Nimitz News - Sept. 30, 2012

Sept. 30, 2012

Vol. 37, No. 30

September 30, 2012

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Story by Lt. Cmdr. Richard A. Townes Jr.

Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff S. Ruth Executive Officer Capt. Buzz Donnelly Command Master Chief Master Chief Teri M. McIntyre Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski Media Division Officer Lt. Jason Scarborough Media LCPO MCC Mike Jones Media Production Chief MCC Gregory Roberts Editor MC3 Ryan Mayes Lead Designer MC3 Renee L. Candelario

Media Department MC2 Michael Cole MC2 Jacquelyn Childs MC2 Ashley Berumen MC2 Nathan Gomez MC2 Vladimir Potapenko MC2 Thomas Siniff MC2 Nichelle Whitfield MC2 Robert Winn MC2 Glenn Slaughter MC3 Ian Cotter MC3 Andrew Jandik MC3 Shayne Johnson MC3 Jacob Milner MC3 Devin Wray MC3 Christopher Bartlett MC3 Alexander Ventura II MC3 Dereck Volland MC3 Linda Swearingen MCSN Jess Lewis MCSN Billy Cousins MCSA Vanessa David MCSA George Penney MCSR Phillip Ladouceur

In his best selling book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff...and it’s All Small Stuff, Dr. Richard Carlson quotes psychologist William James, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” How does your attitude affect your life?

I have often heard the expression “attitude is everything.” Chuck Swindoll states “Attitude, to me, is more important than… the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church...a home… We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”

We often find ourselves in certain situations, confronted with certain problems, or dealing with certain people, that prompt us to react negatively in ways that undermine the quality of our lives. Carlson states that “…we

allow ourselves to get all worked up about things that, upon closer examination, aren’t really that big of deal.”

For example, we get overly frustrated when, at 1600, we find ourselves stuck behind several construction trucks. All we want is to turn right onto I-5 and head home, instead, there we sit, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Or maybe we get bent out of shape because the commissary is out of our favorite cereal or meat for our weekend BBQ. We all have those issues that really push our BUTTONS. One of my RPs recently saw me get “spun up” because of a computer problem. That sailor probably thought “What tripped Chaps’ switch?” as I ranted and raved about something of which I had no control.

What unimportant issue spins you up, and bends you out of shape?

To keep the little things from taking over your life, try these simple tricks: count to ten, exercise, be proactive not reactive, find a hobby, attend church services, join a Bible study, or just simply take a time out and talk to God, but always remember not to sweat the small stuff and it‘s all small stuff.

Local Hockey Team Welcomes Nimitz

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions must be in by Friday, COB. Submissions are subject to review and screening.

“Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families.

Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Ruth drops the puck during a hockey match at Comcast Arena, to open an Everett Silvertips home game Sept. 23. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Christopher Bartlett/Released)

Page 2

September 30, 2012

USS Nimitz Sets Sail for COMPTUEX Story by MCSR Phillip Ladouceur

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) got underway Sept. 29 to participate in a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with components of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 .

Prior to departure, Nimitz spent six weeks in its homeport of Everett for its carrier in-port availability. During that time, Nimitz took on large quantities of supplies and performed necessary maintenance.

COMPTUEX puts CSG 11 into a training scenario that loosely replicates real world conditions that will build the strike group’s warfare skills Seaman Devin Brooks pays close attention to his navigational displays while on watch as the helmsman, as USS Nimitz (CVN while also maintaining unit 68) makes its way through the Puget Sound. (Photo by MC3 Derek W. Volland) proficiencies. Every Sailor aboard Nimitz will play an important Sailors and their families to prepare for this evolution.” role in the evolutions.

COMPTUEX involves exercises that simulate surface and After successful completion of COMPTUEX, CSG 11 will sub-surface threats, mines, small boat attacks and transiting move on to a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), which is the straits in hostile waters. strike group’s final exam prior to being certified for overseas Assessors from Commander, Strike Force Training Forces deployment.

