Ken Jennings won 74 Jeopardy episodes, starting on June 2, 2004. Photo Credit: Associated Press
10 years ago today, Ken Jennings, a then-30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City (he currently lives in Seattle), appeared on Jeopardy! for the first time. Jennings would go on to win 74 shows, and it all started when he correctly answered this Final Jeopardy question…
Category: The 2000 Olympics
Clue: She’s the first female Track & Field athlete to win medals in five different events at a single Olympics.
Do you know the answer? Click here to see if the other contestants that night did!
First played in 1976, the Memorial Tournament has been held every year at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Photo Credit: nicklaus.com
Two rounds are in the books at the Memorial Tournament, held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. 76 players made the cut, including defending champion Matt Kuchar, who is more than 10 shots behind the leader. Of the Top 5 Friday night, there are a couple familiar names, but could we see a surprise winner come Sunday? Here are those five players, with their current scores…
Martin Flores: -7 (137) through 36 holes
The Fort Worth native achieved a 3rd-place finish at the beginning of May in the Wells Fargo Championship, and has only made three bogeys this week at MVGC. He has already won more money in 2014 than he did all last year, and with two more solid rounds this weekend, could earn himself a first PGA Tour win.
Like the two players ahead of him on the leaderboard, Kirk opened this year’s Memorial with a solid 66, and has been bogey-free on the front 9 so far. Kirk is coming off a pair of Top 15 finishes, at the Players and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He sits at 8th in the FedEx Cup standings, and won last November at the McGladrey Classic.
Bubba Watson: -9 (135)
This year’s Masters champion had a little trouble closing out Friday’s round, bogeying four times on the back nine. This is only Watson’s second tournament since the win at Augusta, and he can take pride in having eagled the par-5 15th both of his first two rounds. In addition to his two majors, Watson is also known for being one of “The Golf Boys” along with Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler, and Hunter Mahan.
Paul Casey: -12 (132)
Casey posted back-to-back rounds of 66 to take a three-shot lead into the weekend. Once ranked 3rd in the world, Casey has had a couple personal setbacks since then, but hasn’t shown signs of struggling this week at Muirfield Village. Casey’s only previous PGA Tour win was the 2009 Shell Houston Open, but like Watson, he has eagled twice in his first two rounds this week.
Will one of these five win this year’s Memorial? Will first-round leader Rory McIlroy recover from his second-round 78? Can Adam Scott go 2-for-2 as the top-ranked player in the world? All these narratives should lead to exciting golf in Central Ohio this weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scores the winning goal for Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League Final. Photo Credit: Daily Mail
15 years ago today, Manchester United met Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League Final in Barcelona. The two sides had earlier met that season in the group stage, with both games finishing in draws. Bayern took an early lead in the Final from a Mario Basler free kick, with the German side striking the woodwork twice in the second half. With United about to give up hope, Teddy Sheringham tied the game in second-half stoppage time, and roughly 100 seconds later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer directed a David Beckham corner into the net to give MUFC a famous 2-1 victory. The Red Devils became the first English club to win the prestigious Treble, having won the Premier League and FA Cup in the same season as well.
15 years later, the game still has a place in history for its dramatic finish. Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, who also officiated the 2002 World Cup Final, said it was the most memorable match he oversaw, partly because the noise from United supporters was comparable to a “lion’s roar” following Solskjaer’s winner. The club’s official television channel, MUTV, spent most of today airing old highlights from the Treble season.
Here’s a unique angle of the last three minutes from the Final, taken behind the goal (video uploaded on YouTube by SDJP):
It’s Sunday evening, and there have been a couple sports events worth following this Memorial weekend. Whether it’s been soccer, cricket, or auto racing, sports fans all over the world witnessed incredible finishes in the last 48 hours. Here are 5 memorable moments from this weekend…
SATURDAY
Championship Play-Off Final
The often-called “richest game in football” was certainly rich in drama, as Queens Park Rangers were on the back foot most of the game, had a player sent off, but pulled out a 1-0 win over Derby thanks to Bobby Zamora’s 90th-minute goal. QPR were relegated from the Premier League in 2013, so coming back after one season in the Championship is an accomplishment for Harry Redknapp and his crew.
