed for ignoring the first couple, but he thanked President George and First Lady Laura Bush. He did misspeak and call Mrs. Bush the president's "bride of 63 years." If that were true the couple would have had to wed in nursery school.

McCain also paid tribute to his former rivals, calling them "leaders of great ability."

Free Press Sports

Silver Hawks Playoff Game Postponed: Silver Hawk-Whitecaps playoff game was postponed due to bad weather last night.

The next two games will be tomorrow and Sunday at West Michigan. Both games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

MLB NL: Cubs idle (Cub lead 5 games due to Brewer loss); Padres 5, Brewers 2; Reds 8, Pirates 6; Braves 2, Nationals 0.

MLB AL: White Sox idle (ChiSox lead Twins by 1.5 games due to Twin loss); Blue Jays 9, Twins 0; Rays 7, Yankees 5; Angels 7, Tigers 1; Royals 9-5, Athletics 4-6 (First game 10 innings).

MLS Scores: Colorado Rapids 1, FC Dallas 0.

WNBA Scores: Storm 70, Sky 62.

NFL Scores: Giants 16, Redskins 7.

NCAA Football Scores: Vanderbilt 24, South Carolina 17; Nicholls St.-New Mexico PPD.

NFL Notes: Retirement Announced—Daunte Culpepper retires; Jaguars—Jag backup OT Richard Collier gradually improving after shooting; Bengals—Chad Johnson changes name to Chad Ocho Cinco; Giants—Giants WR Plaxico Burress signs 2-year extension; Cowboys—Terence Newman injury could make Pacman starter; Bills—Bills to honor Kevin Everett at opener; former tight end recovering from paralysis.

Other Sports Notes: Cubs—Zambrano has shoulder tendenitis; LHP Sean Marshall to start in Z's place; Rich Harden out 15 days with right shoulder strain; LPGA—LPGA law requiring English fluency by 2009 may be illegal; OSU—Buckeye star TB Chris "Beanie" Wells out for Ohio U. game Saturday with foot injury; Penn St.—Paterno suspends three players for Saturday for misbehavior.

U.S. Open Tennis: Andy Roddick, the last American male in the U.S. Open, was eliminated 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Four-time Open champ Roger Federer advances to the semifinals in three sets.

The women's semifinals will feature Serena Williams vs. Dinara Sarina and Jelena Jankovic vs. Elena Dementieva. The men's semis will feature Federer vs. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal vs. Britain's Andy Murray.

Weather

Today High 70 Low 52 Mostly Cloudy

Sat High 72 Low 52 Partly Cloudy

Sun High 76 Low 56 Partly Cloudy

Mon High 74 Low 54 Chance Storms

Tue High 72 Low 52 Partly Cloudy

TV Schedule: 16—8 p.m., Stand Up To Cancer; 9 p.m., 2008 NFL Kickoff Show; 10 p.m., Dateline NBC; 22—8 p.m., Stand Up To Cancer; 9 p.m., CBS Fall Preview; 9:30 p.m., New Adventures Of Old Christine; 10 p.m., Swingtown; 25—8-10 p.m., Smackdown; 10 p.m., Seinfeld (two episodes; first episode features the Soup Nazi); 28—8-10 p.m., Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Fox 28 News; 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching; 8:30 p.m., LESEA In Action; 9 p.m., Harvest; 10 p.m., Berean Seventh Day Adventist Church; 10:30 p.m., Joyce Meyer; 57—8 p.m., Stand Up To Cancer; 9 p.m., America's Funniest Home Videos; 10 p.m., 20/20; 69—8 p.m., The Academy; 9 p.m., Paradise Hotel 2; 10 p.m., Adventures Of Superman (1950;s version, two episodes).

South Bend, Indiana; September 3, 2008

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

Trig's Mom To Give Acceptance Speech: The Republican National Convention got so dull last night that four-month-old Trig Palin might not have been the only one sleeping.

Maybe he'll stay awake long enough to listen to his mom's speech tonight accepting the Republican vice-presidential nomination although that will probably be after his bed time.

The real big-hitters come out tonight and Thursday night.

Governor Sarah Palin, Trig's mom, will be preceded by former New York City mayor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani at the podium. Giuliani said he plans to emphasize to the convention that Barack Obama has never run a city or a state or a military unit (The Alaska governor is commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard).

Free Press Sports

Silver Hawks Open Playoffs Tonight: The Silver Hawks open their playoff schedule against the West Michigan Whitecaps tonight at the Cove. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale. The next two games after that will be played at West Michigan.

Other Midwest League playoff teams are Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Lansing, Dayton, Burlington, and Kane County.

MLB NL: Astros 9, Cubs 7 (11 innings, Cubs lead Brewers by 4.5 games; Cardinals by 11); Mets 6, Brewers 5 (10); Phillies 4, Nationals 0; Pirates 3, Reds 2; Braves 16, Marlins 14; Rockies 6, Giants 5 (12); Cardinals 8, Diamondbacks 2; Dodgers 8, Padres 4.

MLB AL: Indians 9, White Sox 3 (ChiSox, Twins tied); Blue Jays 7, Twins 5; Red Sox 14, Orioles 2; Yankees 7, Rays 2; Angels 5, Tigers 4; Rangers 6, Mariners 4; Royals 5, Athletics 2.

