2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Iowa
Week 6 brought the Wolverines to Iowa City, Iowa for a primetime duel against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Michigan went up early in the 1st with an interception that was returned 40 yards by Donovan Warren for a touchdown. Iowa responded a few minutes later with a 34-yard TD pass to Tony Moeaki from Ricky Stanzi and took the lead with a 28-yard Daniel Murray field goal soon after. Michigan responded late in the quarter when Brandon Minor ran for a touchdown from 3 yards. Iowa added 10 more points in the 2nd quarter: first a 41-yard field goal, then a 1-yard TD run by Brandon Wegher, making the halftime score 20–14 Iowa.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Iowa
The Hawkeyes opened the third quarter by booting a 40-yard field goal. Michigan responded with a 1-yard TD run late in the 3rd by Minor. Stanzi and Moeaki connected again for a 42-yard Iowa TD in the 4th. Michigan scored on a 3-yard TD run by QB Denard Robinson with about 4 minutes left and held Iowa to a 3-play drive, getting the ball back just down by 2 points (28–30). In the final minute of the game, Michigan drove down the field about 30 yards on an attempted drive to kick a game-winning field goal or TD, but Robinson threw a deep interception, sealing the Hawkeyes' victory.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Iowa
Michigan turned the ball over five times and fell to 1–5 in Big Ten road games under Rich Rodriguez. Michigan QB Tate Forcier left the game with 7 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter; it was later discovered that he sustained a concussion during the game. Backup quarterback Denard Robinson served as an able replacement, leading the Wolverines on the TD drive to bring them to within 2 until he threw the game-losing interception on the final drive.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Delaware State
In week 7, Michigan hosted the Delaware State Hornets from  Division-I FCS, in the first ever meeting between the two teams. Michigan dominated throughout the game. They scored 7 unanswered touchdowns in the first half, four in the first quarter alone: a Michael Shaw 2-yard run, a 6-yard run by Vincent Smith, a blocked punt that was picked up by Brandon Graham for a score, and a 38-yard catch by Kelvin Grady. In the second quarter, the Wolverines added three more touchdowns, on a 4-yard run by QB Denard Robinson, a 28-yard catch by Martell Webb, and a 7-yard run by Kevin Grady. Delaware State finally got on the board just before halftime with a 26-yard field goal by Riley Flickinger.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Delaware State
The second half was more sedate. Neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth Delaware State kicked a second field goal, this time from 24 yards. Michigan's Michael Cox responded with two more touchdowns, from 57 and later 3 yards.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Delaware State
Several Michigan school records were broken or tied in the blowout win. The Wolverines' 727 yards of total offense set a new team record; the 442 total offensive yards in the first half alone also set a team record. Their 57-point win tied the second-biggest margin of victory for them since 1950, and tied for the eighth-largest margin of victory in school history. The 49 first half points was the team's second highest ever. The 28 point first quarter also tied a school record. Because of the effectiveness of the offense, the team did not punt the ball once, the first time this has happened since 1978.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Penn State
In week 8, Michigan hosted the Penn State Nittany Lions at rain soaked Michigan Stadium. Michigan got an early lead after the first drive of the game when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from one yard out. Penn State tied the score with a 10-yard TD catch by Graham Zug from Daryll Clark, and took the lead for good on a 34-yard field goal by Collin Wagner. In the second quarter Michigan surrendered a safety after a bad snap in the end zone. On the ensuing possession, the Nittany Lions scored on a 60-yard TD pass to Andrew Quarless. Michigan responded with a 23-yard field goal, making the halftime score 19–10.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Penn State
Penn State dominated the second half, shutting out the Wolverines. The Nittany Lions added 13 points to their lead off of two Graham Zug TD catches in the third quarter, from 11 and 17-yard respectively. Penn State capped off their victory with a 29-yard field goal in the 4th.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Penn State
Michigan suffered their first home loss of the season. This was the first time the Wolverines had lost to Penn State at home since 1996, ending a five-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor. Penn State defeated Michigan for the second straight season, its first win streak versus the Wolverines since a three-game streak from 1994–96.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Illinois
In week 9, the Wolverines traveled to Champaign, Illinois for a Halloween afternoon contest with the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois scored first midway through the first quarter with a 3-yard TD run by Arrelious Benn. Michigan tied it up with a 2-yard TD run by Carlos Brown. The Wolverines kicked two field goals in the second quarter, from 29 and 42 yards out respectively, making the score at halftime 13–7 in their favor.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Illinois
For the second straight game, Michigan was held scoreless in the second half. Illinois held the Wolverines on a goal line stand; on the following possession, Illini RB Mikel LeShoure ran in a 70-yard TD. A few minutes later, London Davis caught a 2-yard TD pass. QB Isiah Williams ran in a TD himself from 3 yards out for Illinois' third score of the quarter. In the fourth quarter, Illinois kicked a 23-yard field goal and capped off their scoring with a 79-yard TD run by Jason Ford. It was Michigan's first loss at Illinois since 1983.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Purdue
