Oct. 14, 2012 Vol. 37, No. 32

October 14, 2012

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Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Karin BurzynskiMedia Division OfficerLt. Jason Scarborough

Media LCPOMCC Mike Jones

Media Production ChiefMCC Gregory Roberts

EditorMC2 Benjamin Crossley

Lead DesignerMC3 Renee L. Candelario

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.

Commanding OfficerCapt. Jeff S. RuthExecutive Officer

Capt. Buzz DonnellyCommand Master Chief

Master Chief Teri M. McIntyre

Media DepartmentMC2 Michael Cole

MC2 Jacquelyn ChildsMC2 Ashley BerumenMC2 Nathan Gomez

MC2 Vladimir PotapenkoMC2 Thomas Siniff

MC2 Nichelle WhitfieldMC2 Robert Winn

MC2 Glenn SlaughterMC3 Ryan Mayes

MC3 Ian CotterMC3 Andrew Jandik

MC3 Shayne JohnsonMC3 Jacob MilnerMC3 Devin Wray

MC3 Christopher BartlettMC3 Alexander Ventura II

MC3 Derek VollandMC3 Linda Swearingen

MC3 Carla OcampoMC3 David HooperMC3 Raul MorenoMCSN Jess Lewis

MCSN Billy CousinsMCSA Vanessa DavidMCSA George Penney

MCSR Phillip Ladouceur

One of the silliest proverbs in our culture is “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.” Physically, of course, words can’t directly harm us, however, emotionally they hurt us very much. Words mean things. They strike at the very core of our being, and they do far more damage than many people realize

In a fit of rage, an angry spouse lashing out at her husband with the words, “Why did I ever marry you!” can kill a relationship. In frustration, a parent can emotionally crush a child by blurting out the words, “I wish you had never been born.” Even the calmly spoken words “I don’t love you anymore,” can cause terrible grief. Yes, what we say impacts those around us. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can break our hearts.

In the Old Testament we learn that this issue is dealt with very directly in the Ten Commandments where it is written, “You shall not bear false witness.” This commandment has to do with the power of words. When we are falsely accused of something or when our reputations are ruined because of a lie, our whole world is turned upside down. One commandment protects life, another protects marriage, and still another protects property, however this particular commandment protects our reputations from a multitude of different verbal attacks

When harsh words are used on another human, there are consequences. The same is true of gossiping. Probably all of us have had the experience of walking in on a conversation

between two of our friends and heard them speaking unkindly of us. How’d that make you feel? Whenever it’s happened to me, I’ve felt terrible – even sick to my stomach. That’s how powerful words are.

Gossiping is a very easy trap to fall into as well, so we need to be ever vigilant to avoid it. As the old Navy saying goes, “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” Of course that saying dealt with things such as troop movement and ship schedules, but it also applies to our every day lives in the area of friendSHIPS and relationSHIPS. A conversation can start out on a strictly informational level, but easy slide into speaking poorly of the subject being discussed. Then there are those times when we actually think we’re helping our shipmate by telling them all they do wrong. Do you like that when it happens to you? Neither do I. SO STOP SINKING SHIPS!

In the book of James we read, “the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person.” This is simply saying that not only do we sink other people through poor speech, we also sink ourselves with the smallest of words. Therefore, let’s work on not going negative. Let’s work on staying positive and using constructive criticism instead of destroying others with our tongues.

I guess mom was right after all when she said, “if you can’t say something positive about another person – don’t say anything at all.”

Loose Lips Sink ShipsStory by Lt. Cmdr. Richard A. Townes Jr., CHC, USN

Sailors aboard Nimitz participate in a "push-back" of an F/A-18C of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323. (Photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes)

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A San José, Calif., native, now a Sailor on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), was nominated as the Sailor of the Day, Oct. 13.

For her outstanding performance as Petty Officer of the Watch during the recent Commander, Naval Air Forces change of command ceremony held on board Nimitz, Seaman Janet M. Ventura was selected for Sailor of the Day. Her attention to detail and complete grasp of naval honors, ceremonies and customs produced outstanding results during the arrival and departure of more than 40 high-ranking naval officials and dignitaries. Additionally, her performance as Deck supervisor for First division during two recent zone inspections produced outstanding results in eight divisional spaces. Her supervision of four deck seamen in preparation of the zone inspections concluded with no material deficiencies to be found in her assigned spaces.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Ventura. “I can name a list of people who worked harder than me and are more qualified than I am.”

Ventura joined the Navy Aug. 2, 2011 to gain experience, find out what she wants to do, and do something that she can be proud of for the rest of her life.

