Thanks to Robert Mugabe's unique approach to democracy and socioeconomic policy, the Zimbabwe national football team doesn't get a whole lot of action outside of Africa and Asia. The Warriors are about to get a lot less action, as the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has suspended 67 players following a match-fixing scandal.

The last time we saw Darren Oliver, he was blowing a save in the World Series for the Texas Rangers. The old wily veteran won't be returning to Texas. Instead, he has signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The contract also includes a team option for a second season.

The 41-year-old is still a very effective pitcher.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) earned one of the most prestigious awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Creighton senior forward, a consensus All-American who was the leading scorer for the NCAA College Cup semifinalist Blue Jays, was named the NSCAA men's Collegiate Scholar Athlete of the Year.

The 2011 College Cup invades Hoover, Alabama this weekend. (Photo via UNC Athletics)

Four schools remain in this year's NCAA men's soccer tournament. The College Cup has three schools that most expected to be here and one that no one saw coming. The tournament's top two seeds remain in UNC and Creighton while pre-season favorite UCLA the 13th seed and unseeded UNC Charlotte hope to spoil the fun.

"Your call is important to us... please hold."At the end of day there was no Arab Sultanate, no oil-rich Russian oligarch or even any American financiers. No, like a giant, wireless Voltron-like creature - Canada's two largest media giants, and bitter rivals, Rogers and Bell joined forces today to purchase 75% of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Woodbury natives Eric Miller and Brent Kallman hope to push Missouri Valley Conference Champion Creighton University one step past their #2 national ranking and #2 seed as the D1 Men's NCAA Tournament opens this weekend. The Blue Jays are 18-2-0 on the season turning in an astounding 16 clean sheets in 20 matches, national-best .

The Creighton Blue Jays are joined by the Bradley Braves today in receiving NCAA bids. The 48 team field was announced at 3:30 pm today via NCAA.com and includes the two Missouri Valley teams. Creighton received the overall #2 seed, behind North Carolina who won their Conference championship on Sunday over Boston College, who enter the tournament as the fourth seed.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

There's still a week to go until the brackets for the 2011 NCAA Tournament are revealed but several teams have already seen their postseason hopes extinguished.

Only four teams remain in the Big East Tournament as Connecticut, Louisville, St.

The District tournament will be held at Bolivar High School, with a play-in game on Saturday October 29th. The semifinal games are scheduled for October 31st followed by the Final on November 1st. The Bolivar Liberators are the 3 time defending champions, reaching the State Quarterfinals in 2010 where they lost to Marshall.

Catholic, 2010 District Champs (by Duane Moses)

The District tournament will be held at Cooper Sports Complex, hosted by the Greenwood Blue Jays. A play-in game on Saturday October 29th will be followed by the semifinal games scheduled for November 1st. The Final will be on November 2nd.

Creighton hopes to slow down Maryland. (Photo via Creighton Athletics Department)

In men's college soccer this weekend there is yet another big match that pits two of the top teams in the country against one another. A defensive powerhouse against an offensive juggernaut. For those who are keeping tabs of course I am talking about Maryland and Creighton's match tonight.

Canadian author James Grossi writes for The Blizzard and at his blog, Partially Obstructed View.

As MLS grows towards its twentieth club in the coming years there is a risk of losing the balanced schedule. Comments by Commissioner Don Garber intimated that perhaps such a pure form would have to be set aside in order to accommodate the expanded league.

Not too long ago, Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia and Jered Weaver were in a tight three-man race for the AL CY Young Award. But today, one man is out in front: Justin Verlander. The hurler for the Detroit Tigers won his 20th game on Saturday and now has complete control of the Cy Young race.

On the season, Justin Verlander is 20-5 with a 2.

Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers is proving to be one of the best free agent acquisitions in all of baseball. The Rangers are playing great, Beltre is smashing and his defense has been amazing. Unfortunately, we have to give you an Adrian Beltre injury update due to a pulled hamstring.

Beltre pulled his hamstring on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning.

Samantha Graham, McAuley Warriors (2011)

The Missouri Soccer Coaches Association poll of coaches has named their All-District Honors for Class 1 District 12, consisting of District Champions Springfield Catholic, District finalist McAuley Warriors and the Greenwood Blue Jays.

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Big game tonight, the Webster County derby will earn one program their first ever District title in Girls soccer.
The semifinal games were both won by a single goal. These two teams are meeting for the fourth time this season with Marshfield winning the first and third game, Logan-Rogersville winning at the Branson Tournament.

The Home District is 11 while Bolivar has been moved to District 12, which will be the source of the Sectional opponent. The Quarterfinal foe will come from District 9 or 10, Central Missouri area schools. The winner in District 11 will earn their first ever District title and includes 1st year program Republic and the 3rd year Wildcats and Bulldogs.

Not yet the final day of games despite the News-Leaders claims today. Top of the list? Mike Howard of the Rolla Bulldogs goes for his 600th career win tonight as the squad heads NE to visit the Union Wildcats, a Class 2 program. The next opportunity would come Tuesday in the District playoff game against Waynesville.