After being relegated last year, Queens Park Rangers have returned to the top flight of English football. Photo Credit: The FA
UEFA Champions League Final
Atlético Madrid were two minutes away from their first ever European Cup triumph, as their defense was keeping fierce rivals Real Madrid scoreless before Sergio Ramos tied the game with a header past Thibaut Courtois. Once extra time began, it was all Los Blancos. Gareth Bale, Marcelo, & Cristiano Ronaldo each found the net to send Real to a 4-1 victory, their 10th title in the competition.
SUNDAY
League One Play-Off Final
Rotherham United had gone down 2-0 to Leyton Orient at half-time, but two goals in five minutes from Alex Revell (this was the game-tying goal), followed by a scoreless extra time, brought the teams to penalties. (Watch the shoot-out highlights here). Two late saves from Adam Collin saw the Millers earn promotion for a second straight season, this time into the Championship.
Indian Premier League: Mumbai Indians vs. Rajasthan Royals
In T20 cricket, scoring 190 runs off 120 deliveries is tough enough. After Rajasthan made 189, due to the tiebreaker rule, Mumbai had 87 deliveries to make 190 if they wanted to qualify for the playoffs. MI managed 189, meaning they had one more opportunity to hit a boundary, and Aditya Tare dispatched the ball for six. Defending IPL champions Mumbai, who started the season 0-5, have completed a remarkable turnaround and qualified for the playoffs. Watch the incredible finish here.
After starting the IPL season 0-5, defending champions Mumbai Indians have qualified for the playoffs. Photo Credit: BCCI
Indianapolis 500
“The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was absolutely a spectacle to watch, especially in the final laps. It came down to Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves, the latter looking for his record-tying 4th win. But after nearly turning into the grass, Hunter-Reay regained the lead for good on Lap 199 and held off Castroneves, becoming the 1st American winner since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006.
What’s on tap for Monday? The League Two Play-Off Final, NCAA Men’s Division I Lacrosse National Championship Game, the NHL Conference Finals, among other events. Will we see more dramatic finishes on Memorial Day?
Tomorrow night is the UEFA Champions League Final, which can easily be described as Europe’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. Even though there is a FIFA Club World Cup held every December, the appeal of the UCL Final has spread all around the globe. The U.S. has not been the exception, as for the fifth straight year Americans can view the Final on the free-to-air channel Fox. Here’s a preview of the teams fighting to be European champions.
Real Madrid C.F.
Los Blancos qualified for the Final by finishing 1st in their group, then defeated a trio of German teams (Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich) in the knockout rounds. Real have won 9 European Cups, most recently in 2002, but this is their first Final since Zinédine Zidane’s spectacular strike that night in Glasgow. The last three seasons, RM had gone out in the semifinals (to Barcelona, Bayern, and Dortmund respectively). Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading scorer for the second straight year, and has already won with Manchester United in 2008. Carlo Ancelotti has a chance for silverware in his first season in Spain, having won multiple Cups as both a player and manager with AC Milan. Overall, Real Madrid is 9-3 in European Cup/Champions League Finals.
Club Atlético de Madrid
El Atleti also qualified for the knockout stage as group winners, before advancing past AC Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea. This is only their second Final, having lost to Bayern Munich in a replay 40 years ago. Their roster this year includes David Villa, who won the Cup in 2011 with Barcelona, and Diego Costa, the squad’s leading scorer with 8 goals. Despite their lack of success in the Champions League, current manager Diego Simeone has guided the club to four different trophies since taking over in 2011, including the Spanish domestic league earlier this month. Atlético’s desire to win a first European Cup, plus the chance to do so against their fierce city rivals, will only add to the drama tomorrow night.