While on liberty, she talks to family and spends time with

people she cares for most.Because most of her hours on board are spent preserving

the ship, standing watch or steering the ship, she uses free time underway to study for the Quartermaster rate, relax or get some quality sleep.

“Stay motivated, determined and show some initiative,” Ventura said. “Take charge and always do the right thing, whether someone is looking or not. Most of all, take pride in what you do, even if it feels like the easiest and smallest task.”

1918

19201962

Naval aviators of Marine Day Squadron 9 make the first raid-in-force for the Northern Bombing Group in World War I, when they bombed a German railroad at Thielt Rivy, Belgium. The obsollete battleship Indiana (BB1) is sunk in Tangier Sound, in the Chesapeake Bay. A U.S. reconnaissance plane photographs a Soviet nuclear missile site under construction at San Cristobal, 100 miles west of Havana.

Sailor of the Day: Take Pride in What You Do

Story and Photos by MCSN Vanessa David

Seaman Janet Ventura, Sailor of the Day for Oct. 13, receives a certificate from Capt. Jeffrey S. Ruth, Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Seaman Janet Ventura, Sailor of the Day for Oct. 13, enjoys a day at sea looking through the ship's "big eyes."

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Thank you for your question in the CO's suggestion box concerning POM leave periods. The ship is offering three leave periods, including the first period that encompasses Thanksgiving, because we have that opportunity.

It offers a chance for those who prefer to go home for Thanksgiving to do so however no one will be made to take the first leave period if they do not want it.

You are actually not the first to bring this question up and I think that there is a misunderstanding that by having three leave periods, we are not providing personnel with the opportunity to take as much leave. The idea that if the ship only had two leave periods everyone would get more leave is not correct. The fact of the matter is that the Thanksgiving period has no affect on the amount of time available for the other two periods. Each leave period (with the exception of the first period, which is 15 days) offers the opportunity for personnel to take 14 days of leave. Due both to the dates of Christmas and New Year's Day, as well as our requirement to have all crew aboard prior to deployment load board, 14 days is the maximum number of leave days that can be afforded regardless of whether the ship has two or three POM leave periods. In fact the many Sailors who have told me they are taking the Thanksgiving leave period will make it easier for departments to manage their requirements to man the duty sections and accomplish any work that needs to get done, making it more likely that individual Sailors will get their first choice of the other two leave periods.

Departments have wide discretion for offering opportunity for leave within the three leave periods and can prioritize crew opportunity on qualification progress, watch and maintenance requirements, seniority, and leave already used over the past year, among other things. While every person may not get there first choice for a leave period, three periods give the overall crew great flexibility in taking advantage of pre-deployment leave to ensure that they are focused and ready for deployment.

Thank you for your suggestion.

R/CAPT Ruth

FROM the

BRIDGE

DARPA Visits Nimitz Story by MCSN Vanessa David

Sixteen members and associates of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) visited the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Oct. 12 in order to get a first-hand look at how a military warship operates.

The distinguished visitor program on the ship allows people from outside the military to experience the Navy life at sea.

Although their visit was very short, the distinguished visitors had an impact on the crew of Nimitz.

“It’s not every day that we get to talk to someone who is interested in what we do,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Koren Forland. “They were very attentive and asked a lot of questions about the Ouija board and how ship life compares to the civilian sector. We go through it like it’s an everyday thing and it doesn’t feel that important, but to them it was pretty exciting. It made our job feel that much more important.”

According to their website, DARPA’s mission is not only to prevent strategic surprise from jeopardizing U.S. national security, but also to make sure that the U.S. military is advanced through constant sophistication of its technology.

“DARPA works with anything from medical, all the way to outer space,” said José Negron, retired Air Force colonel and military consultant for DARPA. “You name it; we’re involved with it.”

Since these latest distinguished visitors walked up the brow, they have liked what they’ve seen.

“I think that this ship is probably the most technologically impressive thing that I’ve seen,” said Rich Bagnell, a DARPA program manager. “Even thought the ship is 37 years old, it’s still a marvelous feat in technology. The crew is extremely professional. Though I’m not surprised about that, it’s still an honor to observe this ship’s company.”

With the opportunity to see how Nimitz implements some of the technology their agency helped launch, it gives some of the program engineers a real perspective of how they could apply new ideas.

“I’ve never been on a ship this big, and I see it as an incredible opportunity,” said Dick Ridgway, a DARPA programs engineer. “We often visit shore commands, and they mainly show us the labs and conference rooms. It’s not quite like being on a ship at sea where you get to observe how the service members live and operate."

