Last week, Miami officially revoked the eligibility of eight of the dozen current players who allegedly accepted improper benefits from ex-booster turned convicted Ponzi-schemer Nevin Shapiro, whose sprawling account of largess over the last decade threatens to bring the program to its knees. At the time, Miami seemed to hope the NCAA would let all eight off the hook with a slap on the wrist in time for next Monday's season opener at Maryland. When the official verdict came down today, not surprisingly, that didn't happen.
But it came a lot closer than most of us expected: Of the dozen players in question, only three will miss more than one game. Five will sit for only one game, making them eligible to play again by this time next week. And four others won't miss any time at all.
The full accounting, from the NCAA's official release (emphasis added):

Olivier Vernon, who received more than $1,200 in benefits primarily from Shapiro, must miss six games and make repayment of the value of the benefits. These recruitment benefits included meals, transportation, access to Shapiro's game suite, drinks, as well as cover charges at two different nightclubs, among others.
Two other student-athletes, Aravious Armstrong and Dyron Dye, will miss four games and must make repayment. Armstrong received approximately $788 in extra benefits from Shapiro and athletics personnel during his recruitment. Dye received approximately $738. These student-athletes' benefits included five nights of impermissible lodging from institutional staff during their unofficial visits, transportation, multiple meals, and entertainment at a gentleman's club.

Vernon, Armstrong and Dye all received "substantial benefits" as recruits "to entice them to enroll," which is considered especially egregious. Five other players were only charged with receiving benefits after enrolling:

These five student-athletes — Marcus Forston, Sean Ryan Spence, Adewale Ojomo, Travis Benjamin and Jacory Harris — must miss one game and make repayment. Forston received more than $400 in extra benefits from Shapiro and athletic personnel, including athletic equipment, meals, nightclub cover charges and entertainment at a gentleman's club. Spence received approximately $275 in benefits, including meals, transportation, as well as cover charges and entertainment at a gentleman's club. Ojomo received $240 in extra benefits, including a meal and nightclub cover charges. Benjamin received more than $150 in extra benefits, including meals and entertainment. Harris received more than $140 in benefits from meals, entertainment, transportation and nightclub cover charges.

Four other players must repay small amounts, all under $100, but were not suspended for any games. A 13th player, defensive end Marcus Robinson, was cleared of wrongdoing.
That's a lot of names, a lot of games and a lot of dollar signs, but it adds up to a huge sigh of relief for the U: The most important names on the chopping block — Jacory Harris (top), Travis Benjamin, Marcus Fortson and Sean Spence (above right) — will return in good standing after Monday's opener, restoring the starting quarterback, leading returning receiver and All-ACC candidates at defensive tackle and middle linebacker to the lineup just in the nick of time for a visit from suspension-ravaged Ohio State on Sept. 17.
At that point, the Buckeyes will still be without key starters at tailback, wide receiver and left tackle, respectively, all of whom are serving five-game suspensions that will last well into October. They'll also still be breaking in a new quarterback in place of exiled starter Terrelle Pryor. Meanwhile, the 'Canes will be at nearly full strength for the key midseason run against ACC Coastal rivals Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Georgia Tech, and — barring injuries or further revelations — at full strength for the stretch run against Florida State, South Florida and Boston College in November.
Olivier Vernon and Ray Ray Armstrong are both veteran starters whose presence will be missed on defense over the first half of the season, but on a scale of 1 to 10, the collective damage to Miami's prospects for the year is somewhere around a three. At most.
[Y! Sports probe: Miami booster spells out illicit benefits to players]
Of course, that's only in the short term. Over the long term, the prospects are still dire: With 72 players and four assistant coaches deeply involved with an unrepentant booster who was also an active sports agent — not to mention the architect of a multimillion-dollar Ponzi-scheme — the prospective sanctions at the end of the NCAA's ongoing investigation could still reduce the program to a smoldering crater via heavy-handed scholarship reductions, a multi-year bowl ban, heavy fines or worse.
But we're still months away from all that. In the meantime, the 'Canes will suck it up against Maryland, use the subsequent bye week to regroup and come out against the Buckeyes full steam ahead.