In week 10, Michigan hosted the Purdue Boilermakers. In the first quarter, Purdue scored first with a 35-yard TD catch by Ralph Bolden. Michigan tied the score with a 29-yard TD run by Brandon Minor. Purdue retook the lead with a 41-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs. Michigan tied the score soon after with a 51-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Michigan scored 2 touchdowns: a 55-yard rush by Brandon Minor, and a 43-yard catch by Ray Roundtree, giving the Wolverines a 14-point advantage at halftime.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Purdue
Once again, Michigan collapsed in the second half. In the third quarter, Purdue's Ralph Bolden scored his second TD of the game with a 19-yard run. Michigan QB Forcier responded with a 6-yard TD run, but the point after touchdown attempt failed. Ralph Bolden scored his third touchdown of the day soon after with a 10-yard rush. Next, Purdue's Cortez Smith caught a 54-yard TD pass. In the fourth quarter, Purdue QB Joey Elliott ran in an 8-yard TD. Michigan's Minor then ran in a TD from 1-yard out. The Wolverines attempted to tie the game but Forcier failed to reach the end zone on a 2-point conversion, sealing the victory for the Boilermakers. It was Michigan's first home loss to Purdue since 1966.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Wisconsin
For their final road game of the season, the Wolverines traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to play the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin scored first with a 22-yard TD pass by Scott Tolzien to Garrett Graham. Michigan tied the score with a 21-yard Tate Forcier TD pass to Vincent Smith. In the second quarter, the teams traded the lead. First, Michigan took the lead with a 37-yard Jason Olesnavage field goal. Wisconsin then went ahead with an 8-yard TD pass to Nick Toon. Michigan went back ahead when Ryan Van Bergen picked up Scott Tolzien's fumble (forced by Brandon Graham) and ran it back 14 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin responded with a 1-yard TD run by John Clay, making the halftime score 21–17 Wisconsin.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Wisconsin
In the third quarter, Toon scored another TD off a 15-yard catch. Michigan responded with a 10-yard catch by Ray Roundtree. Wisconsin then scored 17 unanswered points, starting with a 7-yard TD catch by Lance Kendricks. In the fourth quarter the Badgers sealed their victory with a 1-yard TD run by Tolzien and a 28-yard field goal by Philip Welch.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Wisconsin
The game was Michigan's third straight loss at Wisconsin. It was also Michigan's 6th straight conference loss, the first time this has happened since the 1958–59 seasons. The Wolverines' record fell to 5–6; they needed to win next week to become bowl eligibile.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Ohio State
In the last game of the season, Michigan hosted their archrivals the No. 9 nationally ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, in the 106th meeting between the two teams. Ohio State scored first when Michigan QB Forcier fumbled while scrambling in the end zone; the ball was recovered by Ohio State's Cameron Heyward for a TD. Michigan's only score of the first half was a 46-yard field goal. Ohio State's Brandon Saine ran in a 29-yard TD late in the second quarter to make it 14–3 at halftime.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Ohio State
In the third quarter Michigan closed to within four off of Vincent Smith's 18-yard TD catch. Ohio State re-extended their lead to eleven a few minutes later with a 12-yard TD catch by Daniel Herron. Michigan attempted to come back in the fourth quarter, but all of their drives except the last were ended by interceptions. The Wolverines came closest with eight minutes left, when Forcier was intercepted in the end zone by Buckeye CB Devon Torrence. On their last play of the game, the Wolverines were penalized for being in an illegal formation with five players in the backfield; this penalty was declined, giving the ball back to Ohio State on downs and ending the game after the Buckeyes ran out the clock.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs. Ohio State
It was Ohio State's sixth straight win over Michigan, their longest winning streak of the series. QB Tate Forcier had perhaps his worst game this season, throwing four interceptions and turning over a fumble for a TD; prior to this game he had only thrown six interceptions all year. He became just the second Michigan quarterback to throw four interceptions against Ohio State in the last 60 years. Michigan's six-game losing streak to Ohio State is the third-longest streak to a single opponent in school history. The loss left Michigan's final record at 5–7, short of the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. During the game, Brandon Graham posted 5 solo tackles for a loss, to clinch the national statistical championship.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Statistics
The offense rebounded from their 2008 performance to finish third in the Big Ten in scoring. However, Michigan ranked last in the Big Ten and 115th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in turnover margin.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Statistics
Graham was the national statistical champion in tackles for a loss (TFL) per game. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and Graham led the conference in total tackles for a loss. Graham posted 26 TFLs in 12 games, which led the nation with 2.17 average tackles for a loss per game (ahead of conference rival O'Brien Schofield who was second with 1.884). Graham also defended his Big Ten total TFLs championship over Schofield by a 26–24.5 margin. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and was eighth in the nation with a 44.46 average.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Statistics
The per game team rankings below include 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and 11 Big Ten Conference teams:


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Statistics
The per game rankings below include players who have played in 75% of team's games and are ranked in the top 100 national leaders and top 25 conference leaders:


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Postseason recognition
At the conclusion of the season,  Graham earned the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Big Ten co-MVP award. Graham and Mesko earned numerous 2009 College Football All-America Team recognitions. Several Michigan players earned 2009 All-Big Ten Conference recognition: Graham and Mesko were first-team (coaches and media). Donovan Warren (first-team media and second-team coaches) and Schilling (honorable mention coaches and media) were also recognized. Mesko was a first-team Academic All-American. Graham also earned the MVP award at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Postseason recognition
Graham was co-winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten co-MVPs with Penn State's Daryll Clark, marking the first time the award has been shared. Three Michigan players, Warren (Junior cornerback), Brandon Graham (Senior defensive end), and Mesko (Senior punter) were named to the All Big Ten First Team, and Stephen Schilling (Senior left guard) received honorable mention. Offensive lineman David Moosman also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Mesko was one of fifteen FBS athletes selected as a first-team Academic All-American.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Postseason recognition
Michigan had 10 athletes recognized as fall term of the 2009–10 Academic All-Conference selections for being letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade point average: Matt Cavanaugh, Jon Conover, John Ferrara, J.B. Fitzgerald, Will Heininger, Zac Johnson, Zoltan Mesko, Tim North, Jason Olesnavage, and Mike Therman.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Postseason recognition
Seniors Zoltan Mesko (2nd team WCFF, Scout, Rivals, AP; honorable mention SI, CFN, PFW) and Brandon Graham (1st team Scout, Rivals; 2nd team WCFF, AP, SI, CFN;  honorable mention PFW) were named All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, Rivals.com & Scout.com. Graham was also a first team selection by ESPN and a second team selection by the Sporting News. Brandon Graham earned MVP honors at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl with five tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Postseason recognition
In December 2009, Warren declared himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft. Other athletes to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine were Graham, Mesko and Minor. Graham, Mesko and Stevie Brown were drafted 13th, 150th and 251st overall, respectively. Warren went undrafted but signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, 2010 NFL Draft
Co-captains Graham, Mesko and Brown were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, and immediately following the draft Donovan Warren was signed by the New York Jets. Other draft weekend free agent signees included Mathews and Brandon Minor with the Chicago Bears, Mark Ortmann with the Carolina Panthers, Moosman with the Arizona Cardinals and Carlos Brown with the New Orleans Saints.


2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Roster
On December 12, 2008 RB Sam McGuffie announced he was leaving Michigan for a school closer to home because of family issues. On February 16, 2009, starting quarterback Steven Threet told Michigan he would transfer before the start of the 2009 season. On October 27, 2009, starting cornerback Boubacar Cissoko was kicked off the team for missing class, workouts and study table according to his high school coach Thomas Wilcher. He also stated that he expected Cissoko to seek a transfer.