Emily Cline & Alix Opfer, Glendale Falcons, 2011 Mar

One regularly scheduled match and a pair of weather make-ups are on tonights calendar. The scheduled match is Kickapoo vs Glendale, the game that counts towards Conference rankings in their annual derby. Glendale is undefeated in Conference and a loss to Kickapoo would drop them to 8-1, sharing the title with Camdenton.

Last weekend of the regular season and Ozark has added a game to their schedule with tonight's game. The Moberly Spartans are a Top-10 Class 2 team that lost in the District Finals last year to Helias. This year that meeting will likely come in the Sectional game as #1 seeded Helias is in District 10 while Moberly is now in District 9.

Marshfield Blue Jays, Spring 2010

The Marshfield Blue Jays have been seeded first in the upcoming District 11 playoffs. The games will be played at Marshfield where the winner will have achieved their first ever District title.

Seed - School (Regular Season Record)
1 - Marshfield (16-5)
2 Logan-Rogersville (11-8)
3 - Carl Junction (10-5)
4 - Republic (3-11)
5 - Hillcrest (0-14)

May 14 @ 1:00 PM
#4 Republic
#5 Hillcrest

May 16 @ 4:30 PM
#1 Marshfield
#4 Republic / #5 Hillcrest winner

May 16 @ 4:30 PM
#2 Logan-Rogersville
#3 Carl Junction

A pair of games today including a local private school derby that includes Senior Night recognition for the Fightin' Irish.

4:00 pm at Hillcrest (Varsity 1st)
Hillcrest Hornets -
West Plains Zizzers -

6:00 pm at Catholic (Varsity only)
Catholic Fightin' Irish -
Greenwood Blue Jays -

Nine school days remain in the regular season. Some key COC games tonight (see below).

5:00 pm at Greenwood Stadium Field
Central Bulldogs -
Carl Junction Bulldogs -

5:00 pm at Osage
Marshall -
Osage Indians -

5:00 pm at Branson
Branson Pirates -
Mtn View-Liberty Eagles -

CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE
Nixa and Ozark are the remaining undefeated teams in the Large School Division and the Conference Title will likely be determined on Thursday when the Eagles host Ozark.

3:30 pm at Bolivar
Bolivar Liberators -
Greenwood Blue Jays

4:30 pm at Republic Autism Fundraiser, VARSITY 1st!
Republic Tigers -
Neosho Wildcats

5:00 pm at Carthage
Carthage Tigers -
Nixa Eagles

An eight team field, the games open today with first round games. There will be semifinal games Saturday morning followed by finals in the early afternoon. I'll be on hand for this evenings games and depending on the weather, may see more games tomorrow.

I wasn't provided the brackets but assuming they are based upon the times, Willard and Bolivar should meet in a semifinal tomorrow morning with the winner going to the Championship game.

The regular season comes to an end two weeks from today. District seeding may occur as early as next week.

4:00 pm at Hillcrest Varsity first
Hillcrest Hornets -
West Plains Zizzer

5:00 pm at Greenwood Varsity only
Greenwood Blue Jays -
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats

5:00 pm at Carthage A District 12 match
Carthage Tigers -
Central Bulldogs

5:00 pm at Marshfield A Class 2 District 11 match
Marshfield Wildcats -
Republic Tigers

5:00 pm at Neosho
Neosho Wildcats -
Glendale Falcons

OZARK CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs sit atop the Conference with an unblemished record (6-0).

4:30 pm at Republic Autism Game CANCELLED
Republic Tigers -
Neosho Wildcats -

4:30 at Logan-Rogersville
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats -
Bolivar Liberators -

5:00 pm at Marshfield HS
Marshfield Blue Jays -
Catholic Fightin' Irish -

5:00 pm at Ozark
Ozark Tigers -
Branson Pirates -

5:00 pm at Carthage
Carthage Tigers -
Nixa Eagles -

Post your cancellations and any changes here in the comments

4:30 pm at Carl Junction
Carl Junction Bulldogs -
Joplin Eagles

4:30 pm at Rogersville rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27.
Rogersville Wildcats –
Willard Tigers -

5:00 pm at Marshfield
Marshfield Blue Jays -
McAuley Warriors

5:00 pm at Catholic
Catholic Fightin' Irish -
Greenwood Blue Jays -

5:00 pm at Harrison AR
Branson Pirates -
Harrison AR

5:00 pm at Greenwood Stadium Field
Central Bulldogs -
Neosho Wildcats -

5:00 pm at West Plains CANCELED
West Plains vs Mt Home (AR) in previously rescheduled 5th place match

5:00 pm at Joplin
McAuley Warriors -
Greenwood Blue Jays

Tonight's game with District impact is Glendale's visit to Nixa. The winner of this game will likely be one of the top 2 seeds in mid-May.

