KFDM COOP

Like you said i like the idea of them using the smaller town guys.

kogt After two successful seasons at Kilgore Junior College and graduating with honors, Kirby Myers (OF) will be extending her basketball career at the University of Texas at Tyler with the Lady Patriots.

Don't think it's a local!

They finally got smart and gave the best toan actual wrestler!!

This system has been fairly accurate.

Longtime NASCAR chairman France Jr. dies Associated Press Bill France Jr., who transformed NASCAR from a small Southern sport into a billion-dollar conglomerate during his 31 years as chairman, died Monday. He was 74. He died at his Daytona Beach, Fla., home, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. France had been in poor health for much of the last decade -- he was diagnosed with cancer in 1999. Although he was in remission, the extensive treatments took a toll. He never regained his full strength, often had difficulty breathing and had taken to using a motorized scooter to get around. France was hospitalized at least twice this year but spent his final days resting at home. His last public appearance was Feb. 12 in Daytona Beach, where NASCAR's top names gathered to "Roast and Toast" him at the Bill France Hot Dog Dinner during the Daytona 500 build-up. Even there, especially there, France Jr., who ruled NASCAR with an iron fist, called the shots. His toasters that evening were gently reminded to avoid any harsh roasting. France did not speak during the dinner but received guests from his seat on the banquet floor. A shrewd businessman who was fiercely protective of his family-owned company, France always acted in NASCAR's best interests. His decisions often riled car owners, drivers, sponsors and fans, but France never backed down. He was in charge -- like it or not -- and he quickly reminded dissenters. "Part of leadership is having the guts to make a decision and then having the guts to stand by it and making it work," said four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. "That's what he did on a lot of occasions. He did it in a way that let you know who the boss was and also did it in a way that you respected him. And I've said it all along, I think that is the cornerstone in our sport." France became chairman in 1972 when he replaced his father, NASCAR founder William Henry Getty France, who retired 25 years after forming the National Association for Stock Car Racing. He had prepped for the job by doing a little bit of everything during his rise through the grass roots ranks of racing. Bill France Sr. put Bill Jr. in charge of crowd control at one of the early 1950s beach races at Daytona Beach. It was a difficult situation -- there seemed to be no way to fence in the beach area and keep people from walking in without buying tickets. But young France had learned some lessons from his dad about ingenuity: "We put up signs in the scrub areas along the road that said 'Beware of snakes' and funneled people through out gates. It worked out pretty good," France said. He also was a flagman, sold concessions, parked cars, scored races, promoted events and even helped in the construction of Daytona International Speedway. France worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week as he drove a compactor, bulldozer and grader in the 13 months it took to build the track. He once even tried to use a mule to pull trees out of the swamps, because the motorized equipment kept getting stuck. When he finally took over NASCAR, he inherited a sport that was rich in Southern tradition but mostly unknown everywhere else in the United States. "Other than the founding of NASCAR itself, Bill Jr.'s appointment to leadership is probably the most significant event in the history of the sanctioning body," the International Motorsports Hall of Fame said about the transition. "His role in the impact of the sport has been huge," Gordon said. "His personality came at a time when it was what our sport needed. I think he did an incredible job of basing his opinion on what he believed the facts to be and then having the courage to make that decision and see it through. "He ain't a waffler. ... He's just going to go do it." Over the span of three remarkable decades, France oversaw the expansion of the sport, parlaying the loyal fan base of the Deep South into sold-out tracks in New England, California, Texas and the Midwest. He also moved the season-ending awards banquet to New York City in an effort to court the Madison Ave. money. It all translated into more money from sponsors, bigger paydays for drivers and robust TV audiences. Before France's tenure began, the few races that did make it onto TV were only shown in snippets on shows such as ABC's "Wide World of Sports." But within six years, France had a deal with CBS Sports to televise the 1979 Daytona 500 from flag to flag. The race received huge ratings, with Richard Petty winning after Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the final lap. Allison and his brother, Bobby, then fought with Yarborough on live TV. It led to more coverage -- but through a complicated system where each track negotiated its own TV contract. But in 1999, NASCAR finally packaged the entire circuit together in a $2.4 billion contract that awarded races to Fox, NBC and TNT that began in 2001. Through it all, Daytona Beach remained the heart of NASCAR and the France family. On the 50th anniversary of NASCAR, France took part in a media bus tour around Daytona, talking about the sports' history. The tour included the hotel where the initial NASCAR organizational meeting took place, France Jr.'s boyhood home, his father's gas station, the north turn of the beach course and more. France, who had a mild heart attack in 1997, relinquished his role as NASCAR president to Mike Helton in 2003. He handed off chairman duties to son Brian in 2003. France took the role of vice chairman, reporting to headquarters daily, but moved into a different office a bit removed from the action as he left much of the decision-making to Brian. But it wasn't always smooth between father and son, evidenced by an awkward moment during a 2003 news conference to announce NASCAR's shift into non-traditional markets. Brian France represented NASCAR that day, with France squirming in the audience as the speech plodded along. Frustrated with Brian's presentation, France couldn't take it any longer. He stood up, and without a microphone, awkwardly interrupted to emphasize a point he didn't think Brian was making clear enough. As the crowd chuckled at "Bill just being Bill," Brian twisted uncomfortably on the stage. "I told him I was disappointed that he thought he needed to make his point at that time," Brian France later said. Eight months later, though, France lauded his son as he handed him the reigns. "I've got total confidence in what Brian can do," France Jr. said. "He's loaded with street smarts." France's daughter, Lesa France Kennedy, runs International Speedway Corp., the owner and operator of most of the major U.S. race tracks. His younger brother, Jim, is the executive vice president of NASCAR and vice chairman of ISC. France also is survived by his wife, Betty Jane, and three grandchildren. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

June 11th

Thanks 87....Awesome read!