Are you counting down? Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and Head of Romance at Hallmark Cards, Kendra Keller certainly knows a thing or two about romance and what we really want on Valentine’s Day.
We need some tips! Here Kendra reveals some romance tips which will make you top of the class come Valentine’s Day:
Gifts:
* A Valentine’s card, whether it’s cute, classy, traditional or tacky, is considered the most important item to receive on Valentine’s Day- don’t neglect such a simple touch! Upload photographs to one of our Personalized Valentine’s cards to make it extra special.
* A home-made gift shows thought, consideration and creativity- think along the lines of home-made muffins, a personalized photo frame (so they can frame your thoughtful personalized Valentine’s card of course!) or a delicious three course dinner for extra brownie points.
Messages:
* What you write in your personalized Valentine’s day card says way more about your relationship than what you buy.
* Personalized messages and private jokes show openness and the ability to be honest about your feelings, but remember to keep it clean as other people may well end up reading it!
* If you want to write a poem, avoid channeling your inner cheese and remember it doesn’t have to rhyme to be romantic – so just give it a go. If you want a hand our online Valentine ‘s Day range always have a couple of verse options to choose from.
Dates:
* Dream dates are all about personal touches and don’t just have to be about wining and dining, and splashing the cash!
* Personal grooming should be a given- but a bit of effort (a nice new shirt/haircut/new underwear) will not go unnoticed and get you extra brownie points boys and girls!
* A home-cooked meal, foot massage, bubble bath or even agreeing to watch the football/ Desperate Housewives are all activities that are easily achievable and just as effective as love hearts and roses.
* Why not create a personalized invitation for your date to make it really different?

After rightfully being called out by irate fans who weren’t happy at paying hundreds of dollars to see Britney Spears lip sync, Britney has vowed never to return to Australia.
The Britney Australia drama (is drama the right word, given her entire life is a drama) started a couple of weeks back when the occasionally mental mother of two appeared at the Burswood Dome in Perth in “the round,” a format where fans are seated around a central stage vs being in front of the stage looking down on a central point.
Fans noted that Britney rarely turned around during her performance, and to make matters worse the big screens at the event never showed images of her on the stage. I’ve been to the Burswood Dome numerous times, and it’s a reasonably large venue (say approx 20,000 people in that setup.) It would be difficult to see Britney from the cheap seats at the best of times, let alone if she had her back to her for most of the “concert.”
Britney’s tour though hasn’t improved from there, with numerous reports in the Australian media of fans leaving her events early, and of tickets flooding eBay at way below the ticketed price as news spread that she just wasn’t worth seeing. According to some reports, Britney has also been booed and jeered while leaving her hotels…showing that Australians are never shy in expressing correct and fair opinions.
The Chicago Sun Times now claims that Britney Spears has told her team, and anyone else who will listen — she will never again perform for an Aussie audience. According to an insider, she “is very happy to be getting out of that country.”
Let me say as an Australian in my finest imitation of a Britney southern accent “don’t ya ever come back now, ya’ here.” Trailer trash should stay in trailers, and not be allowed past customs at the airport

US Customs agents are put on high alert for a variety of reasons but one of those high alerts may surprise you, it turns out the Khapra Beetle is a big deal at US Customs offices.
How dangerous are the beetles to our eco-system? A recent Chicago Tribune article appeared with the title ‘Most feared’ pest found in shipment at O’Hare.
That title was created after customs officials found a cast skin and larva in two 10-pound bags of rice.
So how dangerous are the beetles? Here’s a warning from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection:

— “The Khapra Beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts, is one of the world’s most destructive stored-product pests. It is difficult to control once introduced into a region because it feeds on a variety of dried materials, is resistant to insecticides, and can go long periods without food. Infestations can result in up to 70 percent grain damage, making products inedible and unmarketable.”
— It “originated in South Asia and is now present throughout much of northern Africa and the Middle East, with a limited presence in Asia, Europe, and southern Africa.”
— By April this year, “agriculture specialists [had] made 44 Khapra Beetle interceptions. This is more than the total interceptions in calendar year 2010.”

While US Customs agents are doing a good job of finding and killing the beetles the High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal reports that the number of interceptions is on the increase:

“This year, CBP agriculture specialists have made 100 Khapra beetle interceptions at U.S. ports of entry compared to three to six per year in 2005 and 2006, and averaging about 15 per year from 2007 to 2009.”

The problem is so severe that even a dead khapra beetle can cause a shipment to be sent back to it’s original destination.

