Mammoth Blog

The long, winding and sometimes dramatic road to the NASCAR's three major championships concludes the next three days during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway!

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes the stage tonight at 7:30 p.m., the NASCAR Nationwide Series settles its season-long score tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., and the Sprint Cup Series serves up its 36th and final race Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Details about each event follow.

Don't forget to that our season ticket plans can be reserved at http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com or 859-578-2300.

While you're visiting our Web site, check out this week's poll question where you have the chance to give us your opinion about the Chase for the Sprint Cup format. Should it be changed after Kyle Busch dominated 26 races and Jimmie Johnson did the same in the 10 events that followed?

RICHARD PETTY IS YOUR CHOICE FOR U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE
Kentucky Speedway fans followed the drama of our national elections by choosing Richard Petty as their U.S. Presidential nominee from a list of 11 prominent motorsports personalities. Petty collected 25 percent of the vote to narrowly beat Joe Gibbs who received 23 percent of the vote. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. CEO Bruton Smith was third with 19 percent of the vote. The poll was active from Nov. 7 through Thursday, Nov. 13.

BENSON, HORNADAY, JR., TO STAGE NCTS CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY TONIGHT
Former Kentucky Speedway NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winners Johnny Benson (2008) and Ron Hornaday, Jr. (2006) will be separated by just three championship points entering tonight's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Benson, the current championship leader, gave up three points in the Nov. 7 event at Phoenix International Raceway after finishing 26th and one place behind second-place title contender Hornaday, Jr. Both drivers were involved in a seven-truck, incident on Lap 1 that started the first of seven caution periods, but the championship hopefuls were able to return to the race. Hornaday, Jr., finished the race with his truck running and Benson was knocked out by a second accident on Lap 129. Benson won the 2007 Homestead race in which Hornaday, Jr., placed seventh. Benson has registered two top-five and four top-10 finishes in the past five events while Hornaday, Jr., has taken two top-two finishes in that stretch. Benson will be searching for his first series title, second straight top-five finish in the championship standings and third straight top-10 championship finish. Hornaday, Jr., leads the series in all-time wins with 39 and will attempt to register his second straight and all-time series leading fourth championship. He earned his other titles in 1998 and 1996 and is tied with Jack Sprague (2001, 1999 and 1997) for the all-time lead in championship titles. Todd Bodine remained a remote championship contender by scoring a third-place Phoenix finish that marked his fifth straight top-five as well as his sixth straight top-10 finish. He starts the week trailing Benson by 143 points. Series coverage from Ford Championship Weekend will begin at 7:30 p.m., on Speed Channel and 8:00 p.m., the Motor Racing Network as well as Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Radio channels 128. The top 10 in the series standings entering the race are: Benson (Leader: 3,574 points, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Hornaday, Jr. (Second: -3 points, Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, Inc.); Bodine (Third: -143, Toyota, Germain Racing); Erik Darnell (Fourth: -292, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Skinner (Fifth: -296, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Matt Crafton (Sixth: -299, Chevrolet, ThorSport Racing); Rick Crawford (Seventh: -323, Ford, Circle Bar Racing); Dennis Setzer (Eighth: -532, Dodge, Bobby Hamilton Racing); Jack Sprague (Ninth: -552, Toyota, Wyler Racing) and Terry Cook (10th: -640, Toyota, HT Motorsports).