4:30 pm at Nixa
Nixa Eagles
Glendale Falcons -

4:00 pm at Hillcrest (V first)
Hillcrest Hornets -
Willard Tigers

4:00 pm at PHS Grass Field
Parkview Vikings -
Branson Pirates -

4:30 pm at Carl Junction
Carl Junction Bulldogs -
Neosho Wildcats -

4:30 pm at Joplin
Joplin Eagles
Ozark Tigers -

5:00 pm at Greenwood Stadium Field (Varsity only)
Central Bulldogs -
Mt View/Liberty Eagles -

5:00 pm at West Plains
West Plains Zizzers -
Marshfield Blue Jays

5:00 pm at Ashland, SoBoCo High School
Southern Boone County -
Osage Indians

The Branson Pirate Invitational continues today.

Results
Branson Pirates
Logan-Rogersville
Carthage Tigers (0-1) 0 points
Marshfield Blue Jays (1-0) 2 points

Saturday Schedule
9:00 am
Logan-Rogersville
Carthage Tigers
11:00 am
Branson Pirates
Marshfield Blue Jays
1:30 pm
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats -
Marshfield Blue Jays
3:30 pm
Branson Pirates
Carthage Tigers

Wins will receive 2 points, ties 1 points, and final standings will go to goal differential if tied.

There are some non-tournament games today

5:00 pm at Mt View
Liberty Mt View Eagles -
West Plains Zizzers -

5:00 pm at Waynesville
Waynesville Tigers -
Hazelwood Central -

5:00 pm at Belle
Belle -
Osage Indians -

6:00 pm at Greenwood Stadium Field
Greenwood Blue Jays -
Sedalia Sacred Heart -

Hazelwood West 2
Rolla Bulldogs 1
West scored the wnner with 20 minutes left.

The Branson Pirate Invitational returns with four COC programs participating.
Branson Pirates
Logan-Rogersville
Carthage Tigers
Marshfield Blue Jays

Friday Schedule

Carthage Tigers 0
Marshfield Blue Jays 2
Alex Cantrell and Kylea Ryser score.

A small slate of games before a big weekend of tournaments.

4:00 pm at Marshfield
Marshfield Blue Jays -
Greenwood Blue Jays

4:30 pm at Rogersville
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats
Hillcrest Hornets
This one's a Class 2 District 12 game

5:00 pm at Osage UPDATE, Varsity plays first tonight!

The game with the most on the line tonight is a Class 2 match between District 11 foes Marshfield and Logan-Rogersville. In addition to being a Webster County derby, these two teams are part of a new five team line-up that opens one of them to becoming a District champion for the first time ever.

Megan Melugin (Kickapoo 2010) defends Kelsey Bartell (Nixa 2011)

Big game tonight as the Nixa Eagles, after a weekend off, will visit the Kickapoo Chiefs who went 1-1 at the Parkway College Showcase this weekend. The Eagle's are looking to extend their unbeaten string and more importantly, send another message to District 11 about their plans for this season.

Catch scores for tournament games elsewhere. Here are the other regional games today.

5:00 pm at Camdenton
Camdenton Lakers -
Sedalia Sacred Heart

5:00 pm at West Plains, Varsity-only
West Plains Zizzers -
Mt View Liberty Eagles -

5:00 pm at Fulton
Fulton Hornets
Osage Indians -
A Class 2 District 10 match up, Helias are defending District Champions

5:00 pm at Greenwood Stadium Field
Greenwood Blue Jays -
Parkview Vikings

7:00 pm at Cooper 3, Varsity-only
Glendale Falcons -
Westminster Academy Wildcats
A Class 2 program from St Louis, the Wildcats are 2-2 having beaten John Burroughs most recently and falling to Notre Dame (STL) earlier.

Logan-Rogersville Wildcats 5
Mt. View Liberty Eagles 1
Goals by Bekah Pell (3), Megan Smith, and Haley Weeks

Greenwood Blue Jays -
West Plains Zizzers

Carthage Tigers 2
Joplin McAuley Warriors 0

No true Conference games as it's small-schools versus large schools today BUT you can see Class 1 State Champions Springfield Catholic go up against #1 ranked Large School Nixa tonight. Varsity at 6pm approximately.

4:30 pm at Nixa
Nixa Eagles
Springfield Catholic

4:30 pm at Republic
Republic Tigers -
Carl Junction Bulldogs

5:00 pm at Marshfield
Marshfield Blue Jays -
Branson Pirates -

5:00 pm at Carthage
Carthage Tigers -
Joplin McAuley Warriors -

5:00 pm at Willard
Willard Tigers -
Nixa Eagles

5:00 pm at Branson
Branson Pirates -
Carthage Tigers -

5:00 pm at Ozark
Ozark Tigers -
Republic Tigers

5:00 pm at Marshfield
Marshfield Blue Jays -
Springfield Catholic

4:30 pm at Bolivar
Bolivar Liberators -
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats -