Testing Grounds The latest industry being outsourced to India is clinical drug trials. And any number of tragic things can happen on the way to your medicine cabinet.
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
As part of the festivities for Jaguar Spirit Night on Friday at the Academy of the Holy Names, the school has two soccer matches, three basketball games and one parachute landing scheduled. Weather permitting, three parachutists from the Special Operations Command Parachute Team based at MacDill Air Force Base will drop from an airplane onto the soccer field at 5:20 p.m. After landing and clearing the field, the group will demonstrate how to pack the parachute. Admission, which is $2 per person, covers all sporting events (and parachute descent), along with food and drinks. It is free for AHN students, AHN employees and members of the AHN Dad's Club.
On the web: Dandy Dozen
Hoops fans, we've got you covered. Check out our picks for the top girls and boys teams in the bay area, then sound off at blogs.tampabay.com/preps/
Givens happy to be a Cowboy
Some of the country's top college baseball programs shied away from recruiting Mychal Givens because the Plant senior shortstop/right-handed pitcher projects to be a sure-fire first-round pick in June's MLB draft.
Every year's baseball draft includes its share of unpredictability. A player's fate isn't decided until his name is called and a pro contract signed.
In the end, Givens accepted one of his first offers, signing with Oklahoma State over Southern Cal, Arizona and North Carolina because it showed resilience and it would reunite him with a pair of old teammates.
Duke also expressed interest. Givens said his top school was Florida, but the Gators never made an offer.
"It was hard to think that a lot of schools didn't want to mess with me because of the draft," Givens said. "It was a downer and I was kind of upset about it, that if I wasn't in that position I'd be able to go to the No. 1 school I wanted to. But it's hard to say because you never know where you're going to end up in the draft."
Giles' favorites: South Carolina, Nebraska
Despite a recent effort by new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin to woo Gaither running back Jarvis Giles back into an oral commitment for the Vols, Giles said South Carolina and Nebraska are "neck and neck" as his favorites.
Giles returned from his official visit to Nebraska this weekend — he saw the Huskers' rivalry game with Colorado — impressed.
"The atmosphere in that stadium was outrageous," Giles said. "It was like the stands were shaking in there. When it comes to that I think Nebraska's got the edge. And Nebraska has a 96 percent graduation rate, so that's impressive, too."
Giles said he talked to Kiffin Sunday morning, a day before he was introduced as Tennessee's coach, and that he told him he saw his tape and said he was an "impressive back." But Giles maintained he's decommitted.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is planning a visit Thursday (he is also expected to visit Hillsborough running back Lindsey Lamar). Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has also pledged a visit this week.
"It's going to be a busy week," Giles said.
Compiled by staff writers Eduardo A. Encina and Keith Niebuhr.
[Last modified: Dec 02, 2008 11:43 PM]
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