| TV-RADIO NOTEBOOK: NFL is very fortunate how schedule plays out
In the spirit of this holiday season, let us resolve to take NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at his word regarding the eight-game NFL Network schedule that began Thursday night with the Colts-Falcons. That means we will stipulate to Goodell's assurances that the NFL did not rig the schedule to ensure the league-owned network would have attractive matchups and, more importantly, games it could employ to apply maximum pressure on cable carriers that don't carry the service, such as Time Warner, Charter and Cablevision. And so, given that assumption, we are left to conclude that the NFL this season is not conniving, merely fortunate. Next Thursday, NFL Network will air Packers-Cowboys, a potential preview of the NFC title game. The game will air on over-the-air TV in the teams' home cities but not in some of their most important secondary markets � among them Waco, Austin and San Antonio, all serviced by Time Warner Cable, and Madison, Wis., a Charter Cable market.
Trial date to be set for Vick on state charges
The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback was not expected to attend a hearing in Surry County Circuit Court to schedule his trial on two felony dogfighting counts. Vick is being held at a jail in Warsaw, Va., after unexpectedly turning himself in Nov. 19 to begin serving time for a federal dogfighting conspiracy conviction. Vick faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 10 in the federal case. The two state charges - beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs, and engaging in or promoting dogfighting - also are punishable by up to five years in prison each. Vick's lawyers have indicated they will fight the state charges on the grounds he can't be convicted twice of the same crime. Vick and three co-defendants, who also face state charges, pleaded guilty to the federal charge in U.S.
Beckham deal dissed by Pele
SHEFFIELD, England -- Pele believes American fans were misled about what David Beckham could bring to Major League Soccer. Amid great fanfare, the former England captain signed a five-year, $32.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy and was unveiled in July. But his greatest impact this season has been on ticket sales and merchandise, not on the field. .
Tulsa falls to rival
Oklahoma City scores game-winner shorthanded.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City entered the game with the Central Hockey League's top power-play unit. Indeed, special teams play proved the difference, but it was a shorthanded goal that the Blazers used to beat Tulsa.
Garrett Prosofsky lit the lamp 1:47 into the final period, depositing the puck into a wide open net, as the Blazers nudged the Oilers 4-2 before a crowd of 8,136 Sunday night at the Ford Center. The loss was Tulsa's third straight and fifth in six games.
"It seems like a roller coaster," said Tulsa coach Butch Kaebel. "We do really good things and then really bad things. Frenchy (Kevin St. Pierre) made some great saves and then the third goal came on a mistake. Every mistake is being magnified.
La Russa pleads guilty to drunken driving
West Palm Beach, Fla. — St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence Wednesday, eight months after police found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light and smelling of alcohol. La Russa said that he had decided to plead guilty to the misdemeanor because it was in the best interest of all concerned. .
FC Thun players charged for alleged sex with minor
Six current and three former FC Thun soccer players were charged Tuesday for allegedly having sexual relations with a minor. Five other individuals, who are not soccer players, also face charges, the office of the investigating magistrate of the Bernese Alps said. .
California partners with Brownsville for soccer team
California is now partnered with Brownsville in a co-op varsity soccer team. However, the California School Board voted Nov. 15 to allow California to form its own soccer team next year. The co-op was originally formed because California didn't have enough players to form a complete team, which requires about 22 players. Terri Doman, a California School Board member for four years, said when the co-op began, it was with the understanding that when California had enough players to form a team, it would move back to California and play for its own school. The next step California needs to take in order to form its own team is to secure the approval of the WPIAL. Since WPIAL already approved the co-op team for another two years, California needed to send a letter stating that it has formed its own team.
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