Members from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency visit with Sailors on Nimitz' flight deck. (Photo by MCSN Jess Lewis)

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Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Brandon Bruno cuts a roll of packing foil in the Document Control Unit aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). (Photo by MC3 Devin Wray)

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) 3rd Class Payton Murrieta fuels a plane during flight operations aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes.

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Sailors aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) celebrated the Navy’s 237th birthday with a dinner and cake-cutting ceremony on the ship’s mess decks Oct. 13.

Oct. 13 marks the day that the Second Continental Congress authorized the purchase of two vessels, each manned with crews of 80. These ships were tasked with intercepting British merchant ships carrying ammunitions and supplies to the British army in America.

The Navy’s birthday not only serves as a time of reflection but to recognize Sailors, both past and present.

The ceremony included a special meal prepared by the ship culinary specialists and concluded with a Naval tradition of having both the oldest and youngest Sailor aboard cut the birthday cake.

“We prepared a meal you don’t see every day,” said Culinary Specialist Seaman Courtlin Rogers. “You don’t see crab legs, shrimp, and steak everyday. The crew looks a lot happier when they see meals like this prepared.”

Celebrating the Navy’s birthday also served as a learning opportunity for junior Sailors.

Rear Adm. Pete Gumataotao, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, quizzed the crew on Naval history and gave a speech during the ceremony highlighting the Navy’s 237 years of professionalism.

“Remember that you are all here as patriots of

our country, and that to me, is why I have so much respect for every one of you,” said Gumataotao. “You are here to defend with honor, courage, and commitment. Remember shipmates, that you are The United States Navy.”

For 237 years, the Navy has been passing down traditions, from its uniforms to its Sailors’ passion and honor in serving their country. The Navy’s birthday symbolizes the growth of an organization rich in history and customs that will only continue with those who wear the uniform today.

“You, right now, are making history,” said Gumataotao.

Sailors participate in a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating the Navy's 237th birthday.

Rear Adm. Pete Gumataotao , commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, speaks to Nimitz' crew highlighting

the Navy's 237 years of professionalism.

Nimitz Celebrates 237 Years of Professionalism Story and photos by MC3 Raul Moreno

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Sailors of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) practice maneuvers in the rain during a force protection exercise (FPX) which incorporated realistic training scenarios and special effects.

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Christopher Struss calls out directions during a force protection exercise.

A member of the emergency response team stabilizes a patient during a force protection exercise.

F Porce rotection

October 12, 2000 the port of Aden, Yemen. 11 a.m.

With what was supposed to be a routine stop for fuel, the USS Cole (DDG 67) was about to become part of naval history. The small boat attack that left a 40 foot by 40 foot gash in the hull of the ship claimed the lives of 17 Sailors and injured 39 more. This would forever change the Navy’s force protection practices and training.

Almost 12 years later to the date, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), along with the ships of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, are conducting force protection exercises (FPX) that include similar scenarios built around the terrorist attack on Cole. The lessons learned from that day have transformed how naval security forces prepare and respond to threats while at home and abroad.

“It was clear to me that the responding forces have been practicing their tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Rear Adm. Peter Gumataotao, commander CSG 11. “They did a great job at synchronizing their movements and this illustrates how everything we do now needs to take advantage of the

integrated force. As the ship moves into the composite training unit exercise, everything is about integration. It’s no longer about one single ship or unit.”

In an all-day training event administered by Third Fleet, the forces of CSG 11 responded to multiple scenarios including unauthorized surveillance, rioting crowds, personnel-born improvised explosive devices (IED), small boat attacks and vehicle born IEDs. The FPX is part of a pre-deployment certification that every ship undergoes as it prepares for overseas operations. This particular exercise was modeled after a 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

“This was a fully integrated training effort,” said Cmdr. Steven Richards, anti-terrorism force protection officer of CSG 11. “We were tasked to analyze and respond to multiple threats on two different pier facilities with five of our ships. We went beyond what was required for our qualification and certifications.”

Realistic training environments are key to the success of the evolutions. Mentally drawing trainees into a scenario with accurate replication ensures they are

fully involved and creates a more natural response. Strategic Operations, a San Diego based company, provided the makeup artists, props, costumes and simulated explosives to create the hyper-realistic environment usually found in Hollywood.

“It was a phenomenal training evolution,” said Richards. “Even with many of the crew members playing the role of the opposing force, the realism was incredible. This event incorporated a response from not only the security forces but the medical team, damage control team and command and control departments, all of which played an important role.”