2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics
The 2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics took place between August 4–8, 2009. The event was held at the Griffith University in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, jointly with the OAA Grand Prix Series, and the OAA sub-regional Melanesian and Polynesian Championships. Many athletes utilised the competitions preparing for the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. Detailed reports were given for the OAA.


2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics
A total of 34 events were contested, 18 by men and 16 by women.


2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the Oceania Athletics Association webpage, and at sportfieber.pytalhost.com.


2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
In 100 metres, triple jump, and javelin throw, there were separate open competitions for the Micronesian championships and the OAA Grand Prix Series held on different days.


2009 Micronesian Championships in Athletics, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 64 athletes from 7 countries participated.


2009 Micronesian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Federated States of Micronesia on 3 March 2009. As there were no political parties, all 21 candidates ran as independents. Three were returned unopposed.


2009 Micronesian parliamentary election, Electoral system
At the time of the election, Congress consisted of 14 members, of which 10 were elected for two-year terms and four elected for four-year terms. The 2009 elections were for the 10 two-year term seats.


2009 Micronesian parliamentary election, Conduct
The Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP) was invited to monitor the elections by the Micronesian government. The APDP sent 18 observers, who reported "some irregularities and procedural inconsistencies".


2009 Micronesian parliamentary election, Results
The results from nine constituencies were certified by the National Election Director on 16 March. A recount was ordered for one seat, with the winner confirmed on 24 March.


2009 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2009 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament took place from May 20–23. The top eight regular season finishers of the league's twelve teams, regardless of division, met in the double-elimination tournament held at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. Kent State won their seventh tournament championship to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2009 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding
The winners of each division claim the top two seeds, with the next six teams, based on conference winning percentage claim the third through eight seeds. Kent State claimed the second seed by tiebreaker over Bowling Green, while Toledo claimed the third seed over Ball State. The teams played a two bracket, double-elimination tournament leading to a final matching the winners of each bracket.


2009 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Chris Tremblay won the Tournament Most Valuable Player award. Tremblay was an infielder for Kent State.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season
The 2009 Mid-American Conference football season is an NCAA football season that was played from September 3, 2009, to January 7, 2010. The Mid-American Conference consists of twelve full-time members, with Temple University holding an affiliate membership for football.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season, Previous season
Ball State entered the 2008 MAC Championship Game undefeated and as the champion of the West Division. This was also their first ever appearance in the game. Ranked #12 in the country, they faced East Division champion Buffalo in the annual contest held at Ford Field. That was Buffalo's first appearance as well. The Bulls upset Ball State and took the MAC Championship, giving Ball State their first loss of the season.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season, Previous season
After the championship game ended, four MAC football head coaches either resigned or were fired from their teams. This began with Ball State's coach Brady Hoke, who resigned to pursue a head coaching job at San Diego State University. He was replaced by Stan Parrish for the 2009 season. Parrish was promoted internally after serving as Ball State's assistant football coach for four seasons. The only other head coaching change in the West Division was in Eastern Michigan where Jeff Genyk, head coach for the past five years, was fired after a combined 15–42 record. He was replaced by Ron English, who served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan for five years as well as the University of Louisville during the 2008 season.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season, Previous season
In the East Division, two schools also saw head coaching changes. Miami University's head coach Shane Montgomery resigned after a 2–10 record in the 2008 season. His best season at Miami was in 2005 when he led the team to a 7–4 overall record and a tie for the MAC East title. However, in that season Akron won the tiebreaker to play in the MAC Championship Game against West champion Northern Illinois. Montgomery was replaced by Mike Haywood who served four years as Notre Dame University's offensive coordinator. At Bowling Green, six-year head coach Gregg Brandon was fired. However, Brandon did find another job in college football when he was named the new University of Virginia offensive coordinator. He was replaced at Bowling Green by Dave Clawson, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Tennessee.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season, Preseason, Preseason poll
The 2009 MAC Preseason Poll was announced at the Football Media Preview in Detroit on July 31. In the East Division, Buffalo was selected to repeat as divisional champions, and Central Michigan selected to top the West. Also, Central Michigan received 18 votes to win the MAC Championship Game.