BOWYER, EDWARDS TO DECIDE NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY TOMORROW
Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards will have to make up 56 points on current championship leader Clint Bowyer tomorrow to become the second driver in five years to earn back-to-back series titles. Edwards scored a Phoenix International Raceway victory that marked his third straight top-two finish by .096 of a second over Denny Hamlin Nov. 8. Edwards will ride a string of eight top-five finishes into the season finale after his sixth 2008 victory trimmed Bowyer's advantage from 91 to 56 points. His season record now includes a total of 18 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Bowyer scored a fourth-place Phoenix finish that marked his second straight top-10 effort. He has registered five top-five and a total of nine top-10 finishes in the past 10 races. He first took over the championship lead on March 22 with a second-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway and has held point following the past 30 series events. Bowyer is in search of his first series title and finished ninth in last season's Homestead-Miami race. Edwards placed fourth at Homestead-Miami last season and is attempting to post his third straight top-two finish and fourth straight top-three finish in the final standings. Ford 300 race coverage will begin at 4:00 p.m., on ESPN2 and radio coverage takes the green flag at 4:30 p.m. on the Motor Racing Network as well as Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Radio Channels 128. Jeff Burton won the 2007 race that David Ragan started from the pole position. The top 10 drivers in the series standings are: Bowyer (Leader: 4,977 points, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Edwards (Second: -56, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Brad Keselowski (Third: -353, Chevrolet, Jr. Motorsports); Ragan (Fourth: -546, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Mike Bliss (Fifth: -580, Chevrolet, Phoenix Racing); Kyle Busch (Sixth: -696, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing/Braun Racing); David Reutimann (Seventh: -713, Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing); Mike Wallace (Eighth: -958, Toyota, Germain Racing); Jason Leffler (Ninth: -1,051, Toyota, Braun Racing) and Marcos Ambrose (10th: -1,056, Ford, JTG Daugherty Racing).

JOHNSON TO SHOOT FOR THIRD STRAIGHT NSCS TITLE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY SUNDAY
Hendrick Motorsports star Jimmie Johnson virtually sealed a third Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship by scoring a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend. The two-time and defending series champion led a race-best 217 of 313 laps and held an average race position of 1.5 before driving his No. 48 machine across the finish line 0.295 of a second in front of Penske Racing driver Kurt Busch. Johnson will enter the 36th and final event of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday with a 141-point lead over second-place championship contender Carl Edwards. Johnson's third straight Phoenix win places him in position to clinch a third championship with a 36th-place Homestead finish. He also can clinch the title with a 37th-place effort if he leads one race lap or a 39th-place run if he leads the most race laps. Should he secure the championship, Johnson would be the first driver to earn three consecutive series championships since Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat in 1976, '77 and '78. Johnson sealed the 2007 championship with a seventh-place Homestead-Miami Speedway finish after starting from the pole position and has scored a total of two top-five and five top-10 finishes at the track in seven career starts. His best finish on the 1.5-mile oval was second in 2004 and his worst was 40th in 2005 after he completed only 124 of 267 race laps following his involvement in an accident. Johnson took his seventh win of the season last week. The victory was the 40th of his seven-year Sprint Cup Series career. He has now taken top-two finishes in three of the past four events and seven of the past 11 events. His season record is comprised of seven wins, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. Edwards placed fourth in the Phoenix race and posted his 18th top-five and 26th top-10 finish of the season. He nailed down his track-best fifth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season. He owns an average finish of 7.75 through four races at the Florida facility including a career-worst 14th-place finish in 2004. Ford 400 race coverage will begin at 3:00 p.m., on ABC television, the Motor Racing Network as well as Channel 128 on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Radio. Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth took the 2007 win at the track. The Chase for the Sprint Cup standings are: Johnson (Leader: 6,561 points, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Edwards (Second: -141 points, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Greg Biffle (Third: -203, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Jeff Burton (Fourth: -269, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Kevin Harvick (Fifth: -328, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Clint Bowyer (Sixth: -335, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Jeff Gordon (Seventh: -410, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Matt Kenseth (Eighth: -470, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Denny Hamlin (Ninth: -471, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (10th: -474, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Kyle Busch (10th: -481, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); and Tony Stewart (12th: -502, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing).

Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, nicknamed the "godfather of videogames," has hit a new note with "Wii Music," hoping to attract new players and fulfil his frustrated musical ambitions.

Miyamoto, the creator of hit games like "Mario," "Donkey Kong, and "Nintendogs," said "Wii Music" was part of Nintendo's original plan to introduce a casual audience to gaming with the Wii console, people who might not otherwise play games.

"When we created the Wii, we identified areas that would appeal to everyone in the household," Miyamoto told Reuters. "One was sports, another was fitness, and one was music."

"Wii Sports" is the pack-in game for the Wii console which is currently the most popular game system in the world.

Miyamoto launched "Wii Fit" earlier this year with a balance board so players can take part in yoga and other forms of exercise - then he turned his hand to "Wii Music,"tuning into the popular music game genre that didn't exist five years ago.