Even with the attack on USS Cole 12 years past, it is still a reminder to all Sailors of the importance of operational security. Avoiding complacency is essential to the safety of all military forces at home and overseas.

“We can never be complacent in our training,” said Gumataotao. “Our enemies understand us better than we may think so we must strive to expect the unexpected and be ready. We have to always be vigilant, that is a lesson written in blood.”

ALWAYS ALWAYS VIGILANT

VIGILANT Story and photos by MC3 Ryan Mayes

Sailors from Nimitz practice maneuvers during a force protection exercise (FPX) which incorporated realistic training scenarios and special effects.

During a force protection exercise (FPX), hospital corpsmen attached to Nimitz attend to a simulated victim during a mass casualty scenario.

A van near Nimitz simulates an attack during a force protection exercise (FPX) which incorporated realistic training scenarios and special effects.

W hen a medical emergency is called over the one main circuit (1MC) on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Sailors in the Emergency

Response Team (ERT) are the first to arrive on the scene.Nimitz ERT is comprised of two groups of corpsmen

that form the receiving team and the responding team. “The receiving team sets up the Battle Dressing Station

(BDS) for any medical casualties on board,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Desirae A. Montoya, a member of Nimitz’ ERT. “The responding team stabilizes the patient until they can be brought down to the BDS and set up the medical equipment that will be needed, such as IVs.”

The ERT has to be ready to respond any time of the day or night to a medical emergency. Even if a member of the ERT is sleeping or at chow they must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

“The purpose of calling a medical emergency is so the

corpsmen are assisted by the rest of the ERT and the medical response is integrated throughout the ship,” said Montoya.

During a medical emergency, Nimitz’ Weapons Department mans up the elevators and makes sure the passageways in route to the medical emergency are blocked off so the ERT responding can get to where they need to quickly and safely.

“We take the quickest and safest route to bring the patient to main medical under normal conditions,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF/SW) James J. Ruane, an independent duty corpsman (IDC) on board Nimitz. “For general quarters or a training exercise, DC Central will tell us where the nearest BDS is. There are six BDS’ on board Nimitz: the main station in medical, aft BDS, aft auxiliary, forward, forward auxiliary and the flight deck.”

All of the corpsmen on board Nimitz are trained thoroughly on how to be a part of the ERT. Each corpsman

Medical Emergency Medical Emergency !

Story and photos by MC3 Linda Swearingen

During a force protection exercise (FPX), hospital corpsmen attached to Nimitz attend to a simulated victim during a mass casualty scenario.

Members from Nimitz' Emergency Response Team enjoy a day at sea in the main battle dress station.

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Christopher R. Miguel dons a cranial before going onto the flight deck to check medical equipment readiness during a health services readiness inspection for emergency preparation.

completes a PQS before becoming a part of the team along with shadowing another corpsman to learn the procedures involved in responding to a medical emergency.

“The ERTs have had so much practice that when an actual casualty happens all of the corpsmen know where to go and what to do,” said Ruane.

The most crucial part of responding to a medical emergency is communication between the ERT, department duty officer and the main BDS.

Seconds count when responding to a medical emergency, said Hospital Corpsman 2nd (SW) Eduardo M. Bello. We need to coordinate to ensure we are ready when a patient arrives in the BDS so a doctor will be ready.

The members of Nimitz’ ERT work together to respond to emergencies on board and help keep Sailors alive and accomplishing the mission.

!During a force protection exercise (FPX), hospital corpsmen attached to Nimitz attend to a simulated victim during a mass casualty scenario.

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• S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Sunday, July 29, 2012PAGE 32 J F3HIJKLM

OLYMPICS

US menin firstfollowingqualifying

Gymnastics

BY NANCY ARMOUR

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 ... ear-lier, ‘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 com-ing into the meet, is third (270.503) after several uncharacteristic er-rors by three-time world cham-pion 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 tri-als. “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 com-pete 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 for-mula, 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 Oro-zco 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.

Americanwomenroll pastColombia

Soccer

BY JOSEPH WHITE

The Associated Press

GLASGOW, Scotland — MeganRapinoe celebrated her goal by reaching into her sock and pull-ing out a birthday note for aninjured teammate, part of a domi-nant and somewhat feisty perfor-mance that kept the U.S. women’sfootball team unbeaten after two games at the Olympics.

