>>Minnesota Fires Football Coach Claeys
(Minneapolis, MN) — Tracy Claeys is out as head football coach at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers posted their best record since 2003, but the season was overshadowed by suspensions, a team boycott and a sexual assault investigation.
>>Texans Turning Back To Osweiler
(Houston, TX) — The Texans are turning back to Brock Osweiler [[ OSS-why-ler ]] at quarterback. Osweiler will start when the Texans clash with the Raiders in Saturday’s Wild Card game in Houston. Osweiler takes over for Tom Savage, who is in the league’s concussion protocol.
>>Dawkins, Taylor Among Finalists For Pro Football HoF
(Canton, OH) — First-time eligibles Brian Dawkins, Jason Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson are among 15 modern-era finalists for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Other finalists include Kurt Warner, Terrell Owns and Terrell Davis. The Class of 2017 will be revealed next month.
>>Bears To Coach Senior Bowl
(Mobile, AL) — Bears head coach John Fox and his staff will coach the North team in the Senior Bowl later this month. The game takes place on January 28th. It’s the first time Chicago’s staff has coached in the game since 1996.
>>Blue Jackets Win 16th Straight Game
(Columbus, OH) — The Blue Jackets are a victory away from matching the longest winning streak in NHL history. Columbus ran its streak to 16 games with a 3-1 win over the Oilers last night. The Blue Jackets can tie the record set by the 1992-93 Penguins with a win against the Capitals in D.C.tomorrow.
>>Blues, City Seeking Taxpayer Money For Scottrade Center Renovations
(St. Louis, MO) — The Blues and the City of St. Louis are seeking taxpayer help to fund 138-million-dollars in renovations to Scottrade Center. The city plans to fund the initial 67.5-million in improvements, but ask state legislators for another 70.5-million for a second phase. The building opened in 1994.
>>Diamondbacks Suing County Over Chase Field
(Phoenix, AZ) — The Diamondbacks are suing Maricopa County over Chase Field. The suit does not seek any damages, but would allow the D’backs to explore their options and possibly consider a move. The Diamondbacks and the county have been at odds for nearly a year over the condition of the venue, which opened in 1998.
>>Illinois At 25th-Ranked Indiana Saturday
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois is off until Saturday when it travels to Indiana to take on the 25th-ranked Hoosiers. The Fighting Illini beat Ohio State in their Big Ten opener on Sunday. Illinois has won seven of its last eight games to get to 11-and-4. Indiana is 10-and-5 after losing to Wisconsin last night.
Coming up Friday Night, it’s the Talk 101 High School Game of the Week presented by World of Powersports as Eisenhower plays host to Springfield Lanphier. The Dales Southlake Pharmacy Pregame Show gets underway at 7:15p.m. and the tip-off follows at 7:30p.m. Join Kevin Hale and Scott Busboom with the call this Friday night from Eisenhower High School on Talk 101 FM!