Hurricane Irene cut a destructive path through the Caribbean on Monday, slamming Puerto Rico with strong winds that uprooted trees and left more than a million without power before continuing on its path that experts say could carry it to the U.S. Southeast as a major storm by the end of the week.
Irene, currently a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, will most likely pick up steam and intensify to a Category 3 hurricane capable of generating damaging winds of up to 130 mph, according to a report by the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

“Residents of Florida and the southeastern U.S. should be keeping their eyes on this storm and have their hurricane supplies ready now,” says hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen. “No one wants to be standing in line at the hardware store when a storm hits.”

Although the center of the storm’s 500-mile-wide projected path is currently on track to skirt up the Florida coastline and hit South Carolina at 8 am EST on Saturday, Feltgen explains that it could change, and in the best case scenario, a low-pressure center could push the storm away from the coast late in the week.
To stay on top of Irene’s progress, head over to the Weather Channel’s official website or subscribe to their twitter feed @weatherchannel.
For raw footage of Hurricane Irene and the damage it caused in Puerto Rico, check out the following video provided by the AP.

Some of you might think singer slash actress LeAnn Rimes has gotten too thin- the star has been criticized for perhaps overdieting in recent press mentions.
However, one fan stepped completely out of line in their “concern” for Rimes- interrupting the newlywed’s dinner to urge her to eat more! The story comes straight from Rimes, who angrily tweeted her experience while dining Saturday night to her 167,000 followers. According to Rimes, apropos of nothing, a fellow diner approached her while she was at dinner with her husband Eddie Cibrian and his kids.
Rimes didn’t relay exactly what was said, but had the following to say:

“How dare someone come to me at a table with the boys and tell me I need to eat something. What is wrong with people?
As I’m stuffing my face….have another drink and maybe take a class in manners! Cheers!”

Rimes got some sympathy from her fans, but a few Twitter followers gave her a bit of the same critique. One fan told Rimes that “lots of folks think [she is] getting too thin” and commented she was beginning to “look 12 years old.”
Rimes’ ire was provoked again. She angrily responded:

“Once again, I’m done talking to rude people who have no right to have an opinion on my body. Out of line… If it happened to someone who wasn’t a ‘celebrity’ it would be rude, but to a public figure it’s socially [acceptable]?”

While Rimes received mixed feedback, she asserted to her fans that the patron did not have a right to interrupt her family dinner with what she perceived as a “judgement” about her physique. Would you ever say something so intrusive to anyone, much less a celebrity?

UPDATE: The Playlist has reportedly contacted the actresses’ representatives and they have debunked this story as rumor, saying that none of them are attached to the project.
You can file this one under speculation for now, but word on the web is that Milla Jovovich, Kate Beckinsale and Sofia Vergara are set to star as curvy super-heros in the forthcoming film adapation of the comic book series Danger Girl.
For those unfamiliar with the less-known animated work of J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, Danger Girl follows the adventures of three salaciously illustrated female secret agents led by their mentor named Deuce (who wikipedia says resembles an aged Sean Connery).
Benderspink Productions (A History of Violence, The Hangover) is apparently shopping the rights to the project, which has been described as Kill Bill meets Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the team element of Mission: Impossible thrown in for good measure.
In addition to the Danger Girl rumor, there have been reports that Milla, who recently finished making a 2011 reboot of the classic film The Three Musketeers, is set to reprise her role as security officer Alice in a fifth installment of the Resident Evil sci-fi franchise.
Afterlife, the fourth movie in the popular film series loosely based upon the Capcom video games of the same name, was a box office hit, raking in over $236 million worldwide.
via Digital Spy

Billy Ray Cyrus, the actor and country singing legend who is perhaps best known for his role as the father of Hannah Montana (Miley),  celebrates his 50th birthday today.
Over the course of his musical career, Cyrus – a multi-platinum selling recording artist – has scored a total of eight top-ten singles on the Billboard Country Songs chart, the most successful being “Achy Breaky Heart,” which reached #1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and was also a hit on the pop charts, where it reached #4.
Beyond the music accolades, Billy Ray has also spent a fair amount of time honing his skills as a actor. Besides starring in the television show Doc and co-starring in the popular Disney series Hannah Montana, Cyrus has made appearances in a handful of other shows including The Nanny, Diagnosis Murder, Love Boat, The Next Wave, and TNN’s 18 Wheels Of Justice.
As of recent, Billy Ray has been promoting his new album, ‘I’m American,’ a collection of patriotic tunes that celebrates the 20th anniversary of his hit, Some Gave All.
Referring to the album, Cyrus recently told country music website The Boot:

“[It's a] tribute to veterans and the men and women who are sacrificing so much for our freedom and the sacrifice their entire family is making.”