MLS Scores: CONCACAF Champions League—Trinidad and Tobago Joe Public 4, New England Revolution 0; Tauro FC 1, Chivas USA 1 (Tauro FC advances).

WNBA Scores: Fever 79, Mystics 68; Liberty 90, Comets 87; Storm 83, Dream 69.

NFL Notes: Upshaw—The NFL will honor the late Gene Upshaw at all of its games this week; Upshaw remembered at memorial service; Saints—The Saints will be able to play their scheduled game at the Superdome Sunday despite Hurricane Gustav; Lions—Lions ink Rudi Johnson to 1-year deal; Jaguars—Jaguar RB Fred Taylor is handcuffed in altercation with police; Broncos, Falcons—Falcons get CB Domonique Foxworth for seventh-round 2009 draft pick; Falcons cut veteran QB Joey Harrington.

U.S. Open Tennis: The top seeds advanced including the USA's Andy Roddick. Long-time number one player (still number two) and four-time Open champion Roger Federer did need five sets to dispose of his quarterfinal opponent. No score yet on the Williams sisters match.

UFC: Randy Couture agreed Tuesday to defend his UFC heavyweight title November 15 against Brock Lesnar as the main event of UFC 91 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas after settling all outstanding lawsuits with the company.

First Week NCAA Football Scores: Thursday, Aug. 28—Eastern Michigan 52, Indiana St. 0; Ball St. 48, Northeastern 14; Wake Forest 41, Baylor 13; Central Michigan 31, Eastern Illinois 12; Buffalo 42, UTEP 17; Vanderbilt 34, Miami (OH) 13; Troy 31, Middle Tennessee St. 17; Miami (FL) 57, Charleston S. 7; Connecticut 35, Hofstra 3; Cincinnati 40, Eastern Kentucky 7; Georgia Tech 41, Jacksonville St. 14; South Carolina 34, North Carolina 0; Iowa St. 44, South Dakota St. 17; Stanford 36, Oregon St. 28; Friday, Aug. 29—Temple 35, Army 7; Rice 56, SMU 27; Sat., Aug. 30—Indiana 31, West Kentucky 13; LSU 41, Appalachian St. 13; Wisconsin 38, Akron 17; Bowling Green 27, Pittsburgh 17; Penn St. 66, Coastal Carolina 10; Ohio St. 43, Youngstown St. 0; Northwestern 30, Syracuse 10; East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22; Iowa 46, Maine 3; Georgia 45, Georgia Southern 21; Florida 56, Hawaii 10; Wyoming 21, Ohio 20; Air Force 41, Southern Utah 7; West Virginia 48, Villanova 21; USC 52, Virginia 7; Oklahoma St. 39, Washington St. 13; Navy 41, Towson 13; Utah 25, Michigan 23; Maryland 14, Delaware 7; Tulsa 45, UAB 22; Marshall 35, Illinois St. 10; TCU 26, New Mexico 3; BYU 41, Northern Iowa 17; Central Florida 17, South Carolina St. 0; North Carolina 35, McNeese St. 27; Louisiana Tech 22, Mississippi St. 14; Texas Tech 49, Eastern Washington 24; Southern Miss. 51, Louisiana Lafayette 21; Oklahoma 57, Chattanooga 2; Nebraska 47, Western Michigan 24; Minnesota 31, Northern Illinois 27; Ole Miss 41, Memphis 24; Houston 55, Southern 3; Texas 52, Florida Atlantic 10; Kansas 40, Florida International 10; Duke 31, James Madison 7; Auburn 34, LA Monroe 0; Arkansas 28, Western Illinois 24; Arkansas St. 18, Texas A&M 14; South Florida 56, Tenn-Martin 7; Kansas St. 45, North Texas 6; Boston College 21, Kent St. 0; San Jose St. 13, UC Davis 10; Boise St. 49, Idaho St. 7; California 38, Michigan St. 31; Alabama 34, Clemson 10; Missouri 52, Illinois 42; Nevada 49, Grambling St. 13.Cal Poly 29, San Diego St. 27; UNLV 27, Utah St. 17; Oregon 44, Washington 10; Arizona 70, Idaho 0; Arizona St. 30, Northern Arizona 13; Sun., Aug. 31—Kentucky 27, Louisville 2; Colorado 38, Colorado St. 17; Monday—Fresno St. 24, Rutgers 7; UCLA 27, Tennessee 24 (OT).

Weather

Today High 81Low 59 Chance Storms

Thu High 74 Low 61 Chance Storms

Fri High 74 Low 58 Chance Storms

Sat High 79 Low 58 Chance Storms

Sun High 76 Low 58 Mostly Cloudy

TV Schedule: 16—8-10 p.m., America's Got Talent (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 22—8 p.m., America's Greatest Dogs; 9 p.m., Criminal Minds; 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 25—8-10 p.m., America's Next Top Model (two-hour episode); 28—8-10 p.m., Bones (two-hour episode); 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching; 8:30 p.m. Making Healthy Choices; 9 p.m., Harvest; 57—8 p.m., Wife Swap; 9 p.m., Supernanny; 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 69—8-9 p.m., Twilight Zone (two episodes); 9-10 p.m., Whacked-Out Videos (two episodes).

Nation/World

Pakistani PM Unhurt After Shots Fired: Pakastani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was unhurt when shots were fired at his motorcade earlier today.