For Miyamoto, 55, it was also a personal mission as he has always harbored musical ambitions.

For the past 30 years, when he wasn't creating the world's most famous plumber, Mario, or revolutionizing the gaming demographic with Nintendo DS or Wii, Miyamoto has been playing musical instruments like the saxophone.

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Country music superstar Carrie Underwood was an all-around winner at Wednesday night's Country Music Awards show.

The bubbly blond chanteuse served as co-host for the event, which aired on ABC. She also picked up her third award for Female Vocalist of the year.

Underwood wore a number of glamorous gowns throughout the evening, including a design by Pamella Roland (aka West Michigan's own Pamella DeVos). The pink ombre one-shoulder design from Roland's spring 2009 collection was especially flattering for Underwood's fair complexion.

As award seasons continues, we'll keep you updated on who wears Pamella Roland -- a hit with celebrities -- to the red carpet events. source>>>

Kenny Chesney captured country music's top prize - entertainer of the year - for the fourth time in five years Wednesday in an awards show that also saw big wins for Carrie Underwood (female vocalist), Brad Paisley (male vocalist) and traditionalist George Strait (album and single of the year). He was chosen over fellow nominees Paisley, Strait, Sugarland and Keith Urban. Strait was honoured for his album Troubadour and single I Saw God Today. source>>>

Taylor Swift's latest hit, "Love Story," follows a pair of star cross'd lovers hoping for a happy ending; her recently released second album is certainly off to a pretty cheery beginning. Billboard reports that "Fearless," which was released Tuesday, should easily take the No. 1 spot on next week's national sales chart, which would give the 18-year-old singer and songwriter her first chart topper.

"Fearless" had sold more than 200,000 copies by the end of its first day in stores, based on reports from retailers that Billboard says account for 80% of all U.S. album sales. The early returns have prompted the album's distributor, Universal Music Group, to project a first-week total of around 600,000 copies. That would be the biggest inaugural-week figure for a country album this year, and one of the biggest for any genre for 2008.

Swift has been everywhere in the media lately, including a release-day appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and her prominent place in Wednesday night's Country Music Assn. Awards show from Nashville.

A No. 1 album would be a sweet birthday present for a musician who turns 19 on Dec. 13.source>>>

Auburn has lost five games overall and is 2-4 in SEC play. It has lost so much, you have to wonder if coach Tommy Tuberville will lose his job.

But despite all that losing, it still could qualify for a bowl game by winning one of its last two games. Is SEC football great or what?

The "amen" you just heard is from the SEC Office, which could sum up the first 11 weeks of the season with: "Six down, four to go."

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and Kentucky with at least six victories apiece are all bowl eligible. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, only Tennessee has been eliminated from postseason play.

Mississippi State should be the next on the elimination list. But that's in the SEC's best interests. The last thing on its agenda is a loss for No. 1-ranked Alabama.

The SEC's best-case scenario for the bowls would include a couple of upsets, however. If the Tigers could knock off Georgia, they would be bowl eligible. If Arkansas can win its last two games against Mississippi State and LSU, it also would be bowl eligible.

Granted, Auburn and Arkansas are long shots, but you can excuse the SEC for being optimistic. It has become accustomed to games falling its way after back-to-back national championships.

Ole Miss needs only a victory over Louisiana-Monroe today to become bowl eligible. Then, if Vanderbilt could win just one of its last three games, it also would be bowl eligible.

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11/14/08
Kanye West was reportedly arrested and released early Friday morning (November 14) after an alleged incident involving a photographer outside a nightclub in England. West was arrested shortly after getting into a scuffle with a paparazzo outside the Tup Tup club in Newcastle.
West, 31, was reportedly arrested at a hotel in nearby Gateshead and then released. While a police spokesperson declined to name the person involved (as is the custom in England

Two-and-a-half years after a key placement on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" helped turn the Fray into platinum stars, the band is utilizing another high-profile TV partnership to introduce its new single, "You Found Me," Billboard can exclusively reveal.

In a commercial break from the tense elevator confrontations of the Nov. 20 episode of "Grey's," a one-minute promo with scenes from the upcoming season of ABC's "Lost" will premiere the track, as well as parts of the music video.

Viewers will be directed to abc.com, where they can find a three-minute version of the clip as well as a link to iTunes; there they can buy the single, which goes to radio the next day.

The partnership between ABC and the Fray -- vocalist/pianist Isaac Slade, guitarists Joe King and David Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki -- also includes an agreement for the band to appear on the American Music Awards, "Good Morning America" and the outdoor concert series on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC will use "You Found Me" as the promo song for this season of "Lost," and discussions are underway to use the band's music on sister channel ESPN during the height of football season.

"Because this band appeals to everyone from 8 to 80, television really does play a great role in exposing the music to a wider audience," Epic executive VP of marketing Lee Stimmel says. "And the band writes amazing songs that work with a picture." (Asked if he watches "Grey's Anatomy," Slade says, "I have seen it a few times. It's a really good show.")

As for the sound of "The Fray" -- produced like the debut by Epic VP of A&R Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson -- it's "a little more extreme than the last record," Slade says. "The quieter stuff is a little quieter than our last record and the rock stuff is a little rockier. It definitely spreads the spectrum a little bit."

The Fray will preview the album during a tour of small venues in early January. It will be available for physical and digital pre-order beginning Nov. 21 at thefray.net; purchasers who buy the CD from the site will get a bonus disc of live recordings from the January tour.

That online integration reflects a sales history of more than 6 million digital tracks sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and the Fray scored iTunes' top-downloaded album of 2006 with "How To Save a Life."source>>>

Hinder drummer Cody Hanson and his bandmates just bought 120 bottles of Jägermeister. The Oklahoma City rock quintet recently installed a Jägermeister machine on its tour bus. "It's just a machine with three bottles that go in upside down," Hanson says. "It keeps them at the perfect temperature, right above freezing.")

It should come in handy for Hinder's upcoming headlining club tour, which is sponsored by the liquor company. On the road, the band guzzles about five bottles of Jäger per night, the drummer estimates. "We're partying and sharing a couple of them," he says, "but for the most part we're basically killing ourselves. It's a good time, so it's worth it."

The party hasn't stopped since the release of Hinder's 2005 debut album, "Extreme Behavior," which has sold 2.7 million units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And after more than two years of touring behind the album, which featured crossover radio hit "Lips of an Angel," Hinder will attempt to keep the momentum going with "Take It to the Limit," due Nov. 4 on Universal Republic.

For "Take It to the Limit," the group -- Hanson, Winkler, guitarist Joe "Blower" Garvey, bassist Mike Rodden and guitarist Mark King -- is connecting with its core rock fan base by selecting in-your-face track "Use Me" as its first radio single. The second single "Without You," an acoustic-tinged ballad, recently went to all formats.

Hinder's male fans should be pleased with the "Take It to the Limit" cover art: a photo of the quintet posing in front of a multimillion-dollar mansion and a bevy of Playboy Playmates. The album will be available in two versions: PG- and X-rated. Both feature the same cover, but the X-rated album, tagged with a warning sticker, contains photos inside of nude Playmates.

"It's a little twist to remind people that this is a rock band and they like to have fun," manager Kevin "Chief" Zaruk says. "It's shot very tastefully."

Hinder has been releasing monthly webisodes about life on the road and the making of "Take It to the Limit" to various rock sites, including ultimate-guitar.com, artistdirect.com, tunelabmusic.com, cagerattle.com, dailymotion.com and the about.com rock page. The group then launched the 35-plus-date Jägermeister Music tour Oct. 24 with support from hard rock groups Rev Theory and Trapt.

Hinder returned to the studio with producer Brian Howes (who produced its debut album) for "Take It to the Limit." Most of the new album was written on the road, in addition to writing sessions in Florida and Canada. Primary songwriters Winkler and Hanson agree that "Take It to the Limit" is "a little more old-school-sounding" than "Extreme Behavior."

"You can see our influences come out," Hanson says, citing acts like Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi. "We do some things that haven't been done in a while, as far as the big gang vocals and hooks that you used to hear back in the day from our favorite rock bands."

Hinder's tender side comes out on "Far From Home," which reveals the hardships of maintaining a long-distance relationship while on the road, while "Up All Night" glorifies a "typical night on the town on the Hinder train," according to Winkler. (The latter song starts with the lyrics, "Saw a waitress, couldn't waste it/Opportunity knocks and you take it.")

