NCAA wrestling, volleyball championships headed to Oklahoma City

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: June 25, 2010

The NCAA wrestling and volleyball championships are headed to Oklahoma City.

The University of Oklahoma announced Friday that it will host the 2014 wrestling championships at the Ford Center and the 2012 NCAA men's gymnastics championships at Lloyd Noble Center. OU also will host two regional championships over the next few years.

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Oklahoma City will host the 2014 NCAA Volleyball Championship at the Ford Center. The Big 12 Conference and the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association will combine to host that event.

Read more: http://www.newsok.com/ncaa-wrestling-volleyball-championships-headed-to-oklahoma-city/article/3471216?custom_click=pod_headline_ou-sports#ixzz0sLR7jkoy

Consol arena leaders worked 8 days a week to get McCartney

Friday, June 04, 2010

By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Money can't buy love, and it can't buy a Beatle.

Wooing Sir Paul McCartney as the opener for the Consol Energy Center on Aug. 18 required nearly a year's worth of begging and pleading, a trip to Puerto Rico to negotiate and even a tighter construction schedule for the new building.

Consol management on Thursday announced the opening concert at the new Uptown arena, expressing what we knew all along -- Mr. McCartney was its choice from the get-go.

History dictated that it be so. The Beatles played the most famous concert in Mellon Arena history 46 years ago, in 1964, and the former Beatle's last concert in Pittsburgh, at Mellon, was 20 years ago, due to his production on subsequent tours being too massive for the old arena's rigging.

Jay Roberts, general manager of SMG, which manages Consol Energy Center, said that in the early 2000s his boss came to him and said, "We have Paul McCartney. The only thing you have to do is figure out how to hang it."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10155/1063069-388.stm#ixzz0qqWYEiWf

44,000 Attend RibFest

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100612/NEWS/6120318/1001/news

Jay Kirschenmann • Argus Leader • June 12, 2010

Despite a few rain clouds, the music and food at the 13th annual Argus Leader RibFest held Thursday through Saturday last week drew more than 44,000 people, management company SMG reports.

Friday was the most attended day, with almost 15,000 people. Attendance was more than 8,000 on Thursday night and Sunday and about 13,000 on Saturday.

Taking home its eighth consecutive People's Choice Award was Desperado's BBQ of Ohio. The 2008 Critic's Choice Best Ribs winner, Porky 'N' Beans of Port St. Lucie, Fla., reclaimed its title this year.

Second place in the critic's choice voting went to Rasta Joe's of Plymouth, Ind., and third place went to the local crew from Famous Dave's of Sioux Falls.

Next year, the 14th annual Argus Leader RibFest is set for June 2-5.