South Bend, Indiana; September 2, 2008

Free Press Sports

Lugnuts 4, #Silver Hawks 2 (#Second Half Eastern Division Champs): The Silver Hawks began the first half-season with a long losing streak which included four straight losses at Lansing. Their concluded the regular season with three straight home losses to the Lugnuts but the best second half record in the Eastern Division.

Despite the losing streak the Hawks (43-27) just missed out on the best second half record in the Midwest League. The Burlington Bees head into the playoffs with a 43-26 mark.

The Hawks open their playoff schedule against the West Michigan Whitecaps September 3 (tomorrow night) at the Cove. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale. The next two games after that will be played at West Michigan.

MLB NL: Astros 3, Cubs 0 (Cubs lead Brewers by 4.5 games, Cardinals by 11); Mets 4, Brewers 2; Nationals 7, Phillies 4; Rockies 4, Giants 0; Diamondbacks 8, Cardinals 6; Dodgers 5, Padres 2.

MLB AL: Indians 5, White Sox 0 (ChiSox, Twins tied); Twins idle; Red Sox 7, Orioles 4; Yankees 13, Tigers 9; Mariners 12, Rangers 6.

MLS Scores: Saturday—Fire 1, Chivas USA 0; Houston 2, Columbus 0; DC United 2, Kansas City 0; Sunday—San Jose 3, Los Angeles 2; FC Dallas 2, Toronto 0.

WNBA Scores: Friday—Sky 79, Mystics 75; Shock 83, Liberty 69; Sun 98, Dream 72; Saturday—Fever 87, Dream 72; Monarchs 80, Comets 65; Lynx 92, Mystics 78; Sparks 58, Silver Stars 53; Sunday—Sky 82, Shock 81; Sun 80, Storm 76; Monday—Sparks 82, Lynx 58.

NFL Notes: Colts—Peyton Manning will start in opener vs. Bears; Ravens—Joe Flacco, rookie QB from University of Delaware, will start season as number one; Patriots—Tom Brady says he'll be ready to play in team's opener; Saints—Engineers say Superdome looks good in wake of Hurricane Gustav.

Williams Sisters To Meet Again at Forest Hills: Venus and Serena Williams will square off against other for the 17^th time as professionals in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

The sisters each advanced with straight set victories in this weekend's action at Forest Hills.

Rafael Nadal will try to make his already successful season more so on the men's side. The Spaniard advanced along with the other top men's seeds. Nadal has already won his fourth French Open title and first Wimbledon crown this year. He has never reached the U.S. Open final.

Golf: PGA Deutsche Bank Cham-pionship—Vijay Singh -22 (Singh leads Sergio Garcia by 12,225 points), Mike Weir -17; LPGA—No events scheduled; Champions Tour Wal-Mart First Tee Open At Pebble Beach—Jeff Sluman -14; Fuzzy Zoeller and Craig Stadler -9.

Johnson Remains In Contention For Three-Peat: Two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson remained in contention for the third straight with a convincing win in the Pepsi 500 at Charlotte Sunday night.

Johnson led 228 of the 250 laps. Greg Biffle finished 2.076 seconds behind.

Points leaders Kyle Busch (1) and Carl Edwards (2) retained their spots with seventh and sixth place finishes respectively. Johnson is in third place and Biffle sixth in the Sprint Cup standings.

South Bend native Ryan Newman's Cup dim Cup hopes faded even more with a 16^th place finish Sunday. He also stands 16^th in the standings.

NASCAR Pepsi 500 At Charlotte: 1. Jimmie Johnson (48 Chevy); 2. Greg Biffle (16 Ford); 3. Denny Hamlin (11 Toyota); 4. Kevin Harvick (29 Chevy); 5. Matt Kenseth (17 Ford); 6. Carl Edwards (99 Ford); 7. Kyle Busch (18 Toyota); 8. Kasey Kahne (9 Dodge); 9. David Reutimann (44 Toyota); 10. Clint Bowyer (07 Chevy); 16. Ryan Newman (12 Dodge).

Sprint Cup Standings: 1. Kyle Busch 3755; 2. Carl Edwards 3547; 3. Jimmie Johnson 3386; 4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 3323; 5. Jeff Burton 3234; 6. Greg Biffle 3159; 7. Kevin Harvick 3132; 8. Tony Stewart 3110; 9. Matt Kenseth 3081; 10. Jeff Gordon 3074; 11. Denny Hamlin 3065; 12. Clint Bowyer 2989; 16. Ryan Newman 2789.

IRL Standings (No Races Scheduled Labor Day Weekend): 1. Helio Castroneves 626, 2. Scott Dixon 624, 3. Tony Kanaan 516, 4. Dan Wheldon 496, 5. Ryan Briscoe 452, 6. Danica Patrick 389, 7. Oriol Servia 360, 8. Marco Andretti 355, 9. Hideki Mutoh 351, 10. Ryan Hunter-Reay 350.

Jaguar Lineman Fights For Life: Jaguars reserve offensive tackle Richard Collier is fighting for his life in Jacksonville's Shands Medical Center after a Tuesday shooting.

Collier and recently released former Jaguar defensive end Kenneth Pettway were sitting in a car outside a Jacksonville apartment waiting for some women when the shooting occurred.

Pettway was not injured in the attack. Jacksonville police have still not discovered a motive for the shooting.

