PIRATES MAKE MURRAY WALK THE PLANK
Four different Heath players scored goals as the Pirates beat Murray High last night in the semifinals of the Boys First Region Soccer Tournament at Graves County High School. Heath will face Graves County in Thursday's title match after the Eagles crushed Tilghman 6-1. The girls championship game is tonight at Heath with Murray High battling Marshall County for the title. Marshall owns a 2-1 advantage over Murray this season.

FLASH AND WARRIORS MOVE ON
At the First Region Volleyball Tournament last night at Lone Oak, the Purple Flash eliminated Graves County 25-10, 25-14, and will face Christian Fellowship in tonight's second semifinal matchup. CFS defeated Carlisle County 25-8, 25-12. Marshall County faces Community Christian in the opener at 6pm.

RACER MEN COMPLETE AMAZING COMEBACK
The Murray State Men’s Golf team won the Charleston Southern Fall Invitational in South Carolina yesterday, coming from 11 down after two rounds to capture the win. MSU fired a final round 289, resulting in an amazing 21-shot swing, to win by 10. Mitchell Moore posted a fourth place finish with rounds a 220. His 4-under 68 in round two was the low round in the field of 61 competitors. Cameron Carrico placed ninth with a 223.

WOMENS GOLF JUST MISSES TITLE
The Murray State Women’s Golf team took home second at the F&M Bank Austin Peay Intercollegiate at Clarksville Country Club. The Racers had a final round 312 to go along with a first round 310 for a 622 total, two shots behind winner Tennessee Tech at 620. Joyce Trus paced the Racers with a second place finish with a 146, while Bethany Yates placed 14th with a 157.

MURRAY SWEEPS MARTIN
Sophomore Sara Hayden led the Murray State volleyball team to a 3-0 win over UT Martin with a career-best .733 attack percentage. The victory moved the Racers to 10-11 overall and 7-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference and extended their winning to streak four matches, all winning in three sets.

MURRAY HIGH'S CLAYWELL HONORED
Catherine Claywell, 2007 and 2008 two-time defending Class A State High Jump Champion, was honored by Teresa Speed, Murray High School principal, with a plaque for her accomplishments at a recent MHS football game.  Claywell first won this event with a high jump of 5'2" as a Murray Middle School seventh grade student, and followed this performance last year as an MMS eighth grade student with a high Jump of 5'4".

FAM JAM SLATED FOR TUESDAY
Murray State Basketball fans are invited to attend Racer Fan Jam Tuesday night at 7 in the RSEC. Fan Jam is a MSU Basketball tradition when students and fans get to see the Racer men’s and women’s teams for the first time. Admission is free and all in attendance will see both squads scrimmage. Those in attendance will have several chances for fans to interact with the MSU players and coaches, like OVC Preseason Player of the Year Ashley Hayes and All-OVC Preseason Team selection Danero Thomas. There will be free give-a-ways and an autograph session will also be held. Schedule posters and schedule cards will also be available. The Racers open their season Nov. 11 at home with an exhibition game with Bethel College.

CARDS SAY NO TO MULDER OPTION
The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly declined to exercise the 2009 option on left-hander Mark Mulder's contract, ending the oft-injured hurler's tenure with the club. The club had until November 15 to notify Mulder of its intention on the $11 million option, and a St. Louis newspaper cited Mulder's agent as saying he received notice that the Cardinals will pay the $1.5 million buyout.

PUJOLS HONORED
Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols is being honored again, this time by the Major League Baseball Players Association for his play in 2008. Pujols picks up his sixth Players Choice Award after batting .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI, while battling an elbow condition that had to be addressed with surgery on October 13th. As the 2008 National League Outstanding Player award winner, Pujols will nominate a charity to receive a grant from the Players Trust. Since 1992 the trust has donated more than three-million dollars in players names to charities worldwide. Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton was the award winner for the American League.

NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT

=== MLB ===

The 2008 World Series opens tonight at Tropicana Field as the American League
champion Tampa Bay Rays host the National League champion Philadelphia
Phillies. Tampa Bay will send Scott Kazmir to the mound in the opener of the
best-of-seven series, while Philadelphia counters with lefty Cole Hamels. The
Rays, gunning for their first title, are trying to become the first team in
major pro sports to win a title the year after finishing with the worst
record. The Phillies are in the World Series for the sixth time and trying for
just their second title -- the first coming in 1980. You can hear the game at
7pm on 1340 WNBS.


=== NBA ===

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant left in the first half of their preseason
102-98 win over Charlotte with a hyperextended right knee. Late in the second
quarter, Bryant jumped for a rebound and fell awkwardly on teammate Josh
Powell's foot. Bryant scored four points in 14-plus minutes prior to the
injury. The reigning NBA MVP will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.


=== NFL ===

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said he will miss Sunday's home game
against Tampa Bay due to a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand, and
indicated he may not return until a November 16 game against Washington.
Speaking on teammate Terrell Owens' radio show, Romo broke his long silence by
saying Brad Johnson would start this week versus the Buccaneers. Johnson
started this past Sunday's 34-14 road loss to St. Louis, a game Romo was
active for but didn't see any action. Johnson completed 17-of-34 passes for
234 yards with three interceptions and a late touchdown for the Cowboys, who
have dropped three of four since winning their first three games of the year.
Romo is also expected to miss the road game against the New York Giants on
November 2. The Cowboys have a bye after that before playing at Washington in
another NFC East battle.

===

Denver cornerback Champ Bailey and his brother, linebacker Boss Bailey, will
both reportedly miss a significant amount of time after suffering injuries in
Monday's 41-7 drubbing at New England. A Denver television station reported on
Tuesday that Champ will miss four to six weeks with a groin tear, while Boss'
knee injury will require season-ending micro-fracture surgery. Champ has 28
tackles with one interception this season for the AFC West-leading Broncos.
Younger brother Boss, in his first year with the Broncos, has 31 tackles this
season.

===

The Cleveland Browns handed Kellen Winslow a one-game suspension on Tuesday
as a result of the tight end's negative comments toward the organization and,
specifically, team vice president and general manager Phil Savage. Winslow
was hospitalized for three days and was treated at home for another three
days because of a staph infection that kept him out of Cleveland's 35-14 win
over the New York Giants on October 13. The team did not reveal the nature of
his illness, however the Pro Bowl tight end was clearly unhappy with how the
situation was handled. According to a Cleveland newspaper, Winslow
specifically said he feels he's been treated like a "piece of meat" and is
unhappy that Savage didn't call him while he was hospitalized. It was the
second staph infection suffered by Winslow since 2005.


=== HORSE RACING ===

Post positions and morning-line odds have been set for the 25th running of the
Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held this Friday and Saturday
at Santa Anita Park. Defending Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin has been
made the 7-5 favorite for the race with regular rider Robby Albarado getting
the mount. The pair will break from post nine in the 12-horse field. Last year
the colt won the $5 million Classic by 4 1/2 lengths over another three-year-
old, Hard Spun.