Five reasons Baylor football deserves to be in College Football Playoff"s top four

Baylor Football: Highlights vs. Kansas State

Baylor football is ranked No. 2 in both national polls, but the College Football Playoff rankings will have a whole different set of criteria. The latter version will be released for the first time this season at 7 p.m. on Tuesday live on ESPN.

Here are five reasons Baylor football deserves to be ranked in the top four in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

1. Complete dominance. The Bears have been one of the most dominant teams in football all season long. The Bears are outscoring teams by an average of 36.0 points per game. For however maligned the defense is, Baylor is outgaining teams by 303.7 yards per game.In fact, a double-digit win over Iowa State was the first time Baylor"s starters played their way through an entire game this season. Baylor has beaten teams in every phase of the game on the way to its 7-0 record. The committee should reward that, not penalize it.

2. Balanced offense. Baylor"s offense gets plenty of attention for its gaudy passing numbers, but the running game has been the driver of the offense this season. The Bears rank No. 2 nationally in rushing yards with 338.3 yards per game. The difference? The other four teams that rank top five in rushing yards per game average 94.7 passing yards per game. Baylor averages 347.9 passing yards per game. The Bears are far and away the most productive offense in college football, compiling more than 70 yards more per game than the next team. The ability to beat teams in both phases of the offense makes them that much more dangerous.

3. Elite weapons. Baylor has the most productive running back in the Big 12, the highest scorer in the Big 12, the second and eighth most productive receivers in the Big 12 and the most productive offense overall. Running back Shock Linwood has run angry this season and leads the conference with 974 rushing yards despite having played less games than all but one of the top 10 rushers. Corey Coleman is establishing himself as the Biletnikoff Award favorite, as he is on pace to break the all-time record for touchdowns in a season. Even with quarterback Seth Russell out for the season, Jarrett Stidham should be able to step in and not miss too much of a beat.

4. Potential for growth. Baylor football has put together some of the best performances in the country, but still has potential for growth across the board. Defensive end Shawn Oakman finally broke out of his slumber against Iowa State, while the defensive backs have showed steady improvement throughout the season. Safety Orion Stewart has struggled this season after being an All-Big 12 selection last year. There are clearly places where Baylor is underachieving. If the players can put stretches together, it will set itself apart.

5. Staying power. It may seem crazy at this point, but Baylor has been one of the most consistent teams in college football over the past three seasons. The Bears are the only one of two teams in college football who have won back-to-back conference championships. The other, Florida State, is ranked No. 17 in the AP poll after a loss to Georgia Tech. The Bears have also gone 29-4 the past three years, which ranks among the best marks and winning percentages in the country. This should serve Baylor well as expectations continue to rise.

On Twitter:@ShehanJeyarajah

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20151102-five-reasons-baylor-football-deserves-to-be-in-college-football-playoff-s-top-four.ece

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NASA cuts Boeing from ISS competition

NASA releases high-definition video of the sun

Artist rendering of Boeing"s CST-100 Starliner crew capsule in orbit.(Photo: Boeing)

NASA on Thursday dropped Boeing from its competition for contracts to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, but delayed a decision on who would win the awards worth up to $14 billion.

Again revising a schedule that has been pushed back several times this year, the space agency said it would announce by early next year the winners of the next Commercial Resupply Services contracts, known as CRS2 for short.

CRS2 is a complex procurement, said Dan Huot, a spokesman at NASAs Johnson Space Center. The anticipated award date has been revised to no later than Jan. 30, 2016, to allow time to complete a thorough proposal evaluation and selection.

The contracts will establish the fleet of U.S. craft that resupply the station from 2018 to 2024.

The remaining competitors appear to be SpaceX and Orbital ATK, the two incumbents under the first round of CRS contracts, and Sierra Nevada Corp.

Boeing confirmed that it received notice from NASA on Thursday that its bid has been eliminated.

The company continues to develop its CST-100 Starliner capsule to fly astronauts to the ISS under a Commercial Crew Program contract won last year, along with SpaceX.

Sierra Nevada, whose Dream Chaser mini-shuttle lost out in that crew competition, said NASA has asked the company to re-open discussions about its cargo bid as one of the offerors in the competitive range.

Orbital ATK also confirmed it is still competing for another cargo contract. The company is preparing for a Dec. 3 launch from Cape Canaveral of a Cygnus cargo spacecraft as part of its existing contract.

SpaceX declined to comment. The company is targeting an early January launch of its next resupply mission from Cape Canaveral.

A new system proposed by Lockheed Martin reportedly already had been dropped from consideration.

The company, however, has not conceded defeat, saying its Jupiter spacecraft and Exoliner module would benefit not only the ISS but exploration beyond low Earth orbit.

We feel that our proposal offers value today through affordable, high-capacity space station resupply, and a path forward for tomorrow, through technologies that will power future human deep-space missions, said spokeswoman Allison Rakes.

All the competitors would launch their cargo missions from the Space Coast except for Orbital ATK, which by mid-next year plans to resume launchesfrom Virginia with a redesigned Antares rocket.

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 orjdean@floridatoday.com. And follow on Twitter at@flatoday_jdeanand on Facebook atfacebook.com/jamesdeanspace.

MORE: Florida Today space industry news

Read or Share this story: http://on.flatoday.com/1NuFx04

Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2015/11/05/nasa-delays-iss-cargo-contract-awards-again/75215178/

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Kacey Musgraves went pantsless for her CMA Awards performance

Kacey Musgraves - "The Trailer Song" | Live at the Grand Ole Opry | Opry

Kacey Musgraves took the CMAs stage to perform Dime Store Cowgirl in her signature, whimsical style, of course.

She rocked a pink hat, leotard and boots, all covered in crystals.

Which she teased on Twitter before her performance:

Oh, so THAT"s what the CMAs stand for!

But viewers at home noticed that somethingwas missing:

But honestly, when you"re that flawless, are pants really even a necessity?

Like, seriously:

KACEY. RIP us.(Photo: Michael Loccisano, Getty Images)

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1MB8G4C

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2015/11/04/kacey-musgraves-cma-awards-performance/75193920/

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Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, David Justice, Free Agents, Jonny Gomes ...

Jonny Gomes excites crowd with speech at rally

Albany Herald

Tomahawk Take Editors Note: The day after the World Series, all MLB players who are eligible become free agents. On Monday, this happened. This means that Pierzynski, Peter Moylan, Ross Detwiler and Edwin Jackson are all not a part of the Atlanta Braves at this point. With bullpen being the biggest point of interest this offseason, Moylan and Jackson will probably be pursued to return to Atlanta.

The Braves hope to re-sign veteran Pierzynski, but it remains to be seen if his price rises above where theyre willing to go for the catcher, wholl be 39 on Dec. 30. After batting .300 with 24 doubles, nine homers and 49 RBIs in 113 games, Pierzynski might be attractive for an American League team that can offer a multi-year deal with the designated-hitter role a possibility down the line.

Moylan signed a two-year minor league deal with the Braves in March that was intended to give him time to recover at a cautious pace from his second Tommy John surgery and serve as a player/coach for rookie-league Danville in late summer. But he progressed ahead of scheduled and was called up by the major league team in August, at which point the minor-league contract was voided.

The Braves might have interest in re-signing Moylan or Jackson, who was released by the Cubs last summer with 1 1/2 seasons left on a huge contract.

Fox Sports

AJC

Tomahawk Take Editors Note: Remember when the Atlanta Braves had Jonny Gomes? I do. I was a fan of this guy. He brought leadership and a voice to a team that seems they havent had one in years. Though he underperformed on the field during his time with the Braves, I believe he lit a spark during the first half of the season. The Braves, yes the ones that traded away many pieces of their team, were a .500 team around the half way point of 2015Atlanta traded him to the Royals on August 31. Think he had anything to do with a playoff surge for Kansas City?

Its unbelievable what those boys did.

Its unbelievable what they did! Its unbelievable what they did!

They stole bases, they hit homers.

Hey guess what, Cy Young winner, not on our team, beat him.

Rookie of the year, not on our team, we beat him.

MVP of the whole league, turning to the teammates behind him, sorry guys, not on our team. But we beat that guy, too! You know why we beat them. Because all of yall people had our backs.

Source: http://tomahawktake.com/2015/11/04/atlanta-braves-news-the-morning-chop-david-justice-free-agents-jonny-gomes-speech/

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DNA evidence could "make or break" Fox Lake police shooting investigation ...

Fox Lake Shooting: Coroner Deepens the Mystery "Can"t rule out Suicide"!

FOX LAKE Police investigating the shooting death of Fox Lake Police Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz have hopes that DNA evidence recovered at the scene will bring them closer to the suspects after several surveillance videos failed to do so.

As the investigation proceeds, DNA and the science behind it might be the only hope investigators have of catching the suspects without video, a dashboard camera recording or eyewitness accounts of the attack, some experts contend.

If there are no witnesses, DNA will make or break the case, said Richard Kling, a clinical professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Theres nobody saying, I saw this person. Theres no video or surveillance footage.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said Tuesday investigators recovered DNA that was not Gliniewiczs at the crime scene. The announcement came after he revealed the three men captured on video near the crime scene were not involved in the shooting.

Filenko, as well as Lake County Sheriffs Department Detective Chris Covelli, wouldnt elaborate on where specifically the DNA was found or what the source was blood, saliva, sweat but they said the DNA had made contact with something relevant to Gliniewicz.

Any time an unknown donors DNA is found at the crime scene, its significant, Covelli said.

Covelli said investigators hope to receive results from the Northeastern Illinois Crime Laboratory, the Illinois State Police and a federal lab soon, although he couldnt provide a more exact time frame as of Friday.

Police have been investigating the case for almost two weeks. Gliniewicz, 52, was shot and killed about 8 a.m. Sept. 1 after he radioed he was in a foot pursuit with two white men and one black man. Police have yet to add any details to the vague description of the suspects.

DNA is a powerful tool, Kling said. Its cleared people when they have been erroneously convicted, but its also helped police catch suspects years after the crime occurred. He pointed to the Browns Chicken massacre in Palatine, in which investigators found DNA on a chicken leg left at the scene that matched one of the killers and led to convictions years later.

But the sample could bring disappointing results initially, said Karl Reich, the chief scientific officer at Lombard-based Independent Forensic. Police wont be able to glean anything from the DNA unless it has a match, Reich said.

The DNA profile is literally a set of numbers and it does not tell you anything about that person, Reich said.

Police will compare it the millions of samples compiled from across the country in the FBIs Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS. Lake County investigators also will compare the sample to more than 50 DNA samples taken from people interviewed in the case. Those samples come from people who might have had contact with Gliniewicz.

The laws dictating when a DNA sample is collected vary by state. In some states, police take DNA after an arrest depending on the severity of the crime. Meanwhile, other states collect DNA only after someone has been convicted of a specific set of crimes.

In Illinois, state law requires all convicted felons and registered s*x offenders submit a DNA sample, Illinois State Police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Boerwinkle said in an email. People arrested for first degree murder, home invasion, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault or criminal sexual assault have to submit a DNA sample after they have been indicted by a grand jury, the code reads.

Illinois had nearly 527,680 DNA samples as of June 30, Boerwinkle said.

DNA is used in just about all of the felony cases, and most of the new cases, in Lake County, States Attorney Michael Nerheim said. He said its a change from the past, when more DNA was needed to create a usable sample. With the change has come a need to scrutinize why the DNA is at a scene.

One of the things we have to keep in mind is there are a lot of reasons someone could touch something, Nerheim said.

Nerheim said theres often a misconception about the prevalence of DNA. Prosecutors and others refer to it as the CSI effect, a side-effect from crime dramas that leads people to believe all crime scenes are teeming with DNA evidence. But thats not the case in many crimes, such as in Fox Lake, where officials have said they are testing one sample.

The general public thinks DNA is everywhere and, if someone touches something, it will be there forever, Nerheim said. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isnt. Sometimes its found and sometimes its not.

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Source: http://www.nwherald.com/2015/09/11/dna-evidence-could-make-or-break-fox-lake-police-shooting-investigation-experts-say/aje1i5j/

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Spike Lee Calls Rahm A "Bully" In New Interview On "Chiraq"

Bad School In Chiraq

By now yall probably know that Spike Lee is making a new movie called Chiraq. Its going to a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata based here in Chicago. Lysistrataoriginally performed in 411 B.C. in Athensis the tale of Trojans and Spartans warring with each other. In the play the women involved withhold s*x from the warriors in an effort to stop the violence. Lee aims to take Lysistrata and place it into the setting of modern day Chicago.

The movie has been incredibly divisive. Some are supportive and hope that Lee will create something that shines a light on the citys long standing problems of segregation and gun violence, and that this film will help spur a systemic change. Others are wary that this film is not going to do much more than romanticize the aforementioned problems. Several prominent city figures think the latter is true and Spike has had issues with them as he filmed the movie.

Chicago Magazine recently sat down with Lee to talk about what its like to beef with several aldermen and the mayor:

...Your mayor and I got off on the wrong foot, right away. What I didnt like was him trying to paint me as this villain. Im not the bad guy, but thats how he was trying to portray it. Do I have the guns? Am I the one pulling the trigger? To be honest, hes a bully,

"Youre going to be on the wrong side of history," Lee said he told him. "What economic development is going on in the South Side?

Whether you like Spike Lee or find him to be irritating, hes not entirely wrong here. The citys South and West Sides suffered the worst of the school closings, and food deserts run rampant in those areas. At the same time, there is a lot of positive things going on in the citys south and west neighborhoods that are often overlooked. The Chosen Few Picnic has become a yearly tradition, a South Side institution and celebration of house music while Blue 1647, which has a location in Englewood, aims to teach people of color tech skills and help close the racial gap in tech.

The whole interview is interesting and is worth taking a look at. Lee also talks about his feelings on gun violence, Black Lives Matter and the intersection where both meet. Check out the full interview here.

Source: http://chicagoist.com/2015/10/23/spike_lee_calls_rahm_a_bully_in_int.php

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Jimmy Kimmel and parents ruin Halloween for kids again with candy prank

YouTube Challenge - I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy 2014

ABCJimmy Kimmel and cruel parents across the country did it again.

For the fourth year in a row, the late-night host asked parents to tell their kids that they had eaten all the Halloween candy, and then post the results on YouTube.

"We never run out of participants for this," Kimmel said on last night"s show. "Every year, I think kids are going to know, they watch these videos, they"ll be too old to fall for it. I will be able to do this for as long as people continue to have s*x."

This year, a couple kids (as Kimmel feared) remembered the joke from past years and weren"t fooled. But they were the minority. The majority had meltdowns.

The range of reactions was quite vast. Some kids simply couldn"t believe that their parents could do such a thing, while others were surprisingly forgiving. But most were tremendously peeved.

Some had no problem expressing themselves.

Your browser does not support the video tag.ABC

Some had no words.

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Some tried to bargain.

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Some had some help expressing themselves.

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Watch the whole segment below:

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-halloween-candy-prank-2015-11

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