The Jaguars still believed before the shooting that Collier could be a future starter; they signed him to an extension in the off-season.

Collier, 6-7/345 pounds, is a third-year player who came to the team as a rookie free agent. He helped lead Valdosta State to the 2004 NCAA Division II Title.

Weather

Today High 92 Low 65 Clear

Wed High 81 Low 58 T-storms

Thu High 72 Low 58 Chance Storms

Fri High 77 Low 58 Chance Storms

Sat High 79 Low 56 Chance Storms

Nation/World

Calls For Palin To Drop Out: Democrats and Republicans are calling for presumptive Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to drop out of the race prior to this week's GOP convention after the announcement that Palin's 17-year-old unmarried daughter was pregnant.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was aware of Bristol Palin's pregnancy before he chose her mother, the Governor of Alaska, as his running mate, a top advisor to the Arizona senator said.

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack O:bama said that families should be off-limits in presidential campaigns after learning of the news. "Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits."

iReporter Darla Jones of Roseburg, Oregon, who supports McCain, agrees that the media and public should leave Bristol and the Palin family alone.

"I had a daughter very young," Jones worte on iReport.com, explaining that being a young mother made it difficult to get jobs and complete her education. "This should not affect the presidency in any way."

Sabrina Lee of Laveen Arizona, a previously undecided voter, had a different opinion.

"Personally, I have a right to know anything and everything about the next president and vice president," Lee wrote on iReport.com. "I want to know the truth. "I feel as a voter I have the right to know everything about each nominee. This is just my opinion, but it's also my vote and its precious."

Lee said she now plans to vote for Obama.

"Family values are a Republican platform," Lee said, describing the news of Bristol's pregnancy as "a travesty."

Arizona resident Alicia Summers, an Obama supporter, suggested that Palin drop out of the race out of respect for the privacy of her family.

Another women wrote on iReport.com, "An unmarried 17-year-old pregnant daughter is not consistent with conservative principles.

Gov. Palin had been charged with faking her recent pregnancy to cover for her daughter. The governor gave birth four months ago to son Trig, who has Down's Syndrome.

Gov. Palin and husband Todd have three other children: Track, Willow, and Piper. The grandchild will be their first.

Bristol plans to deliver the baby and wed the father. The family did not release the name of the young man.

Japanese PM Resigns: Taro Aso, a man described as a "hardliner" and "controversial" appears to be the front-runner to replace Yaluo Fukuda as Japanese prime minister, who resigned yesterday.

Fukuda is the second Japanese prime minister to resign this year.

TV Schedule: 16—8-10 p.m., America's Got Talent (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 22—8 p.m., NCIS; 9 p.m., Big Brother; 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 25—8-10 p.m., New 90210 (two-hour premier); 28—8-10 p.m., House (two-hour episode); 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching; 8:30 p.m. Paid Programming; 9 p.m., Harvest; 57—8 p.m., Wipeout; 9 p.m., Wanna Bet?; 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 10 p.m., Republican National Convention; 69—8-9 p.m., Street Patrol (two episodes); 9-10 p.m., Jail (two episodes).

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

Veep "Scandal" Already For GOP: I may not be in whole-hearted agreement with Barack Obama but I am on this issue.

Children should not be used as political pawns in their elders' campaigns, especially four-month-old babies. Presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's fourth-month-old son Trig wasn't letting the commotion bother him at the announcement of his mother's selection by presidential candidate John McCain; he appeared oblivious to all the commotion as he slept peacefully in his sister Bristol's arms. Maybe he had the right idea.

If the rumors were true that Gov. Palin faked her recent pregnancy and that Trig is really Bristol's son, then that would demonstrate a lack of integrity. It appears that only soap opera aspect of this situation is in some reporters' imaginations and the names of the Palin children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.

In regards to the names the Palins probably believe their children are not common and don't deserve common names; parents could be forgiven for feeling that way.

And leave Trig out of politics. He's obviously disinterested. That's his privilege.

South Bend, Indiana; August 29, 2008

Announcements

Pow Wow: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding its 23d annual Kee-Boon-Meen-Kaa Pow Wow this Saturday and Sunday at tribal headquarters southwest of Dowagiac. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

Historic Moment In Denver: It was a moment fraught with symbolism. On the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, the first African-American nominee was introduced to a major party nomination convention as "the next President of the United States."
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's fellow Illinois senator, Dick Durbin, did the honors.
It was the second acceptance speech given in an outdoor arena—Denver's Invesco Field; it was moved for the occasion from the NBA arena. The first was John F. Kennedy's "New Frontier" speech. Kennedy reportedly had trouble filling the stadium for that occasion; there were more than 80,000 enthusiastic supporters on hand this time. They stood on their feet for much of the speech, interrupting with applause and chants of "eight is enough."
Obama thanked the usual people in his opening remarks: Durbin; the preceding speaker, former Vice-President and 2000 Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore; his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia—who were beaming and elegantly gowned for the occasion; and other members of his family, including his late mother, World War II veteran grandfather, and absent grandmother (she was unable to make the trip for health reasons).
He also took time in his opening remarks to praise his former rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, as "an inspiration to my daughters and yours."
He thanked the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton; Senator Ted Kennedy, who addressed the convention despite suffering from brain cancer; and "the next Vice-President of the United States," Joe Biden.
He also paid tribute to the "ordinary men and women—students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors…" who found the courage to keep the American dream alive and make the historic moment possible.
Whether you thought the points he made in the speech were accurate or fair—this was a political convention after all—he made them with the eloquence that helped propel him within reach of the country's highest office.
The speech received praise from Democrats and Republicans alike. Obama even received a message from his presumptive opponent in the November general election, John McCain, congratulating him on his nomination.
Obama, for his part, praised McCain's service to this country in uniform while criticizing the Republican's support for the "failed policies" of incumbent President George W. Bush.
Alaska Governor is GOP Veep Choice: McCain did steal some of Obama's thunder by announcing the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. She will be the first woman on a Republican national ticket.
The Republican convention will start next week in St. Paul, MN.