2009 Mid-American Conference football season, Regular season, Week one
Opening weekend for the Mid-American Conference consisted of six home games and six away games. Also, Miami faced Kentucky in a battle contested at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bowling Green, Kent State, and Buffalo were the only teams to win the opening weekend. Buffalo was also the only team to win an away game as their season opener.


2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament began on May 14 and ended on May 17, 2009 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a six-team double elimination tournament. Bethune-Cookman won the tournament, as they have done each year but one since the tournament began in 1999. The Wildcats claimed the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The top six finishers from the regular season were seeded one through six based on conference winning percentage only, with the top seed playing the sixth seed, second seed playing the fifth, and so on for first round matchups. The winners advanced in the winners' bracket, while first round losers played elimination games. The format meant that Coppin State was left out of the field.


2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Outstanding Performer
Marquis Riley was named Tournament Outstanding Performer. Riley was an infielder for North Carolina A&T.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Middle Tennessee competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The team was led by head coach Rick Stockstill. The Blue Raiders played their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
In February 2009, Tony Franklin, former Troy and Auburn offensive coordinator, was hired to fill the vacant position of offensive coordinator at. He replaced G.A. Mangus who left Middle Tennessee to become the quarterbacks coach at South Carolina.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2009 schedule featured an opener at Clemson on Saturday, September 5, 2009. The game was followed by an in-state rivalry game against Conference USA member Memphis at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium. The Blue Raiders returned to Maryland for a third time, and hosted their first ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent, Mississippi State, in school history. Mississippi State was the 3rd BCS opponent (Virginia in 2007 and Maryland in 2008) to visit Middle Tennessee at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The Blue Raiders ended the 2009 regular season with a 9–3 overall record, which was the best record in the FBS era (1999-current), and best overall since 1992. The Blue Raiders accepted a bowl invitation to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to face Southern Mississippi who was coached by former Blue Raider offensive coordinator, Larry Fedora. This was the second bowl game for the Blue Raiders in four years. The Blue Raiders won 42–32 for their first FBS bowl win in school history, becoming the first team in Sun Belt Conference history to win 10 games in a season.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Clemson Tigers
Middle Tennessee fell behind early and could not recover in dropping its season opener, 37-14, to host Clemson as the 95th season of Blue Raider football kicked off Saturday evening in front a crowd of 75,000 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina The final score was the same as the only other meeting in the series, September 13, 2003.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Clemson Tigers
Dasher eclipsed the 200-yard barrier through the air for the third time in his career with 204 yards on 20-of-42. His 43-yard strike to Blissard was the longest for the Blue Raiders in the game.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Clemson Tigers
Dasher also finished as the team leader with 61 yards on the ground. Middle Tennessee could not get much of a ground attack going, finishing with 92 yards on 37 carries for a 2.5-yard average. Blissard was the MT leader with 68 yards receiving in his first game as a Blue Raider.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Memphis Tigers
Blackout proved once again to be a winning theme for the Middle Tennessee football team as they rode the back of quarterback Dwight Dasher in earning its first victory of the season, a 31–14 decision against Memphis, in front of a Floyd Stadium-record 28,105 in attendance in the home opener in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Saturday evening. It kicked off the 74th season of Blue Raider football at its home venue and surpassed the previous stadium attendance mark of 27,568 against Tennessee State September 5, 1998.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Memphis Tigers
Dasher ended the contest with 320 combined yards, including an 18-of-26 and two touchdown effort through the air. He also had a team-best outing of 17 carries for 89 yards on the ground, outgaining the Tiger offense by himself by 101 yards. Through the first two games, Dasher has accounted for 585 of the team's 735 total yards, an 80.0 percentage.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Maryland Terrapins
"Middle Tennessee's Alan Gendreau hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired, silencing the crowd of 43,167 at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland", reported Blueraiders.com, "as the Blue Raiders defeated Maryland for the second-straight season, 32-31, in a see-saw thriller. It gave Middle Tennessee its first road victory over a BCS-conference opponent since 2005 when it defeated Vanderbilt. The game-winning drive covered 73 yards on eight plays, as quarterback Dwight Dasher was 4-of-4 for 65 yards, including a 35-yard strike to Chris McClover to take the Blue Raiders down to the Terrapin 10-yard line. Dasher completed the contest 27-of-44 for a career-high 324 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one score on the ground. D.D. Kyles paced the Blue Raider ground attack with only 34 yards, while McClover was the leading receiver with seven catches for 110 yards."