And while it's been three years since its last album, through extensive touring alongside such acts as Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Aerosmith, Staind and Godsmack, the group has managed to remain in the public eye.

In 2007, Hinder grossed $4.4 million and drew more than 171,000 fans to 54 headlining concerts, according to Billboard Boxscore. A significant amount of those earnings came from last summer's Bad Boys of Rock amphitheater tour, which also featured support acts Buckcherry and Papa Roach.

Hinder's first road success began in markets around the band's home. In the months following the release of "Extreme Behavior," the act primarily performed in Midwest and Southern markets whose radio stations were playing "Get Stoned," according to Fermaglich. The band received a branding boost from adult film company Girls Gone Wild during a four-week winter club tour in 2006, with video crews filming the group and its college-leaning audiences.

Zaruk says the Girls Gone Wild trek was a blatant attempt to inform radio stations and press outlets that Hinder was a rock act. "We didn't want to sugarcoat it or hide the fact that they were an old-school rock band that has great songs and want to have fun," he says. "If there was any question about what kind of band these guys are, we let them know right away."

Living the rock star lifestyle has played to Hinder's advantage in more ways than one. On some tours, the group played concerts in the same market several times. So what keeps fans in those cities coming back during such a short period of time?

"We take our shows and treat them like a party," Hanson says. "Everybody had that buddy in high school who always threw a party every weekend. And you had fun every time you went, so you just kept on going. That's kind of how our shows are."

Winkler says that partying on the road never gets old, but there are rare moments of regret. "We definitely draw the line when we go on YouTube and a see a show that's just absolutely dreadful," he says. "We know we partied too hard the night before. It happens every once in a while."

Hinder made its biggest connection with fans after the release of "Lips of an Angel," its highest-charting and best-selling song to date. Everyone in the Hinder camp agrees that the track's debut on top 40 radio was the turning point for the band, and replicating its success this time around may be difficult. The decision to follow "Get Stoned" with "Lips of an Angel" came during the Girls Gone Wild trek when Hanson received a phone call from Universal Republic senior VP of A&R Tom Mackay. It was a conversation that would soon change the course of Hinder's career.

"Do me a favor," Mackay told Hanson. "Spend the next week looking out in the crowd and talking to fans about what else they like on the album, so we can get some feedback about what the next single should be."

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Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 14, 2008 -- The Ticket Specialists have unveiled a new incentive that voids the cost of shipping. The new break nullifies the surprise costs that often times come at checkout with many secondary ticket brokers. Use code: FreeShip at checkout.

The enticement is just the latest of a number of actions taken by the Ticket Specialists to make the overall experience of the customer more enjoyable. The ticket broker has already redesigned the Web site to be both more visually appealing and easier to navigate. With searches available by event, city, or venue, any search is possible with far less hassle and an improved layout.

A blog was added this fall to offer a place for recent news and to create a forum for discussion between customers or between the ticket brokers themselves and those searching for the latest updates.

"This new program will be much appreciated in the current economic climate," Joel Sullivan, vice president of the Ticket Specialists. "People are, now more than ever, searching for the most affordable options for everything, including entertainment. We strive to provide the best possible services, tickets, and prices in the secondary ticket market and this break on shipping and handling is the just the latest example."

In addition to the popular events, the Ticket Specialists' Web site includes a city and venue guide, so consumers looking for new shows and events in their city can search without having to wait for an announcement on the radio or in the newspaper.

"We found that we had to upgrade the site to best display the wide range of products and search options that set us apart from other ticket brokers," Joel Sullivan, Ticket Specialists vice president, said. "We added the blog because we wanted a more personal interaction with our customers. The blog gives us the chance to talk directly to them, offering a look to the weekend and keeping them informed of the latest developments."

Additional information for the latest incentive or the new Web site developments at www.ticketspecialists.com is available. Please contact Joel Sullivan with any questions or requests. source>>>

When André Previn canceled a planned two-week residency with Seattle Symphony Orchestra, replacement conductors were called in: John Fiore substituted last week, and this week, Andreas Delfs is standing in. Of the two, Delfs is making the more favorable impression, holding to the scheduled program of Gershwin and Beethoven, though not venturing to play the solo part in Gershwin's Piano Concerto as Previn had been scheduled to do.