Pacific (CSFTP) will observe and evaluate CSG 11’s performance “COMPTUEX/JTFEX caps an extremely busy period for the and mentor strike group staff and leaders. ship and its crew. Every Sailor aboard has worked very hard this Carrier Strike Group 11 includes Nimitz, Carrier Air Wing year, and this underway will showcase just how ready each and (CVW) 11, guided-missile destroyers USS Higgins (DDG every member of this outstanding strike group is to conduct our 76), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106), USS nation’s business,” said Rear Adm. Pete Gumataotao, commander William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), and guided-missile cruiser of CSG 11. “I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of all CSG 11 USS Princeton (CG 59).

1800 United States concludes Treaty of Peace with France, ending Quasi War with France.

1944 USS Nautilus (SS 168) lands supplies and evacuates people from Panay, Philippine Islands.

1946 U.S. government announces Navy units would be permanently stationed in the Mediterranean to carry out American policy and diplomacy.

1954 Commissioning at Groton, Conn., of USS Nautilus (SSN 571), the world's first nuclear powered ship.

1958 Marines leave Lebanon.

1959 Last flight of airships assigned to the Naval Air Reserve at lakehurst, N.J., takes place.

1968 USS Jersey (BB 62) arrives off Vietnam.

Page 3

September 30, 2012

Honoring The Lost Story by MCSR Phillip Ladouceur

Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Justin Alfonso speaks during the POW/MIA memorial luncheon aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Photo MC2 (SW) Robert Winn

T

he First Class Petty Officer’s Mess (FCPOM) held a ceremony Sept. 21, as part of National Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

POW/MIA recognition day is a day of observance for Americans to remember and honor prisoners of war and service members who remain missing.

The guest speaker, Chief Aviation Ordinanceman (retired) George Lawson, director of sales and communications at Patton Publishing, has two POWs in his family tree, one who fought in the Civil War, and an uncle who was captured by the German Army during World War II. He spoke about their experiences, and the experiences of other POWs he has met.

“What can you say when you meet a POW,” asked Lawson.

“Believe it or not, just saying ‘thank you’ is more than you can imagine. That, in itself, will go farther than you know.”

Lawson is grateful not just to POWs, but to all service members.

“POWs are my heroes,” he said. “But to be perfectly honest, all of you that are here today are my heroes.”

A flag shadowbox was presented to Lawson on behalf of FCPOM. Lawson presented Captain Jeff S. Ruth, Nimitz commanding officer (CO), and CMDCM Teri M. McIntyre, the command

master chief (CMC) each with a copy of Portraits of Service, a book of interviews with veterans.

“I was really surprised he had a presentation for the CO and the CMC,” said Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Jay Cash, president of FCPOM. “In all actuality I'm blown away with the entire event.”

Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Justin Alfonso gave a speech explaining the significance the items placed on the POW/MIA table.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the POW/MIA remembrance ceremony,” said Alfonso. “People know what the table is, but they usually don’t know the symbolism. When they walk by that table now, they’ll have a deeper understanding of why we keep the table set for our missing comrades.”

After the ceremony concluded, members of the FCPOM served food to those attending.

Seaman Recruit Michael Sofield enjoyed the ceremony and the speakers.

“It hit my heart because you get to find out how much the Navy means to you and how much it means to the people before you,” he said.

The ceremony was held on the aft mess decks and was attended by approximately 100 personnel.

Page 4

September 30, 2012

Congratulations Nimitz' New Chiefs Story and photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes

Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/EXW) Seng Dara receives his anchors from his daughters during the Chief Petty Officer pinning ceremony September 14.

The Navy chief, a position and title awarded to the technically proficient, the proven leaders, and the most experienced of Sailors.

Thirty-four chief petty officer (CPO) selects from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) donned the khaki uniform of a Navy chief for the first time in preparation to receive their gold anchors and combination covers during the pinning ceremony held in the gymnasium of Naval Station Everett Friday.

Following the multi-week induction process, the ceremony marks a long awaited achievement and the beginning of a new chapter in the careers of the newly pinned CPOs. “This past week has been a rollercoaster,” said Chief Culinary Specialist (SW/AW) Anthony Hooper, who was pinned during the ceremony. “It’s been very exciting. Monday morning I start a whole new part of my career.”

“It’s the end of one journey and the beginning of another,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) (AW/SW) Rhoan Brown.

The ceremony incorporated many time-honored traditions such as the reading of the “CPO Creed”, the presentation of the combination cover and the pinning of the gold fouled anchors.