In addition to advancing the new album, Billy Ray and his wife Leticia reportedly preparing to be grandparents for the first time, as news that the Cyrus’ eldest son Trace and his girlfriend Brenda Song were pregnant went public yesterday.
While Cyrus hasn’t officially commented on the pregnancy, we’re betting “Grandpa Billy” will have some good advice for the dad-to-be.

“I pray for my kids that they live their life with purpose, knowing that it’s about giving back and finding out what you can do in this world to hopefully make it a better place,” Cyrus told Parade magazine in the past when asked for parenting wisdom.

To celebrate Billy Ray Cyrus’ milestone 50th birthday, bust out your cowboy boots and thrown down a line dance or two while listening to the classic tune Achy Breaky Heart.

BALTIMORE (AP)

Former Cy Young award winner Mike Flanagan died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head, the Maryland medical examiner ruled Thursday.

TRAGIC SPORTS DEATHS

Sports has lost many athletes way too soon.

A police investigation revealed that the 59-year-old pitcher was upset about financial issues. He left no note.
Flanagan's body was found Wednesday afternoon about 250 feet behind his home. An investigation showed he was home alone when he took his life.
Flanagan won the Cy Young Award in 1979 and helped the Baltimore Orioles win the 1983 World Series. After his retirement, he worked for the Orioles as a coach and in the front office before settling into a job as color commentator on the team's broadcast network.
Flanagan was scheduled to work this weekend's series against the New York Yankees.
''He was looking forward to broadcasting the Yankees series coming up. He was doing something he loved,'' said Jim Duquette, who teamed with Flanagan from 2005-07 to attempt to rebuild the Orioles.
According to police, Alex Flanagan last spoke to her husband about 1 a.m. Wednesday. She told police he sounded upset, and he promised he would talk to her later.
When Alex Flanagan did not hear from her husband, she called a neighbor to check on him. The neighbor went to the home and called 911 after failing to find him.
Police discovered a body on the property but could not immediately determine the identity because the wounds were so severe.
There was a moment of silence at Yankee Stadium on Thursday before New York faced the Oakland Athletics. Flanagan's picture was posted on the video board.
Flanagan was a crafty left-hander who went 167-143 with a 3.90 ERA over 18 seasons with Baltimore and Toronto.

He was 141-116 with Baltimore and is a member of the team's Hall of Fame. Flanagan was also the final Oriole to pitch at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore's home from 1954-1991.
During that appearance out of the bullpen, Flanagan struck out Detroit's Dave Bergman and Travis Fryman, much to the delight of the 50,700 fans that filled the old ballpark one last time.
''He was a wonderful individual and a true Oriole who led by example, played the game with class and brought a lot of happiness to Orioles' fans over his career. He will be missed tremendously by so many people,'' said Mike Gibbons, executive director of Sports Legends Museum & the Babe Ruth Birthplace.
The Flanagan family issued this statement Thursday: ''We thank you for your support and kind words at this difficult time. Thank you for respecting our privacy as we grieve. A private memorial will be held at a later date.

President Barack Obama is finalizing a jobs package that could include a program to refurbish school buildings nationwide and tax breaks to encourage firms to hire workers.
The package, to be unveiled in early September, is Obama's chance to convince skeptical voters he can bring down the 9.1 percent unemployment rate and steer the United States away from another recession - ahead of next year's election.

1. More must-read stories Critics say the president, who bailed out the auto industry and spent $860 billion to revive the economy after he took office in 2009, has few jobs-boosting options and will have a hard time getting Republicans to accept any new spending plan.