Now in his 12th season as music director of the Milwaukee Symphony, the 49-year-old German-born conductor Thursday successfully evoked both the lyricism and the orchestral brashness of the Gershwin concerto, for which the gifted English pianist Peter Donohoe was drafted in as soloist. Donohoe played with massive assurance and vividly focused tone, while Delfs seemed more at ease with the characteristically American rhythms of the music than a Russian conductor I heard flounder his way through the work a few years ago.

Beethoven's Seventh Symphony was the other half of this rather short program. Delfs, incidentally, made it even shorter with tempos in the scherzo and finale more hectic than even Beethoven's characteristically fast metronome markings, and also by omitting both of the exposition repeats Beethoven asked for in the first and last movements.

Despite that, there was much to admire in the performance he drew from an orchestra happily restored to something like its best after the previous week's sloppily directed concert. The first impression was a tad worrying, for the conductor made nothing of the distinction between "loud" and "very loud" in the initial two statements of the introduction's theme, and a rather jerky stick technique naturally elicited somewhat spasmodic orchestral phrasing and excessively clipped staccatos.

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Fort Myers' Derek Lamely shot a 1-over-par 73 on Friday, and is tied for 18th at the PGA Tour Qualifying School second stage in Brooksville.

Lamely, a former Florida Gulf Coast University golfer, is 5-under after 54 holes at Southern Hills Plantation. The tournament wraps up Saturday, and the top 20 and ties move on to the finals.

At Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., Joey Lamielle, another former FGCU golfer, had his best round, shooting a 4-under 68. He is tied for 33rd at 6-under, two shots out of the top 20.

At El Hombre in Panama City Beach, Fort Myers' Nolan Henke will not be advancing. Henke shot a 7-over 78 and is 12-over after three rounds. source>>>

finds himself a man without a political home.

Democrats, their Senate majority bolstered, want to punish him for not only endorsing Republican John McCain but also addressing last summer's GOP convention -- where he openly criticized Barack Obama. That was especially embarrassing for the Democrats, given that Lieberman was their vice-presidential nominee in 2000.

In retaliation, the party wants to strip him of his Homeland Security Committee chairmanship. During a private meeting, Majority Leader Harry Reid reportedly called on Lieberman to accept a less prestigious assignment.

The Connecticut senator, to his credit, rejected Reid's demand.

Now he's reportedly in talks with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell about joining the GOP lineup (he officially became an independent after the 2006 election, although he caucuses with the Democrats).

But that's a step Lieberman insists he doesn't want to take.

And, frankly, to expel him would be an act of mean-spiritedness that runs sharply counter to the kind of bipartisanship upon which Obama campaigned.

After all, on issues other than the War on Terror, he has voted in lockstep with the Democrats. (Apparently, a 90 percent-plus voting record isn't proof of loyalty.) And it should be noted that it was his vote that gave the Democrats a Senate majority for the last two years.

But when it comes to national security, Lieberman remains one of a vanishing breed of Democrats who understand that America needs to remain strong and vigorous.

More important, Lieberman is one of Washington's few truly principled legislators; he steadfastly refuses to compromise his beliefs on behalf of expediency.

In 2006, that stance cost him the Democratic Senate nomination and, indeed, jeopardized his seat. Two years later, it led him to cross party lines to endorse the candidate he felt could best lead this country.

It remains to be seen whether Democrats will be petty enough to strip Lieberman's chairmanship.

Whatever happens, no one should lose sight of the fact that Joe Lieberman has consistently put the national interest ahead of his own political needs.

He is, in every way, a profile in courage. source>>>

Four-time All-Pro safety John Lynch will announce Monday his retirement from the NFL in Tampa, Fla.

Known for his hard-hitting style, Lynch, 37, made 1,277 tackles and snagged 26 interceptions in 224 regular-season games.

He enjoyed his greatest success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team he played for from 1993-2003. Lynch earned five Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro nods with the Bucs, and helped them to a Super Bowl championship after the 2002 season.

Lynch moved on to Denver and made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons with the Broncos, starting in 2004.