“Your entire way of life has now changed,” read Master Chief Hull Technician (SW/AW) David Conduff as he recited the CPO Creed. “More will be expected of you, more will be demanded of you. Not because you are an E-7 but because you are now a chief petty officer.”

“This ceremony marks a historic point in the career of these new chiefs,” said CMDCM (SW/AW) Terri McIntyre, Nimitz’ command master chief. “They will be able to look back on this day with pride and remember ‘This was the day I became a Navy chief.’”

The 33 newly inducted chiefs are as follows: Chief Legalman (SW/SS) Leonard Aguilar, Chief Logistics Specialist (SW)

Mervin Arbiola, Chief Aviation Ordnanceman (AW/SW) Henry Basiliere, Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW) Alexander Bilibin, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) (AW/SW) Rhoan Brown, Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician (AW/SW) Herbert Calilung, Chief Cryptological Technician (Collection) (SW/IDW) Sherita Collins, Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/EXW) Seng Dara, Chief Air-Traffic Controller (AW/SW) Brian Gardiner, Chief Electrician’s Mate (SW/AW) Andrew Golembewski, Chief Culinary Specialist (SW/AW) Anthony Hooper, Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician (AW/SW) Augustine Ilomuanya, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) (AW) Joseph V. Inge, Chief Information Systems Technician (IDW/SW/AW) Gregory Johnson, Chief Yeoman (AW) Michael Johnson, Chief Cryptological Technician (Technical) (SW/IDW) Charles Leigh, Chief Electrician’s Mate (SW/AW) Derrick Lewis, Chief Damage Controlman (SW/ AW) Scott Loehndorf, Chief Operations Specialist (SW/AW) Travis Lovegrove, Operations Specialist (SW/AW) Kellen McKinney-Forbes, Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/ AW) Joshua Murphy, Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW) Jonna Obermiller, Chief Cryptological Technician (Technical) (SW/IDW) Brian O’Donnell, Chief Intelligence Specialist (SW/EXW) Aaron Poore, Chief Electrician’s Mate (SW/AW) Juan Pulido, Chief Culinary Specialist (SW/AW) Gerardo Reyes, Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SW/AW) Ronald Rivera, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) (AW/SW) Jason Slama, Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW/AW) Tracy Walker, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) (AW/SW) Terrone Wolliston, Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW/AW) Jerome Wrenchey, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) (AW/SW) Richard Zabaljauregui, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) (AW/SW) Enrique Talavera and Chief Aviation Ordnanceman (AW/SW) Keith Villanueva.

Page 5

September 30, 2012

STOCKED For SUCCESS Story and photos by MCSN Vanessa David

andby photos StoryStory and photos MC3MC3 Devin Wray Devin Wray

by

Story and photos by MCSN Vanessa David

The driver of a forklift honks his horn as he moves a crate through the hangar bay. Below decks, a loud rumble can be heard as a palette jack rolls across the rough surface of non-skid on the hangar deck. For the past month, more than 1,000 palettes of materials have passed through the hangar bay on board the

aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in preparation for its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMTUEX).

“We have 17 personnel moving all of this,” said Logistics Specialist 1st Class Andrew Grace, shipping and receiving division’s (S8) assistant leading petty officer, motioning toward the mounds of boxes being Page 6

stacked across hangar bay three. “Normally we have 43 personnel, but most of them are [temporary assigned duty].”

While half manned, this small crew has been working through this in-port period to make sure the crew has what it needs to get the job done at sea.

S-8 was able to supply

September 30, 2012

the crew with materials to complete maintenance and upkeep these last few weeks while miraculously working around the resurfacing of hangar deck three, where the department primarily distributes supplies from. The resurfacing also required them to empty the hangar of the mountain of supplies that filled the back of the ship.

“The mountain had to be cleared out,” said Logistics Specialist Seaman Luke Johnson, S-8’s custodian.

“Some of it was on the flight deck and some was in hangar bay two. We spent two days rebuilding it when the non-skid was done.”

During this time, most of the crew had been released

early in the day to take care of personal matters or spend time with families before going back underway.

Meanwhile, S-8 worked hard to restock everything from aircraft parts to the ink used to print these words.

“Everything that the ship used during (Rim of the Pacific), we’ve had to replace,” said Johnson.

Grace said that his department worked anywhere from 6:30 in the morning to 8:00 at night to fill it’s required stores of stock.

