FAN JAM AT THE RSEC
Both the Murray State men's and women's basketball teams particpated in the 2008 Racer Fan Jam at the Regional Special Events Center. The night was filled with introductions of both teams, shooting contests, scrimmages, schedule posters and more. The women's 10 minute scrimmage was a nail-biter decided with a buzzer beater by Mallory Luckett. The men's team scrimmaged for two 10-minute halves. Redshirt freshman Michael Fralix drained 3 three-pointers, and freshman Dante Pools also showed he will be an outside shooting threat. Racers head coach Billy Kennedy was happy with the offense, and he feels his team is making progress. The MSU men's team plays an exhibition game with Bethel on November 11, while the Racer women's squad opens the season November 14 at Western Kentucky.

VOLLEYBALL LOSES AT SEMO
After a weekend off, the Murray State volleyball team dropped a defensive thriller to Southeast Missouri Sate, 3-2 (18-25, 25-29, 25-22, 26-28, 15-17) in Houck Fieldhouse. The Racers will return to Racer Arena for two matches this weekend. MSU will take on Tennessee State Halloween night at 7 p.m. and then host Austin Peay, Saturday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Next Monday, the Racer Volleyball team will be at the Big Apple Cafe where they will host a rebate day, with proceeds going toward their Swinging to Eliminate Cancer Fundraiser.

RACER GOLF 11TH
The Murray State Men’s Golf team finished their fall season in Eleventh place with a 900 at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Mitchell Moore and Cameron Carrico were the Racers’ top finishers each placing 29th with 224's. Hunter Ford had a 226, and Chris Griffin a 229. New Orleans was the winner with an 868.

HEATH BARS UHA FROM ADVANCEMENT
Heath crushed University Heights last night 5-1 at the boys soccer sub-sectional in Hopkinsville. Heath will take on Henderson County in tomorrow night’s sectional final after the Colonels beat Greenwood 2-1 in a penalty-kick shootout...Marshall County hosts Greenwood tonight in a girls sectional match in Draffenville.

NYLANDER'S GOAL SINKS PREDS
Michael Nylander scored the decisive goal in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Capitals to a 4-3 win over the Predators at the Verizon Center. Alexander Semin had a power-play goal and an assist as the Caps won their second straight. Viktor Kozlov scored his first goal of the season and Dave Steckel added a shorthanded marker for Washington, which got 23 saves from Jose Theodore. Jason Arnott tallied midway through the third to tie the game for the Preds. J.P. Dumont assisted on all three goals for Nashville, which got 29 saves from Dan Ellis.

CLAY IS OVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rebekah Clay of Murray State Women’s Soccer is the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The senior from Normal, Ill. scored one goal and added two assists in MSU wins last weekend against Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech. Clay’s goal against Tech on Sunday was her twenty-fifth of her career which ranks third on Murray State’s all-time list, she also has 19 assists for her career which is the most in Murray State history. This season Clay has scored a total of 10 points on two goals and six assists. Clay and her Murray State teammates clinched the program’s first OVC regular season championship with the 1-0 last Friday over Austin Peay. The Racers play their final regular season match Friday at 6 p.m. at Lipscomb before hosting the OVC Tournament at Cutchin Field Nov. 7.

BROOKS GOES WITH YOUTH AT QB
UK has named Randall Cobb the new starting quarterback, and former starter Mike Hartline is trying to adapt to his new role as a backup. Hartline had started UK's previous eight games, but Coach Rich Brooks announced on Monday that Cobb would get his first career start Saturday at Mississippi State. Brooks said he made the change based on "production," Cobb will be the first true freshman to start at quarterback since Tim Couch in 1996.

FULMER FOCUSED ON TEAM, NOT HIS JOB
Tennessee Vols coach Phillip Fulmer says he's focused on his team, not on his job security. Meeting with reporters Tuesday, Fulmer tried to deflect questions about media reports that he is likely to be replaced at the end of the season. But he did cite his 75 percent winning percentage and lack of major NCAA violations over 17 seasons as head coach. The Vols are 3-and-5, 1-and-4 in SEC play, after Saturday's home loss to second ranked Alabama. They play Saturday night at South Carolina.
 
GRIZZLY NIGHT IN MEMPHIS
The Grizzlies open their eighth NBA season since the team moved to Memphis, tonight in Houston against the Rockets. Coming off back-to-back 22-and-60 seasons, the Grizzlies are committed to developing a core of talented young players. Rookie shooting guard O. J. Mayo is the latest addition, a draft night acquisition from Minnesota for Mike Miller and the draft rights to Kevin Love. Mayo will start alongside second year point guard Mike Conley, and third year forward Rudy Gay. Fans may do a double-take when they see the Grizzlies starting center. Marc Gasol, younger brother of former Grizzly Pau Gasol, looks a lot like his brother, but Marc is bigger, stronger, and more defensive minded. The Grizzlies tip off against the Rockets at 7:30 tonight in Houston. FoxSportsNet has the action.

NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT

=== MLB ===

Game 5 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia
Phillies is scheduled to resume Wednesday night at 7:37, two days after
the contest began. Rain caused the first suspended game in World Series
history on Monday night, and then a wintry mix of snow and rain in the
Philadelphia area on Tuesday prompted Major League Baseball to postpone the
remainder of the contest one more day. MLB made the call early, announcing the
postponement just after 1:00 p.m. (et), after the confusion surrounding the
decision to play on Monday despite poor weather in the forecast. The Phillies
are up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. A win would not only give the Phillies
just their second-ever title and first since 1980, but it would also give the
City of Brotherly Love its first championship of any kind since 1983, when the
76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA championship. The rain cleared
Tuesday night, though the forecast for Wednesday at game time was for partly
cloudy conditions with winds about 10-15 mph and temperatures dipping to near
40 degrees. Airtime tonight is at 7:15 on 1340 WNBS.

===

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim announced on Tuesday that they have picked
up 2009 options on pitcher John Lackey and outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, while
declining the option for outfielder Garret Anderson. Lackey finished the 2008
season 12-5 with a 3.75 earned run average in 163 1/3 innings over 24 starts
for the AL West champions. Guerrero, who had a procedure on the medial
meniscus in his left knee earlier in October, hit 27 homers and knocked in 91
runs with a .303 batting average in 143 contests. Anderson has spent his
entire 15-year career with the franchise, starting in 1994, and this past
season posted a .293 average with 15 homers and 84 RBI in 145 games.


=== NBA ===

Greg Oden is still trying to get his legs under him, which continues to be
difficult after he suffered a sprained right foot in the first quarter of his
first-ever NBA regular-season contest, a 96-76 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday night. Oden, who missed his entire rookie season after a right knee
injury, again injured an integral part of his right side. He went up for a
rebound in the early stages of the first quarter with Lakers forward Andrew
Bynum draped over his back. Oden came down awkwardly on his leg and bent his
right foot back and to the inside. He was sent for x-rays, which came back
inconclusive, and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. The 2007 No.1 overall
draft pick didn't score and grabbed five rebounds in just under 13 minutes.

===

Paul Pierce picked up right where he left off last season, scoring 27 points
as Boston opened defense of its NBA title by holding off the Cleveland
Cavaliers, 90-85, on a celebratory Tuesday night at TD Banknorth Garden. Prior
to the game, the Celtics lifted their 17th championship banner to the rafters,
their first title since 1986. It was nearly four months ago the Celtics beat
the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, and they began the 2008-09 season
with a comeback win over LeBron James and the Cavs in a rematch of a thrilling
seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal. Chicago unveiled a new cornerstone
with top-overall draft pick Derrick Rose's 11 points and nine assists, and
completely put the Scott Skiles era in the rearview mirror during a resounding
108-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular-season opener for both
teams.

===

The NBA season gets into full swing Wednesday with 12 more games, including
the regular season debut of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they host the
Milwaukee Bucks. Mike D'Antoni makes his regular season debut as coach of the
New York Knicks, as they take on the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
Dwyane Wade is expected back on the court for Miami after an injury-riddled
season and the Heat will have No.2 overall draft pick Michael Beasley on their
side too. Michael Curry makes his head coaching debut as Detroit hosts the
Indiana Pacers. Terry Porter is the new bench boss in Phoenix, as the Suns
start the season on the road against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.


=== NFL ===

The San Diego Chargers made a coaching change on Tuesday, removing Ted
Cottrell as defensive coordinator and hiring Ron Rivera in his place. The move
comes two days after San Diego allowed 37 points in a loss to the New Orleans
Saints in a game played at London's Wembley Stadium. The setback dropped the
Chargers to 3-5 on the season. San Diego's defense has allowed 20 or more
points in five of its eight contests thus far in 2008. Cottrell held the post
for the last season and a half. Rivera had been the team's inside linebackers
coach since the start of the 2007 season. He spent the previous three seasons
(2004-06) as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

===

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has a broken rib, but still hopes to
play in Sunday's divisional showdown with the New York Giants. Witten left
Sunday's 13-9 win over Tampa Bay in the second quarter. The four-time Pro Bowl
selection has not missed a game since his rookie year. The injury would be
another blow for the depleted Cowboys, who are without quarterback Tony Romo
(finger), safety Roy Williams (forearm), cornerback Terence Newman (sports
hernia), suspended cornerback Adam Jones, and could be missing cornerback
Anthony Henry (quadriceps) on Sunday. Witten paces the Cowboys with 46
receptions for 549 yards and two touchdowns this season.


=== COLLEGE BASKETBALL ===

Lute Olson's doctor held a news conference on Tuesday and said the former
Arizona coach suffered a stroke and was advised to retire. Dr. Steven Knope
said Olson had a stroke in the front part of his brain, which caused severe
depression and changes in judgment. Knope said the stroke was confirmed after
Olson underwent an MRI because the former head coach did not respond to
treatment for depression. Knope said based on the MRI and other exams, it's
believed Olson suffered the stroke within the past year. It was last Thursday
when Olson announced his retirement as head coach of the Wildcats. Russ
Pennell was named interim men's basketball coach a day later. The announcement
last week ended the 74-year-old Olson's 25-year reign at the helm of the
Wildcats. He compiled a 780-280 career record at Arizona, Iowa, and Long Beach
State. His 589-187 record with the Wildcats includes the 1997 national
championship, four Final Four appearances, 11 Pac-10 titles, and 20
consecutive 20-win seasons.