He left Denver in July after being bumped from a starting role and signed with the New England Patriots, but was cut two weeks later.

Lynch had been hoping for a call from an NFL team requiring a veteran safety this season, but no one was interested in his services. source>>>

This Sunday's matchup between the unbeaten Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars has an eerie sense to it. This battle between two AFC South rivals doesn't bode well for the Titans, who will roll the dice at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in hopes of earning 10 straight wins to start the season.

Tennessee has been using its superb running game and stifling defense to win its first nine games of the year. But in Sunday's 21-14 nail-biting victory at Chicago's Soldier Field, the Bears dared Tennessee to throw and easily handled running backs LenDale White and rookie Chris Johnson, holding Tennessee to just 20 yards rushing.

So with the ground attack out the window, the Titans were forced to rely on the veteran arm of quarterback Kerry Collins, who passed for a season-high 289 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. Tight end Bo Scaife has emerged as Collins' top receiver and finished with a career-high 10 catches for 78 yards and a score.

Collins took over for Vince Young in a Week 1 win versus the Jaguars and has yet to relinquish the starting spot.

Head coach Jeff Fisher has guided Tennessee to a franchise-record 12 straight regular-season wins dating back to December 16 of last season. The Titans have won six straight road games over that span as well and are currently four games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts in the competitive AFC South Division.

Jacksonville just completed a stretch of three straight contests against seemingly-overmatched teams in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit, and ended a two-game slide with last weekend's blowout victory over the winless Lions. Head coach Jack Del Rio avoided back-to-back losses to winless clubs after making some changes in the locker room following a loss to the Bengals.

Del Rio's bunch received a solid effort from running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who ended with 70 yards and three scores on 11 carries, last week. Quarterback David Garrard threw a pair of touchdown passes with no interceptions, while the defense played tough for the first time in more than a month.

The Jaguars entered the 2008 season known as having one of the top run defenses in the league, but are just 20th in the NFL in that category after nine games. They'll likely be ready for White and Johnson, however, because it's almost a guarantee Fisher will try again to establish the run before going to the air.

It could be another tough go for the Tennessee tandem, and this time Collins may not be able to save the day and the team's unblemished record.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee leads the all-time regular season series with the Jaguars, 15-12, including a 17-10 home victory when the teams met in Week 1. Last season, the teams engaged in an unconventional home-and-home split, including a 13-10 road win for the Titans in Week 1. The Jags' last home win over the Titans came in 2006, a 37-7 rout.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met once in the playoffs, with Tennessee scoring a 33-14 road victory in the 1999 AFC Championship.

Fisher is 16-12 versus Jacksonville all-time, including the aforementioned playoff win. Del Rio is 5-6 against both Fisher and the Titans in his career.

WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL

Collins (1,525 passing yards, 5 TD, 3 INT) was thrust into the spotlight in Chicago after the heralded Tennessee running game was stopped dead in its tracks. The former Penn State star passed for a season-high 289 yards, including 10 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown to Scaife (42 receptions, 2 TD). Scaife leads the team in receptions and receiving yards (422), and needs four more catches to match his 2007 total. Collins improved to 9-3 as a starter with Tennessee and has thrown for 785 yards with two TD strikes and no picks for an 83.7 passer rating over his last four games. Wideout Brandon Jones (27 receptions) had a career-best eight catches for 82 yards last week for the Titans, who are only 27th in passing this season (178.4 ypg).The Jaguars had a chance to face new Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper last week, and the former first-round pick finished just 5-of-10 passing for 104 yards and an interception. Culpepper was picked off early by Jaguars Pro Bowl cornerback Rashean Mathis (27 tackles, 3 INT). Mathis also had three pass breakups and owns six interceptions lifetime against the Titans. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh (43 tackles, 2 INT) blocked a punt last week and finished with six tackles as well. Jacksonville was able to shake up Detroit's passing game by sacking Culpepper and Drew Stanton seven times, with linebacker Daryl Smith (41 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and rookie defensive end Derrick Harvey (10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) posting a career-high 1 1/2 sacks apiece. Jacksonville must apply pressure on the immobile Collins and penetrate the gaps to create commotion in the pocket.

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