Free Press Sports

#Silver Hawks 17, Wizards 6 (#Second Half Eastern Division Champs): The Hawks backed up Jarrod Parker's solid pitching with plenty of offense in their last trip to Ft. Wayne's Memorial Stadium. The Wizards are moving from the 15-year-old ballpark to a new one next season.
Parker (12-5, 3.44) gave up one hit with no walks and seven strikeouts in five innings.
Purdue grad Ryne White led the offense with four hits—including two doubles—and three RBIs. Taylor Harbin had three hits and four RBIs while recent University of Kentucky grad Collin Cowgill continued his successful transition to the pros with three runs, two hits, and four RBIs.
Winston Linton, Sean Coughlin, JoJo Batten, Derrick Walker, and Elijah Rumler had two hits each.
The Hawks (42-24) have a slim lead over the Burlington Bees (41-24) who lost last night—for the best record in the second Midwest League half-season.
The Hawks end their regular slate against half-season champion Lugnuts this weekend at the Cove. Tonight's game begins at 6:30 p.m.
The Hawks open their playoff schedule against the West Michigan Whitecaps September 3 at the Cove. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale.
MLB NL: Cubs 6, Phillies 4; Brewers/Cardinals idle; Astros 3, Reds 2; Nationals 11, Dodgers 2; Braves 4, Marlins 2. .
MLB AL: White Sox idle; Athletics 3, Twins 2; Yankees 3, Red Sox 2; Rays 3, Blue Jays 2; Angels 7, Rangers 5 .
MLS Scores: No games scheduled.
WNBA Scores: Sun 84, Fever 58; Sky 69, Liberty 60; Silver Stars 77, Mercury 55; Sparks 78, Monarchs 63; Storm 66, Comets 49.
NFL Preseason: Bears 16, Browns 10; Bengals 27, Colts 7; Jaguars 24, Redskins 3; Titans 23, Packers 21; Giants 19, Patriots 14; Steelers 19, Panthers 16; Chiefs 21, Rams 17; Falcons 10, Ravens 9; Cowboys 16, Vikings 10; Dolphins 14, Saints 10; Buccaneers 16, Texans 6.
Frenchwoman Upsets French Open Champ at Forest Hills: Julie Coin of France, the 188th-ranked player on the women's tennis tour, upset top-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round of the U.S. Open. The upset of the French Open champion was one of the biggest in U.S. Open history.

Weather
Today High 81 Low 52 Partly Cloudy
Sat High 83 Low 56 Clear
Sun High 88 Low 59 Clear
Mon High 88 Low 61 Clear
Tue High 88 Low 65 Clear

TV Schedule: 16—8 p.m., America's Toughest Jobs; 9-11 p.m., Dateline NBC; 22—8 p.m., Ghost Whisperer; 9 p.m., Numb3rs; 10 p.m., Swingtown; 25—8-10 p.m., Smackdown; 10-11 p.m., Seinfeld (two episodes; 28—8-10 p.m., Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Fox 28 News; 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching; 8:30 p.m. LESEA In Action; 9 p.m., Harvest; 10 p.m., Berean Seventh Day Adventist; 10:30 p.m., Joyce Meyer; 57—8-10 p.m., Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! (movie); 10 p.m., 20/20; 69—8-11 p.m., Jaws.

South Bend, Indiana; August 28, 2008

Local

Another Running Gun Battle: A man was taken to the emergency room with a gunshot wound in the arm early this morning after a running gun battle on the South Bend's southwest side.
The battle involved the occupants of two vehicles near Prairie Avenue. It ended at Prairie and Carlisle Streets.
The South Bend Police and K-9 Unit are still investigating.
Conviction In 1995 Fatal Shooting: South Bend resident Jarrode E. Phillips, 33, was convicted of the fatal drive-by shooting of Weldon Jeffries, Jr. in 1995.
The shooting took place at the corner of Illinois and Jefferson Streets on South Bend's west side.
Phillips had already been convicted of federal charges of racketeering, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. The time from the 1995 crime will be added to that from the first conviction. The old sentence doesn't end until 2020.

Announcements

Pow Wow: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding its 23d annual Kee-Boon-Meen-Kaa Pow Wow this Saturday and Sunday at tribal headquarters southwest of Dowagiac. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.