Additional Notes
This is the second all-Spanish UCL Final in the modern era; Real Madrid defeated Valencia in 2000…..tomorrow’s Final is at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, which also hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 Final; Lisbon previously hosted the 1967 European Cup Final…..Björn Kuipers is the fourth different Dutchman to officiate a European Cup/Champions League Final, the first since Dick Jol in 2001
In English soccer, the promotion/relegation system allows for 3-4 teams to be promoted to a higher tier each season. 2-3 teams go up automatically, but to determine who gets the final opening, the next 4 teams get drawn into a two-leg play-off semifinal, with those winners meeting each other in a one-game play-off final, to decide who goes up a level and who stays where they are now. This weekend, England’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th tiers will hold their play-off finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Here’s a quick look at each…
League Two: Fleetwood Town vs. Burton Albion, Monday, May 26
Fleetwood Town finished 4th in League Two, and defeated 7th-placed York City in the semifinal, while Burton Albion was 6th during the season and held off Southend United in their encounter. In the two matches this season between FTFC and BAFC, the visiting side won both meetings, with Fleetwood outscoring Burton in those games 6-5. Fleetwood will be looking for a big outing from midfielder Antoni Sarcevic, the team leader in goals this year, while the Brewers have relied on the striking duo of Billy Kee and Adam McGurk all season long. Neither team has ever placed better than 4th in League Two, but the winner of this game will move up with Chesterfield, Scunthorpe United, and Rochdale to League One.
League One: Leyton Orient vs. Rotherham United, Sunday, May 25
Leyton Orient finished 3rd and defeated Peterborough United in their semifinal, while Rotherham was 4th and advanced past Preston North End. Orient scored 3 goals to the Millers’ 2 in the regular season matches (a 1-0 home win and a 2-2 draw in Rotherham). The O’s can boast 4 players this season with more than 10 goals, while RUFC has primarily been led by Kieran Agard. The Millers may have extra incentive to win because having finished 2nd in League Two in 2013, RUFC can make it consecutive seasons of promotion. The winner of this game will advance to the Championship along with Wolverhampton and Brentford.
League Championship: Derby County vs. Queens Park Rangers, Saturday, May 24
The Championship Play-Off Final is often called “the richest game in football“, with the winner granted status into the Premier League and all the financial joys it brings. Both Derby and QPR have made the Premier League before, so both sides are more than eager to return to the top tier in English football. Derby finished 3rd and ran past Brighton in the semifinal, while QPR needed extra time to see off Wigan Athletic. Both teams won hard-fought home matches against each other during the season (Derby 1-0 at home, QPR 2-1 in London). Both teams have big names on their roster, with the Rams managed by former England chief Steve McClaren, and QPR boasting multiple players with previous EPL experience (Bobby Zamora, Jermaine Jenas, Richard Dunne, etc.) The Rangers were relegated to the Championship in 2013, so the opportunity to come back after just one season could be a deciding factor toward who wins. Leicester and Burnley have already clinched automatic promotion.
Who will have fond memories of Wembley this weekend? Who will have to wait until 2015 for another chance to move up?
Wembley Stadium in London will host the three Football League Play-Off Finals this weekend.
Last week, I commentated on the USCAA & NCCAA Softball National Championships, in Ohio and Virginia, respectively. Both tournaments had exciting moments, although the weather had its own say throughout the week as well.
The USCAA, in fact, shortened its championship because rain had forced administrators to change the format to single-elimination, as Lindenwood-Belleville won a second straight national championship by virtue of taking the Winner’s Bracket Final over St. Mary-of-the-Woods. One of the highlights from the tournament was a no-hitter from SMWC pitcher Brooke Jordan, in a win over Penn State Mont Alto. Jordan was also effective as a batter, going 2-for-3 in the 2-0 loss to the Lady Lynx that was ultimately the Championship Game. Overall 14 games finished out of the 18 scheduled, with Game 15 in progress when the tournament officially ended on Wednesday.
Firestone Stadium on Monday of the USCAA Softball National Championship. The weather taken here was the nicest it would be all tournament long in Akron.
A 7-hour drive straight from Akron to Roanoke followed, in which I drove through multiple areas under tornado warnings. More rain came to Roanoke on early Thursday morning, but by Friday the skies had cleared, and the NCCAA was able to get all its scheduled games in by Saturday night. Championship Saturday was one to remember for the Shorter Hawks from Rome, Georgia. After defeating Oklahoma Christian 10-0 in 5 innings earlier that morning (due to the 8-run rule), Shorter faced the Eagles once again, this time in the championship round. After being no-hit through 6.2 innings, OCU’s Monique Elliott scored on an RBI from Sarah Endres, the first run given up all tournament by the Hawks. Shorter would win in the 9th inning on a walk-off RBI from Kayla Cooper, giving the Hawks the 2014 National Championship, their 4th Championship of the Spring season.