The Americans moved closer tothe quarterfinals Saturday with a 3-0 win over Colombia, pepperingthe opponent’s net from the open-ing whistle of a physical game.There was no early letdown — asthere had been three days ear-lier in the come-from-behind winover France — and the only sur-prise was that such a one-sidedmatch didn’t yield a more lopsid-ed score.

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

Rapinoe’s goal came in the33rd, a play set up when AlexMorgan intercepted a pass nearthe Colombia box. Morgan passedto Rapinoe, whose curling 20-yarder sailed over goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda’s outstretchedhand. Rapinoe then reached intoher sock and retrieved a note wishing a happy birthday to AliKrieger, the U.S. defender who is missing these Olympics afterblowing out her knee during a qualifying match.

Krieger turned 28 Satur-day and is sorely missed, butthe 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 winover France, but veteran Lloyd — who led the team in minutes atlast year’s World Cup — started in Boxx’s place and scored for thesecond time in two games.

The win all but assured a berthin the quarterfinals for the Amer-icans, France is in second place inGroup G ahead of North Korea ongoal difference with three points.

The U.S. has one group gameremaining against North Koreain Manchester on Tuesday.

Colombia is ranked No. 28 inthe world and has nine players on U.S. college teams, but SouthAmerican national squads gen-erally play a light international schedule that gives them littlechance to develop any cohesion.The Colombians threatenedgoalkeeper Hope Solo’s net a fewtimes, but they remain scoreless all-time in five matches in the topwomen’s football tournaments —

US women overcomesloppy 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. wom-en’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 basket-ball 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 Sat-urday 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 consecu-tive 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 open-ing ceremonies, and are staying in the same hotel

Next up for the U.S. is Angola, which lost to Tur-key 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 Lon-don 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.

Basketball

ERIC GAY/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.

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TV LINEUP5-8MM Movies6-8MM Movies7-8MM Movies8-Roller9-DVD Training10-Flight Deck11 - CNN 13-ESPN14-A&E15-History16-NFL18-CBS19-National Geo20-ABC21-AMC22-NBC23-Comedy Central24-Fox25-Discovery29-DVD Movies

All Request Sundays!

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Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Richard Stone acts as a safety observer on the flight deck of USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes.

On the Cover:

A Sports Commentary by Senior Chief Horatio "Tiny" McDaniels

Sports 4 All Sorts

St. Louis Cardinals will face the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS, while the New York Yankees will battle the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. These teams advanced from grueling five-game division series that all went to the very last inning. Now who has what it takes to get to the World Series?

The Cardinals are the reigning champions. They have showed true grit, proving not only to be winners but survivors at the game. Just when you think you can count them out, they prove you wrong. The Cardinals have won their last six elimination playoff games. Their last game the being their finest comeback ever.

Carlos Beltran had three hits and was on base five times in the crucial win for the Cardinals, who have now won six consecutive postseason elimination games and will be playing in their seventh NLCS since 2000.

Tonight, I was thinking about the way the Cardinals came back last year," Beltran said, "and here I am, and we're doing it again. This is a great feeling, being on this team. This is why I came here -- to win."

The Giants were just the World Series Champions two years ago and they are coming off of a close series against Cincinnati. Although maybe not as potent as they were two years ago, they have a mixture of experience and youth.

The Giants have a special player in catcher Buster Posey who came up big in game five hitting a soaring 434-foot grand slam that caromed off the scoreboard at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park.

“It was a weird feeling because I don’t think I’ve heard a place get that quiet. So it’s kind of weird running around the bases and you didn’t really hear a sound,” said Posey.

The Yankees, a team that has been in the playoff picture for as long as I remember, is back again. A roster filled with household names like Jeter, Ichiro and A-Rod to name a few.

Baseball’s highest paid player Alex Rodriguez has been struggling so much that he was benched. The benching came after he was pinch-hit for in each of the previous two games against Baltimore. Raul Ibanez batted for Rodriguez and hit a tying homer in the ninth inning Wednesday before adding a game-winning blast in the 12th for a 3-2 victory.

“I’m not happy and obviously disappointed,” Rodriguez said. “Want to be there in the worst way.”

The Detroit Tigers have a mixture of pure power at the plate and surgical precision on the mound. The Tigers feature Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Pitcher Justin Verlander is the AL MVP and the Cy Young award winner.

Detroit is appearing in the ALCS in consecutive years for the first time after falling to Texas last season.

“We don’t want to be satisfied,” general manager Dave Dombrowski said. “Now we’re there. But we’ve been there before. Now we want that next step. We want eight more wins.”

October embarks the best time in baseball, the playoffs. Who do you think will make the World Series?