Uncle Ron's Ramblings

Obama Acceptance Speech Tonight: I know that headline is redundant. The announcement in the TV section already says in big bold letters that tonight is the big night: All three major networks will televise Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
There are three football games tonight and a Smallville rerun (Kara/Supergirl is still trapped in the Phantom Zone until the new season starts; hopefully they won't leave her there) but they should be over by the time network convention coverage starts (if someone has a digital TV they can watch complete prime time coverage on PBS channel 34).
Two of the football games feature the Bears or Colts and the Bear game features Brady Quinn starting at quarterback (see article in Sports).
Bill Clinton, 42d President of the United States, put aside any rumored ill-will last night and urged—in his usual eloquent manner—the assembled Democrats at the convention to work to make the man who defeated his wife for the nomination the 44th.
"Clearly, the job of the next president is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America's standing in the world," the former president said. "Everything I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I've done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job."
President Clinton's speech came after Sen. Hillary Clinton had taken to the stage earlier in the evening to call for an acclimation vote to nominate her former rival.
The evening concluded with Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden's acceptance speech reminding the delegates "John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right."
The vice-presidential acceptance speech was supposed to conclude the evening but it wasn't over. The now official presidential nominee made a brief appearance at the podium with his running mate.
The McCain camp stole a little bit of the Democratics' thunder by announcing that he had made his pick for vice-president and would announce it Friday.
Does SBCSC Need a National Search: Can anybody tell me why the South Bend Community School Corporation needs to spend money for a national search on top of the money they spent to buy out former Superintendent Robert Zimmerman.
Interim South Bend Community School Corporation seems to be doing a capable job. He has all the qualifications, he seems to have a good rapport with the board—or they wouldn't have selected him, and he knows this system as well as anybody since he has worked his way up from teacher to acting superintendent.
Why bring in an outsider and then take a chance on that person falling out of favor with the school board.
Consider the SBCSC's history with superintendents would a candidate want to uproot his or her family and move them across the country.
A letter writer to the South Bend Tribune asked that question today. It's a valid one.

Free Press Sports

Wizards 7, #Silver Hawks 2, (#Second Half Eastern Division Champs): Daniel Fournier (L 0-3) gave up seven runs in 1.2 innings for the Hawks.
Matt Oxendine and Derrick Walker had three and two hits respectively for South Bend but they were wasted as the Hawks stranded nine batters.
The Hawks had one bright spot. Clay Zavada retired seven of the eight batters he faced to lower his ERA to 0.54. He struck out five but he did hit one batter.
The Hawks (41-24) are still competing with the Burlington Bees (41-23) for the best record in the second Midwest League half-season.
The two teams meet again tonight at Fort Wayne's Memorial Stadium; game time is 7 p.m.
The Hawks host the first half-season champion Lugnuts this weekend. Tomorrow's game begins at 6:30 p.m.
MLB NL: Cubs 2, Pirates 0; Cardinals 7, Brewers 5; Padres 5, Diamondbacks 4; Mets 6, Phillies 3; Marlins 4, Braves 1; Nationals 5, Dodgers 4; Astros 4, Reds 1; Giants 4, Rockies 1.
MLB AL: Orioles 11, White Sox 3; Twins 6, Mariners 5; Red Sox 11, Yankees 3; Indians 9, Tigers 7; Rays 1, Blue Jays 0; Rangers 3, Royals 2; Athletics 6, Angels 5.
MLS Scores: No games scheduled.
WNBA Scores: No games scheduled during Olympics; season resumes tonight.
Busch, Edwards On Probation: Sprint Cup points leaders Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have been placed on probation for six races.
The probation stems from an incident between the two Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Busch, who is ahead in the points standings, finished second to points runner-up Edwards and bumped him on the cool-down lap. Edwards retaliated.
Quinn Should Start At Soldier Field Tonight: ND graduate Brady Quinn is the probable starter for the Browns tonight against the Bears.
Browns start Derek Anderson is back at practice but is still feeling the effects from a concussion suffered at the hands of the New York Giants.
Quinn has been running the first team.

Weather
Today High 83 Low 65 Partly Cloudy
Fri High 81 Low 54 Partly Cloudy
Sat High 83 Low 56Clear
Sun High 85 Low 58 Clear
Mon High 86 Low 61 Clear

TV Schedule: 16—7-10 p.m., NFL: Jaguars at Redskins; 10 p.m., *Democratic National Convention; 22—7-10 p.m., NFL: Browns at Bears; 9 p.m., 10 p.m., *Democratic National Convention; 25—8 p.m., Smallville; 9 p.m., Supernatural; 28—8-10 p.m., Moment Of Truth; 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching 8:30 p.m., Live From Studio B; 9 p.m., Harvest; 57—8 p.m., Ugly Betty; 9 p.m., Grey's Anatomy; 10 p.m., *Democratic National Convention; 69—7-10 p.m., Bengals at Colts. (*Note: Democratic Convention coverage tonight features Barack Obama's acceptance speech).

Nation/World

Republic of Georgia Update: China and other Asian nations have rebuffed Russia's hopes of international support for the Russian's actions in the Republic of Georgia.
Russia first invaded the rebellious provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, then moved into the rest of Georgia. They announced a cease fire, but then said they would leave checkpoints in the breakaway provinces and in Georgia proper.
This week Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia was recognizing the independence of the two provinces.
The move has brought condemnation from the United States and European Union. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice called Russia's action a "violation of international law."

South Bend, Indiana; August 27, 2008

Local

Park Shooting Was Revenge: This weekend’s shooting at Southeast Side Park on Wenger Street (next to the YWCA) at a neighborhood reunion was apparently motivated by revenge.

Deric Foulks, 39, was shot and killed. Mario Rhodes, 20, was hit in the back by gunfire.