But economists and advisers familiar with his strategy say Obama will argue next month that the financial crisis was worse than anyone thought at the time and say more stimulus is needed to make any real dent in the unemployment rate.
The details are still being discussed during the president's annual vacation in Martha's Vineyard, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
But the broad contours of the jobs package are quickly coming into focus.
The president is widely expected to repeat his calls for an extension of a payroll tax cut, push for patent reform and bilateral free trade deals, and suggest an infrastructure bank to upgrade the country's roads, airports and other facilities.
Retrofitting schools with energy efficient technology would allow the government to directly hire for labor-intensive work and also give a boost to the clean energy sector that Obama has said could be an important U.S. economic motor.
Other measures being considered, according to economists who have advised the White House, include tax credits for firms hiring more workers, funds for local governments to hire teachers, and retraining help for the long-term unemployed. Steps to boost the ailing housing market are also under review.
"What's going to be included in this plan are some reasonable ideas that could have a tangible impact on improving our economy and creating jobs ... the kinds of things that Republicans should be able to support," Earnest said. "These are bipartisan ideas that the president is going to offer up."
Foot on accelerator
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are broadly opposed to any big new spending and have argued Obama's previous stimulus spending stretched budget deficits and added to the national debt without making a dent in employment.
But with unemployment stuck above 9 percent, and with the economy expected to continue to grow at an anemic rate for two years or more, the White House believes it needs to give the labor market another leg up.
A senior administration official said Obama would focus next month's economics speech on jobs. He will save a plan for long-term deficit-cutting for later.
Jared Bernstein, a former economic adviser to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, said spending measures from the jobs package must be able to take hold before deficit cuts kick in.
Otherwise, he said, it would be "like putting on the accelerator and the brake at the same time."
Keeping with the car analogy, Bernstein said extending the payroll tax cut "doesn't press any harder on the accelerator but doesn't take your foot off accelerator."
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former aide to President George W. Bush and adviser to Obama's 2008 rival Senator John McCain, said Republicans would not accept "Keynesian" spending but may be open to tax reforms that promote healthier long-term growth.
"He should emphasize that growth is the top priority," Holtz-Eakin said of Obama's address, which is expected to coincide closely with a September 6 jobs speech by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
'House on fire'
One of Obama's major tasks with his upcoming speech is to make the case that without the economic rescue measures he already put through, things would be worse.
Michael Greenstone, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former Obama economic adviser, estimated that because millions of jobs were lost in the downturn, even a normally healthy rate of job creation would take at least 12 years to get the United States back to pre-recession employment levels.
"I know it's not popular to say this, but when the Obama administration came into office the house was really on fire, and it turns out that it was a bigger fire that people realized, even at the time," Greenstone said.
Obama may struggle to convince voters the new measures can help hiring. Though the White House contends the auto bailout and other steps saved jobs that would have otherwise been lost, many Americans are losing faith in Obama's economic abilities. That is reflected in his approval ratings, which have fallen to around 43 percent, the lowest level of his presidency.
Alice Rivlin, a former Clinton economic official and Federal Reserve vice chairwoman, said new policies would have to be designed in a way that ensures money is spent quickly and people are hired directly for them to be effective.
"They are all good ideas. My cautionary note is they are all quite difficult to do well," Rivlin said.
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

It's official. Danica Patrick is leaving the IndyCar Series behind and will drive in NASCAR full-time starting in 2012.
"In breaking news that will shock the world," Patrick joked Thursday, before announcing her widely-reported plans.

The 29-year-old superstar will drive the full NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule next year with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s race team, JR Motorsports. She will also attempt a partial Sprint Cup Series schedule with Tony Stewart's organization, Stewart-Haas Racing.
“We’re very excited to have Danica Patrick and Go Daddy join Stewart-Haas Racing in 2012 for a limited NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule with the intention of us running her full-time in Sprint Cup in 2013," Stewart said in a statement. "We’re proud of the fact she wants to come and be a part of Stewart-Haas Racing and what we’ve built with Ryan Newman and myself and all of our partners. Having Danica and Go Daddy as a combination at SHR is something we’re really looking forward to."
Although there is speculation that she will run the Daytona 500 as part of the Sprint Cup portion of the schedule, no official races were announced. She will likely race eight to 10 races in NASCAR's premier racing series.
“We are pleased Danica Patrick has chosen to race full time in NASCAR in 2012," NASCAR Chairman Brian France said in a statement. "She has demonstrated a strong desire to compete and NASCAR provides the best opportunity to race against the top drivers in the world with the largest and most loyal fan base in motorsports on a week-to-week basis. Danica has shown solid improvement in NASCAR and we believe her decision to run full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, with additional races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will be exciting for our fans and a great challenge for her.”

 

Patrick has competed in 20 Nationwide Series races in the last two seasons, earning one top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Despite the announcement, Patrick did not rule out a return to open-wheel racing for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.
Patrick had her highest finish at the Indy 500 when she took third in the 2009 race and became the first woman to win an IndyCar race when she took the checkers at Japan in 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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