This was Ken Myers Field at the Botetourt Sports Complex in Virginia on Thursday morning……and the same field on Friday. Quite a change!
This past week provided some great softball, with a lot of memories for each player to take away. It will be interesting to see the new memories made in 2015.
This week, I’ll be commentating on two college softball national championship tournaments: the USCAA Championships in Ohio, and the NCCAA Championships in Virginia. This year, I’ve already covered the soccer and basketball national championships for both organizations, and they have all produced some memorable moments, so the next 7 days should be full of excitement. Here’s a quick look at each tournament…
USCAA Softball: May 12-14, Firestone Stadium, Akron, OH
The USCAA will be holding a 10-team double-elimination tournament Monday through Wednesday, with consolation games to determine 5th-10th place. Among the participants are the two teams from last year’s Championship Round, Lindenwood-Belleville and Ave Maria. The Lynx and Gyrenes would actually be on track to meet each other in a Winner’s Bracket Semifinal or an elimination game, depending on how they do in their first games. Top seed St. Mary of the Woods will be seeking their 9th National Championship, and have been ranked #1 in the USCAA Coaches Poll all season long. Carlow, Briarcliffe, Penn State Hazleton, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Penn State Mont Alto, Concordia-Alabama, and Penn College will also be fighting to be the best in USCAA Softball in 2014.
NCCAA Softball, May 15-17, Botetourt Sports Complex, Botetourt, VA
The NCCAA will also be holding a 10-team double-elimination tournament Thursday through Saturday. Defending National Champions Union and runner-up Shorter are both back for a shot at the crown in 2014. The Bulldogs begin their defense as the #6 seed, while the Hawks earned the top seed in 2014, and both teams return two players each who were named to last year’s All-Tournament Team. Also competing for a title at the BSC are Campbellsville and Central Baptist (both made it to Botetourt last year), joined by Oklahoma Christian, Azusa Pacific, Grace College, Trinity Christian, Cedarville, and Mississippi College.
Be sure to check out the Tourbeau Sports Group Network for all the action. Which teams will rule the softball diamond in 2014?
364 days ago, Ohio was facing archrival Miami (OH) in an elimination game at the MAC Softball Tournament in Akron. The Bobcats went into the bottom of the 7th inning leading the Redhawks 3-2, but Miami had a runner on base with two outs, putting the game-winning run at the plate. Savannah Jo Dorsey’s pitch was hit deep to the outfield, long enough that it would’ve been a home run. But Alyssa Wolfe made a catch running through the fence to record the final out, and the catch made that night’s SportsCenter.
That was on the Thursday of last year’s MAC Tournament. Fast forward to the Thursday of this year’s tourney…
Today, Ohio beat #1 seed Ball State 3-0 on a perfect game from Dorsey. The Cardinals had shut out the Bobcats in both of the two regular-season meetings, and had ended Ohio’s 2013 run on a walk-off triple, so getting a win today was always going to be important to the Bobcats. But now Dorsey has a perfect game, a performance that nobody in Firestone Stadium will forget anytime soon.
Ohio advances to the Winner’s Bracket Final tomorrow against Buffalo. The Bobcats followed up last year’s win over Miami with another elimination game win over Kent State, a contest best known for a lengthy rain delay. What does this year have in store for Ohio Softball?
Kasich was elected Governor in 2010, defeating incumbent Ted Strickland, after serving in the U.S. House from 1983-2001. In between his jobs in government, he was a commentator & investment banker, most notably as a Fox News television host. One of Kasich’s main themes in his first term has been job creation, and according to this graph from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio’s unemployment rate has dropped 4 percentage points since mid-2009. While in Congress, Kasich was best known for sponsoring the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. He is Ohio’s 30th Republican Governor, the 69th overall, and the 22nd to have also served in the U.S. House.
A lot will happen between now and November 4th. With Ohio’s history in presidential elections, the winner will almost certainly have a significant impact on the 2016 race. With Ohioans eager to learn more about the two candidates in the coming months, this election will be fun to watch.
Matt Digby 