Gary Stokes, 58, one of the organizers of the reunion, has been charged with murder and battery.

Foulks was arrested and convicted in 1991 in connection with the shooting of Stokes, Stokes’ son Booker, and another man. He was released on parole in 2007 after serving 16 years of a 30-year sentence.

Uncle Ron’s Ramblings

Hillary Pleads For Demo Unity: Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made an impassioned plea to her sup-porters to put aside their bitterness as she has done and support the candidacy of Barack Obama.

Declaring herself to be “a proud supporter of Barack Obama,” Sen. Clinton urged Democrats to put aside their loyalty to her and unite behind Mr. Obama—or risk continuing Bush Ad-ministration policies under the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain.

Sen. Clinton, who was introduced by daughter Chelsea, did leave the door open for another run at the presidency.

Announcements

Pow Wow: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding its 23d annual Kee-Boon-Meen-Kaa Pow Wow this Saturday and Sunday at tribal headquarters southwest of Dowagiac. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.

Free Press Sports

Silver Hawks 2, Wizards 0 (11): Tuesday’s game was a microcosm of the Silver Hawks’ season. They started out slowly but finished strong.

After being no-hit for six innings, the visiting Hawks erupted for a run in the seventh and five in the eighth.

The Hawks (41-23) started the first half-season the same way, losing their first nine games. They rebounded in the second half season with the best record in the Midwest League and their second Eastern Division title in four seasons.

To top it off, Hawk skipper Mark Haley was named Midwest League Manager of the Year earlier Tuesday.

JoJo Batten continued his recent hot hitting, singling in the seventh inning run and two more in the eighth.

Ryne White had two hits and scored two runs.

Winning pitcher Daniel Schlereth showed the Wizards some strong pitching, striking out five of the six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. He retired the other batter on a pop fly to third.

The two teams meet again tonight at Fort Wayne’s Memorial Stadium; game time is 7 p.m.

MLB NL: Cubs 14, Pirates 9; Brewers 12, Cardinals 0; Phillies 8, Mets 7; Nationals 2, Dodgers 1; Braves 10, Marlins 9; Reds 2, Astros 1; Padres 9, Diamondbacks 2; Rockies 7, Giants 2.

MLB AL: White Sox 8, Orioles 3; Mariners 3, Twins 2; Red Sox 7, Yankees 3; Indians 10, Tigers 4; Blue Jays 6, Rays 2; Rangers 2, Royals 1; Angels 5, Athletics 1.

MLS Scores: No games scheduled.

WNBA Scores: No games scheduled during Olympics; season resumes Thursday.

Peyton Manning Activated: Peyton Manning has been activated for limited duty at Colts’ training camp.

According to the team he should start out slow and work up to a full complement of snaps next week.

Manning was operated on July 14 to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. He was instructed by doctors not to report to training camp.

The Colts faced the Bills Sunday night—the first event in the new Lucas Oil Stadium—and will play the Bengals Thursday.

Former Blazer Center Dead: Former Portland Trail Blazer center Kevin Duckworth, 44, died Monday night on his way to Blazer-sponsored basketball clinic in Oregon.

The Eastern Illinois graduate helped lead the Blazers to the NBA finals in 1990 and 92. He also played for the Spurs, Bullets/Wizards, Bucks, and Clippers.

Weather

Today High 81Low 58 Partly Cloudy

Thu High 83 Low 65 Partly Cloudy

Fri High 79 Low 56 Chance Storms

Sat High 81 Low 56Partly Cloudy

Sun High 83 Low 58 Clear

TV Schedule: 16—8-10 p.m., America’s Got Talent (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 22—8 p.m., Greatest American Dog; 9 p.m., Criminal Minds; 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 25—8 p.m., America’s Next Top Model; 9 p.m., Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious; 28—8-10 p.m., Bones (two episodes); 46—8 p.m., Lester Sumrall Teaching 8:30 p.m., Making Healthy Choices; 9 p.m., Harvest; 57—8 p.m., Wife Swap; 9 p.m., Supernanny; 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 69—8-9 p.m., Twilight Zone (two episodes); 9-10 p.m., Whacked-Out Videos (two episodes).

South Bend, Indiana; August 26, 2008

Local

SBCSC Teachers Ratify Contract: The South Bend Community School Corporation teachers have ratified a new contract. They had been working on an expired contract since last August.

Uncle Ron’s Ramblings

Democratic Convention Begins: The first day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver was about family.

Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama paid tribute to their husband and father Barack, the presumptive presidential nominee.

Caroline Kennedy was scheduled to introduce an eight-minute video tribute to her Uncle Ted, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, but the senator from Massachusetts showed up in person to deliver his usual rousing speech. Caroline did deliver her tribute to Uncle Ted, the second-longest serving U.S. senator, anyway, and the crowd did get to watch the video.

Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and eldest niece of Ted, urged former Hillary Clinton backers to support Obama. Townsend said she is fully behind the presumptive nominee. Townsend had broken ranks with her uncle, aunts, cousins, mother, and siblings to support Clinton’s failed candidacy.

Clinton herself also urged her followers to support Obama. Their will be a roll call vote with the disenfranchised states of Michigan and Florida participating fully, but Clinton said she will vote for her former rival.

Michelle Obama affirmed that she does love this country in her speech, that she and her husband share classic American values.