“We make sure the ship is always ready, and supply never ends,” said Grace.

The job really doesn’t end. Grace said the ship’s cooks even deliver food to the department to ensure

they are properly fed when working late hours.

While on-loading thousands of materials, organizing the offload of old parts and even bringing on 26 personally owned vehicles, S-8 underwent a Supply Management Assessment (SMA) in port and is currently preparing for a Supply Material Inspection set for November.

When passing hangar bay three, one can get a glimpse of the hard work S-8 has put out. So the next time you enjoy a snack from the ship’s store or find a full roll of toilet paper, you’ll know to thank the handful of men and women that made sure it got on board.

Members of Nimitz’ Shipping and Receiving (S-8) Department pose for a group photo in their work center aboard the ship.

Page 7

September 30, 2012

Cure All

The

The Health Services Department (HSD) on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) began a Physical Health Assessment (PHA) of the crew while administering annual flu vaccinations Tuesday prior to Nimitz’ current underway period.

HSD worked long hours in order to ensure that all processed personnel were brought up to date in the system.

They made certain that the crew had current yellow fever immunizations, checked the results of the past HIV

for it

test, drew blood when necessary, dealt purified protein derivative (PPD) shots, and upheld all medical standards expected of a Sailor who is fit for duty.

“That was the largest amount of shots I’ve given out at any one time,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Petty Officer Brent Hammond. “It was intense.”

During the past week, a line could be seen starting in medical and continuing into the aft mess decks.

“The most challenging part of

Page 8

Story and photos by MCSN Vanessa David

this evolution was trying to maintain an orderly flow of personnel,” said Chief Hospital Corpsman Jonathan Dilbeck, Medical Division’s leading chief petty officer. “Thursday was supposed to be the last scheduled day, but we’ll continue until we’re done.”

Stragglers who serve a temporarily assigned duty or were on leave will be able to finish their PHA during their annual birth month recall checkup.

“We got the majority of the crew

September 30, 2012

taken care of during this ongoing evolution, and that makes us above fleet standards for the time being,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Morris, the ship’s nurse. “This being said, there is still more to come.”

Starting next month, Nimitz personnel are slated to receive anthrax and small pox inoculations as the crew of Nimitz prepares for a n upcoming deployment.

As Nimitz’ HSD takes pride in their work, they will continue to ensure the overall wellness of the crew.

Seaman Katie Mason, a striker for the Hospital Corpsman rate, administers the flu vaccine to Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Luis PerezSchelmetty on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Sept. 27.

Page 9

September 30, 2012

WALK on the

W

Page 10

i

LD

SIDE

September 30, 2012

Photos by MC3 Ryan Mayes

M

ost Sailors, when asked, will tell you a large part of why they joined was for the travel opportunities.

Some opportunities aren’t as exotic as the Philippines or Hong Kong. However, many domestic ports still offer a wide variety of recreation to be enjoyed.

San Diego, a common port for the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), boasts one of the best Zoos in the world. With the added bonus of free admission for active duty military, The San Diego Zoo tops the list of places to visit while on liberty.

Just a short cab ride from Naval Air Station North Island, the zoo will be sure to offer you a top notch experience with up-close and personal encounters of many wildlife species.

Take as long as you like as you move from one exhibit to the next, but remember there is much to be seen. However, watch your step. They seem to allow some of their feathered friends to wander freely.

For more information and park hours visit www.sandiegozoo.org.

Page 11

September 30, 2012

Page 12

September 30, 2012

Page 13

September 30, 2012 PAGE 32 J

•STA

F3HIJKLM

R S

A N D

ST

R I P E S

•

Sunday, July 29, 2012

OLYMPICS Gymnastics

Soccer

US men in first following qualifying

American women roll past Colombia

BY NANCY A RMOUR

BY JOSEPH WHITE

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

LONDON — The Americans have insisted for months they can contend for the Olympic title in men’s gymnastics.

Another night like this, and they won’t need to say a word.

The color of their medals will do all the talking for them.

While perennial gymnastics powerhouses China and Japan bobbled and wobbled their way through qualifying Saturday, the Americans proved they’ve got the big skills to back up their big hopes. They didn’t count a single fall, and their final score of 275.342 is almost three points ahead of surprising Britain.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make it finish like that,” team captain Jonathan Horton said. “I was actually joking ... earlier, ‘Can we just get the medals now?’ But we’ve got one more day to go, and we’re pumped about it.”

