Friday's Daily Dose

NIU baseball update Northern Illinois catcher Matt Behren was named to the Central Illinois Collegiate League All-Star game, set for July 21. Behren of the DuPage Dragons, is batting .328 with 11 doubles and 17 RBIs. Redshirt freshman OF Brandon House and incoming freshmen C Brett Frantini, OF/P Jake Hermsen and P/IF Chris Wakefield played key roles on the Illinois Sparks squad that placed second at the most prestigious 18 and under tournament in the nation. The Sparks became the first northern team ever to advance beyond the final eight in Perfect Game's WWBA 2008 Grads 18U National Championship and finished 9-1, their only loss coming in the final championship game of the tournament.

Telling number 7 Consecutive winning seasons put up by former NIU football coach Joe Novak. The run was between 2000 and 2006.

They said it “I let them know about the team and that I'm on it. They get into it then. Some of them get excited.”

- NIU wide receiver Evans Adonis, on part of his strategy for selling tickets to NIU alumni

Vikings stay silent on Favre MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Vikings took a different stance on Thursday in what has become the story of the summer in the NFL: They decided NOT to talk about Brett Favre. The Vikings said Thursday they would not comment on allegations by the Green Bay Packers that they made inappropriate contact with Favre before or during the three-time MVP's effort to un-retire. “The Vikings are not commenting on the issue. These types of matters are handled by the league,” said a statement read by a team spokesman. The Favre saga has overridden everything else going on in the NFL, turning the NFL offseason into a one-story league. Another chapter was added Wednesday night when a person familiar with the Packers' complaint told The AP that Green Bay has filed tampering charges against the Vikings.

Blackhawks start Oct. 10 CHICAGO - The Blackhawks begin their season against the New York Rangers at 6 p.m. on Oct. 10 at Madison Square Garden, the team announced Thursday. The Hawks open their 41-game home slate at the United Center against the Nashville Predators at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13. Twenty-five of the Hawks' 41 home contests will be played on the weekend, which includes 14 on Sunday. Sixteen of their final 23 games will be at the United Center, including 15 during March, the squad's most in any month during the 2008-09 campaign. -Staff report