She didn’t say whether she would still love it if her husband lost the nomination or whether she will still love it if he loses to John McCain in the general election; there was no one there impertinent enough to ask that question.

Speakers for the rest of the convention include former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson, former vice presidential candidate Chet Edwards, former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former vice president and 2000 presidential nominee Al Gore.

The delegates will also debate whether to retain Howard Dean as national chairman.

Vice presidential nominee Joe Biden will address the delegates Wednesday and Obama will make his acceptance speech Thursday.

Announcements

Pow Wow: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding its 23d annual Kee-Boon-Meen-Kaa Pow Wow this Saturday and Sunday at tribal headquarters southwest of Dowagiac. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.

Free Press Sports

Silver Hawks 2, Wizards 0 (11): Newcomer Ryne White singled in what proved to be the winning run in the 11^th inning as the Hawks clinched a playoff spot for the sixth straight season.

White’s hit scored Matt Oxendine, who had led off the inning with a single. Collin Cowgill scored an insurance run on a throwing error.

Clay Zavada (S 8) lowered his ERA to 0.58 by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the 11^th with two strikeouts and a ground-out. Bill Spottiswood (5-5) got the win with two innings of relief.

The Hawks’ (40-23) magic number to clinch the second half Eastern Division title is two. They Lansing and Dayton each by six games.

The two teams meet again tonight at Fort Wayne’s Memorial Stadium; game time is 7 p.m.

MLB NL: Cubs 12, Pirates 3; Brewers and Cardinals idle; Phillies 5, Dodgers 0; Mets 9, Astros 1; Padres 4, Diamondbacks 2; Rockies 4, Giants 2.

MLB AL: Orioles 4, White Sox (14, completion of suspended game); White Sox 4, Orioles 3; Mariners 4, Twins 2; Indians 4, Tigers 3 (10); Rangers 9, Royals 4; Athletics 2, Angels 1.

MLS Scores: No games scheduled.

WNBA Scores: No games scheduled during Olympics; season resumes Thursday.

NFL Preseason Scores: Chargers 18, Seahawks 17.

Pennington Lands On Feet: Former New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who was released when the team obtained Brett Favre, has won the starting job with the Miami Dolphins.

Pennington becomes the 13^th Dolphin starter since Dan Marino retired.

University of Michigan grad Chad Henne, the Dolphins’ second round pick in this year’s NFL draft, has apparently won the backup job.

Uncle Ron’s Sports Ramblings

Firing Coach Overrated Strategy: I suppose sometimes firing a coach is necessary, but often its an overrated strategy.

Consider three basketball teams. The Lakers and Celtics were underachievers last season under coaches Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson. The Celtics had the worst record in basketball.

The Bulls, under Scott Skiles, made the playoffs again.

Things were so bad in LA that Kobe Bryant was demanding a trade which never came about. The Celtics did make a big trade, getting forward Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves. They also got Ray Allen from the Bucks.

The Bulls added two big men—Joaquim Noah of two-time defending NCAA champion Florida and Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh—but didn’t do much in the free agent market even though they were one of the teams Kobe wanted to go to. They were also Garnett’s home town team.

The Bulls got off to a slow start and Skiles was fired. They finally made a trade after the firing but there were no impact players involved, unless you count underachieving center Ben Wallace. Later in the season there were complaints that they were not playing with the same defensive intensity that they were under Skiles. Well, duh, Scottie wasn’t there any more; he was fired, remember.

The Lakers lost starting center Andrew Bynum who was just starting to come in to his own, but made a mid-season deal for Pau Gasol.

The big Spaniard gave them an inside threat to go with Kobe’s inside-outside threat and the rest of the team came together.

The Lakers and Celtics wound up in the finals with the Celts prevailing in six games. Scottie wound up in Milwaukee, where he replaced an old friend who was fired, Larry Krystowiak.

The Bulls did get the top draft choice out of the deal.

What if the South Bend Silver Hawks had fired their manager Mark Hadley after their slow start.

They were starting to turn things around at the end of the first half-season but had dug themselves too deep a hole. They went from the worst record in the league to the middle of the pack.

In the Midwest League the teams start with a clean slate in the second half-season. The Hawks started out hot with two all-stars promoted and an infusion of recent draft choices.

They’ve kept up that pace, building the best record in the league for the second half-season. They’re two wins (or Dayton/Lansing losses) away from capturing the second half Eastern Division title. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot for the sixth season in a row.

Weather

Today High 79 Low 56 Clear

Wed High 83 Low 61 Partly Cloudy

Thu High 85 Low 63 Partly Cloudy

Fri High 81 Low 56 Chance Storms

Sat High 79 Low 56 Partly Cloudy

TV Schedule: 16—8-10 p.m., America’s Got Talent (two-hour episode); 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 22—8 p.m., NCIS; 9 p.m., Big Brother; 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 25—8 p.m., Smallville; 9 p.m., Reaper; 28—8-10 p.m., House (two episodes); 46—7-10 p.m., Making Healthy Choices; 57—8 p.m., Wipeout; 9 p.m., Wanna Bet?; 10 p.m., Democratic National Convention; 69—8-9 p.m., Street Patrol (two episodes); 9-10 p.m., Jail (two episodes).

Nation/World

Russians Recognize Independence of Georgian Provinces: The Russian government has recognized the independence of two breakaway Georgian provinces.