The team final is Monday.

Since 2000, when scoring began starting anew in the final, only one first-day winner has failed to finish atop the podium.

Japan, the heavy favorite coming into the meet, is third (270.503) after several uncharacteristic errors by three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura. Defending Olympic champion China, which also has won the last five world titles, is fourth (269.985) after its splat-filled day.

“We studied a lot about the American team already,” said Japanese coach Yasunori Tachibana, who sent a scouting party to last month’s Olympic trials. “So we knew it was going to be pretty tough.”

Germany and Russia compete later Saturday.

Unlike qualifying, when teams get to drop their lowest score, there will be no margin of error in Monday’s final. Teams compete three gymnasts on each event, and all three scores count.

Botch one routine, and it could be the difference between going home with a gold medal or just a souvenir T-shirt.

But the Americans believe they’re actually better built for that high-risk, high-reward formula, and this performance will only fuel their confidence that they can join Bart Conner and his Golden Gang of ’84 as the only U.S. teams to win the Olympic title.

Danell Leyva and John Orozco posted the highest individual scores, and the team had the highest total on floor exercise and high bar. They had only three falls the entire day, and counted only four scores below 15.

GLASGOW, Scotland — Megan Rapinoe celebrated her goal by reaching into her sock and pulling out a birthday note for an injured teammate, part of a dominant and somewhat feisty performance that kept the U.S. women’s football team unbeaten after two games at the Olympics.

The Americans moved closer to the quarterfinals Saturday with a 3-0 win over Colombia, peppering the opponent’s net from the opening whistle of a physical game.

There was no early letdown — as there had been three days earlier in the come-from-behind win over France — and the only surprise was that such a one-sided match didn’t yield a more lopsided score.

Abby Wambach finally broke the game open with a goal in the 74th minute, making her the Americans’ all-time leading scorer in Olympic play. Carli Lloyd, back in the starting lineup after an injury to Shannon Boxx, scored in the 77th.

Rapinoe’s goal came in the 33rd, a play set up when Alex Morgan intercepted a pass near the Colombia box. Morgan passed to Rapinoe, whose curling 20yarder sailed over goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda’s outstretched hand. Rapinoe then reached into her sock and retrieved a note wishing a happy birthday to Ali Krieger, the U.S. defender who is missing these Olympics after blowing out her knee during a qualifying match.

Krieger turned 28 Saturday and is sorely missed, but the Americans are so deep that there’s always someone else seemingly ready to step in and do an effective job. Boxx injured her right hamstring in the 4-2 win over France, but veteran Lloyd — who led the team in minutes at last year’s World Cup — started in Boxx’s place and scored for the second time in two games.

The win all but assured a berth in the quarterfinals for the Americans, France is in second place in Group G ahead of North Korea on goal difference with three points.

The U.S. has one group game remaining against North Korea in Manchester on Tuesday.

Colombia is ranked No. 28 in the world and has nine players on U.S. college teams, but South American national squads generally play a light international schedule that gives them little chance to develop any cohesion.

The Colombians threatened goalkeeper Hope Solo’s net a few times, but they remain scoreless all-time in five matches in the top women’s football tournaments —

ERIC G AY/AP

The United States’ Candace Parker, right, is grabed from behind by Croatia’s Jelena Ivezic during the second half of a preliminary game at the Olympics in London. The U.S won the game 81-56.

Basketball

US women overcome sloppy play, win opener

BY DOUG FEINBERG The Associated Press

LONDON — Tina Charles and Candace Parker each had double-doubles and Angel McCoughtry provided a spark off the bench to help the U.S. women’s team overcome a sloppy performance Saturday to beat Croatia 81-56 in their Olympic opener.

Coach Geno Auriemma had said he was hoping that the Americans could play a style of basketball that would be entertaining and help grow the women’s game internationally. That didn’t happen Saturday.

The U.S. struggled for the first three quarters before pulling away to win their 34th consecutive Olympic contest.

The victory was far different than the 54-point pounding the Americans gave Croatia a week earlier.

Despite missing its first 14 shots, Croatia hung tough for the first 30 minutes before the Americans finally could pull away.

The U.S., which has dominated its opponents en route to the past four gold medals, only led 53-49 early in the fourth quarter before a 16-0 run put the game out of reach.

McCoughtry started the burst with consecutive layups, and Tamika Catchings capped it with a three-point play that made it 69-49. Swin Cash, who hadn’t played in the first few quarters, also had a three-point play in the spurt.

McCoughtry finished with 13 points. Charles had 14 points and 10 rebounds; Parker finished with 11 points and 13 boards.

Jelena Ivezic scored 22 points and Marija Vrsaljko added 19 for Croatia, which was making its Olympic debut. Vrsaljko missed the previous contest last Saturday as she was getting married. While the Ameri-

cans had their way on offense in that contest, they struggled Saturday.

The U.S. built a 9-0 lead early on as Croatia missed its first 14 shots. The Americans could have been up a lot more, but missed a lot of easy shots and turned the ball over. The U.S. finished with 21 turnovers.

Vrsaljko finally got the Croatians on the board with a lay-in with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter. The U.S. built its lead to 21-9 and looked poised to take command early before going cold from the floor.

Croatia scored the next 14 points, capped by Luca Ivankovic’s lay-in that gave the team it’s first lead of the game, 23-21. Ivezic’s three-pointer minutes later made it 26-23.

Diana Taurasi had seen enough, hitting consecutive threes to restore the Americans’ advantage.

The U.S. led 31-28 at the half.

It was the second consecutive Olympics the Americans struggled in their opener. They trailed the Czech Republic 13-2 before winning by 40 at the Beijing Games.

The U.S. men’s basketball team, who are also heavy favorites to win the gold, didn’t make the women’s opener. They had practice at the same time. The two teams marched together in the opening ceremonies, and are staying in the same hotel Next up for the U.S. is Angola, which lost to Turkey 72-50 in its Olympic debut. The Americans will also face China, Turkey and the Czech Republic in pool play. The U.S. beat the Czechs in the finals of the 2010 world championship to qualify for the London Games.

The Czech Republic lost its pool opener, falling to China 66-57. In other early games Saturday, Russia rallied past Canada 58-53. Brazil played France and Australia met Britain later Saturday night.

Page 14

September 30, 2012

Sports 4 All Sorts

TV LINEUP

A Sports Commentary by Senior Chief Horatio "Tiny" McDaniels

The first three weeks of NFL football season have been painful to watch with the officiating of the replacement referees. Bad calls, no calls or just plain stupidity, it has affected the game negatively. A deal was quickly put in place after a controversial national televised Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. A final desperation play in which fell into the hands of both teams, came down to referees making the call in the game’s final seconds giving the Seahawks the win. Fans of all sorts had something to say about the bad call including our beloved President Barack Obama.

By late Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the regular officials agreed to increase the ref’s salaries from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.

The crowd gave the crew that worked the “Thursday Night Football” game featuring the Cleveland Browns versus the Baltimore Ravens a standing ovation.

“We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week’s games,” NFL Referees Association president Scott Green said.

The players are just as happy with the change.

“Never thought I would be excited for the refs to come back to work but it’s about time it was definitely necessary!” Cleveland return specialist Josh Cribbs tweeted Thursday morning.

No doubt the players and coaches will feel that their workplace is safer with the return of professional referees.

Replacements have been used both to play and officiate NFL games before. In 1987, the players went on strike, and three games were played with replacement players. In 2001, the first week of the regular season was officiated by replacements before a deal was worked out.

Something that should be noted, the replacements 11 years ago generally came from the highest levels of college football. These officials were from lower college divisions or other leagues such as Arena Football.

This Sunday it will be nice to watch the games knowing that the right calls will be made.

5-8MM Movies 6-8MM Movies 7-8MM Movies 8-Roller 9-DVD Training 10-Flight Deck 13-ESPN 14-A&E 15-History 16-NFL 18-CBS 19-National Geo 20-TBS 21-AMC 22-NBC 23-Comedy Central 24-Fox 25-Discovery 29-DVD Movies

All Request Sundays!

5062

On the Cover:

A high dynamic range photo captures the sunset from the bow of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while docked in it’s homeport of Everett, Wash.

(Photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes)

Page 15