WWE is to impressing these days. I like TNA/NWA on Thursdays better right now.

I heard that as well! Hope it happens.

Should have never wanted to leave in the first place!!!

Donovan may be in talks with Florida about return Billy Donovan informed the Magic and the University of Florida over the weekend that he had second thoughts about agreeing to be Orlando's head coach, but it's unclear if the NBA team will let him go. Orlando has a signed contract from Donovan and are making a decision as to whether or not to let him out of the five-year, $27.5 million deal that he signed Thursday, multiple sources told ESPN.com Sunday. If the Magic do let Donovan out of the deal, they have to decide whether to enforce a financial penalty. Both sides aren't talking publicly since there are legal issues involved in such a decision. Donovan's hiring on Thursday prompted the sale of 200 Magic season tickets by Friday afternoon. Magic communications director Joel Glass confirmed that number after Friday's news conference introducing Donovan to a standing ovation from the entire on-site Magic organization at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando. Losing Donovan as coach would likely be a public relations hit to a franchise that needed a pop. Donovan is coming off winning back-to-back national titles at Florida, the first time that has occurred since Duke did it in 1991-92. Donovan, who turned 42 Wednesday, agonized over the decision to accept the Magic offer after first being approached last week. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley flew to Richmond, Va., on Saturday to meet with Donovan's former assistant, VCU head coach Anthony Grant, about the opening. But multiple sources confirmed that the plane was on the ground for less than an hour. Foley left without Grant aboard. Over the weekend, multiple sources said Grant was the top choice but that both he and Donovan wanted to make sure that all of their respective staffs were taken care of before any move was made. Multiple sources said that the decision now rests in the hands of the Magic. A final decision could come as early as Monday. On Friday, Donovan was emphatic about why he ultimately made the choice. He said that he wanted a new challenge and saw the proximity to his home in Gainesville and the young stars on the Magic roster like Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson as well as $10-13 million in salary cap space as a primary reason for jumping at this job. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

ttt

Sources: Donovan wants out of Magic deal Billy Donovan is having second thoughts. According to two sources close to the situation, the former Florida coach, who accepted the Orlando Magic job on Friday, is attempting to return to Gainesville. Donovan agreed to a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic late last week, but has approached both sides about getting out of the deal. According to one source, Donovan was forced to make a rash decision by the Magic management - and he regretted it shortly after agreeing to the contract. Speculation centered on VCU coach and former Gators assistant Anthony Grant replacing Donovan quickly. In fact, Grant was slated to meet with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley on Saturday morning. However, shortly after landing in Virginia, Foley had to return due to an emergency. One source confirmed that the emergency was that Donovan contacted Foley about returning. Donovan, 42, led the Gators to consecutive national titles over the past two seasons and was slated to sign a seven-year deal worth approximately $3.5 million annually. The deal was still in the process of being approved when he accepted the deal with the Magic. Donovan was introduced by the Orlando Magic at a news conference on Friday.

[move]YES[/move]

Think that's what he means is for next season (08).

Stros lose Sunday!!

[Hidden Content]

12 soccer fans crushed to death in stampede LUSAKA, Zambia -- At least 12 soccer fans were crushed to death as a crowd rushed from the stadium after Zambia's victory in an African Cup qualifier, official media said Sunday. Fans were in a hurry to leave because the match against Congo Brazzaville, which Zambia won 3-0, started an hour late -- the Sudanese referee arrived only three hours before kickoff, the state-owned Sunday Times reported. The newspaper said three women and nine men were killed, all of them Zambian team supporters, and five fans were hospitalized after the accident Saturday at Konkola Stadium in the northern town of Chililabonbe in Zambia's Copperbelt province.

Lonestar, my Dawgs playing today?

Rain postpones race at Dover DOVER, Del. (AP) - The rain would not go away. Yeah, we're all bummed Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 was rained out at Dover on Sunday. But you can watch the race LIVE on FOX on Monday at Noon ET. And if you can't get to a TV, we've got you covered. Follow ollow the race LIVE with Race Trax and Fox Trax. Heavy rain on Sunday forced NASCAR to push back a Nextel Cup race for the third time in the last four points races. The Autism Speaks 400 will start at noon on Monday. Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start on the front row at the Monster Mile. Points leader Jeff Gordon starts sixth.

He played QB some i heard.

29-5-1 record. All i've read and heard was they have 2 very good starting pitchers (most teams do at this point).