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, North Texas Mean Green
Middle Tennessee football opened Sun Belt action by winning its third-straight game and improved on its best start in eight years with a 37–21 victory at North Texas Saturday evening in front of 22,346 at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas. The three-game winning streak is the first for the Blue Raiders since they won three late last season, while the 3-1 start is the second best in the school's FBS (1999–present) era, following the 4-0 opening by the 2001 squad.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, North Texas Mean Green
Dasher finished with his fourth-straight 200-plus passing outing, completing 21-of-43 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the team's leading rusher with 75 yards on 16 carries and two scores. Sancho McDonald led the squad with 74 yards receiving on five receptions.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, North Texas Mean Green
Derrick Crumpton paced the defense with eight tackles, leading topping Alex Suber's seven. The defense forced 5 turnovers, while Middle Tennessee had no turnovers.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Troy Trojans – Battle for the Palladium
Middle Tennessee could only score once, a third-quarter touchdown, and host Troy rolled to a 31–7 win in front of a crowd of 17,108 at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Ala., plus countless others watching live nationally on ESPN2 Tuesday night.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Troy Trojans – Battle for the Palladium
Dwight Dasher entered play tonight ranked sixth nationally in total offense and first in touches per game. After a slow start, Dasher rebounded to account for 298 yards of Middle Tennessee total yardage of 354. Dasher, who went over the 200-yard passing mark for the fifth straight game, finished with 56 total touches, just shy of his national-leading 56.75 average coming into the game.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missed opportunities in the red zone and second half turnovers were the story Saturday as host Middle Tennessee was held out of the end zone in a 27–6 loss to Mississippi State in front of 23,882 fans at Floyd Stadium on cold and blustery Hall of Fame Day in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Mississippi State was the first Southeastern Conference opponent to make an appearance at Floyd Stadium.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State controlled the line of scrimmage with a 333–248 advantage on total yards, including a 178–42 edge on the ground. Dixon finished with a game-high 135 yards on 27 carries with two scores, while Lee added 38 yards. Lee was 14-of-20 through the air for 155 yards.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Dasher was the team's leading ball carrier with 47 yards, while he completed 50.0 percent of his passes (11-of-22) for 129 yards.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Dwight Dasher's career day on a record-breaking afternoon spurred Middle Tennessee football to a 62–24 win over rival Western Kentucky in front of 17,787 on a cool Homecoming outing at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Dasher finished 22-of-35 for 355 yards and three scores, the eighth-highest passing day in school history. He added two more scores on the ground as the Blue Raiders scored the most points and gained the most yards (646) under head coach Rick Stockstill (2006–present).


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Middle Tennessee churned out 646 yards of offense and 62 points in the win over WKU. The yardage total went down as the most under Rick Stockstill, breaking the previous best mark of 555 yards set against Louisville in 2007. The 62 points also went down as the most ever by a Rick Stockstill coached team and the most by the Blue Raiders since they put up 70 in a win over Idaho on Oct. 6, 2001. The 646 yards rank third on the program's all-time list and is the second most Middle Tennessee has put up in a Sun Belt Conference game, trailing only that Idaho game when the Blue Raiders gained 685 yards.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
Quarterback Dwight Dasher sprinted for a career-long 74-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to provide the winning difference in a come-from-behind 27-20 Middle Tennessee victory at Florida Atlantic Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt action. The Owls had one last chance, but a fourth-down pass was ruled out-of-bounds, ending the thriller on Halloween in front of 15,568 fans at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
Dasher's career-best dash with 5:31 remaining gave the Blue Raiders a pair of players over the 100-yard barrier, as he finished with 108, trailing only the 140 accumulated by teammate D.D. Kyles, who made his second career start.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
Danny Carmichael led the Blue Raider defense with a career-high 15 tackles, while Cam Robinson added a career-best 14 stops. Kevin Brown and Kellem each registered 10 tackles for Middle Tennessee.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
The Blue Raiders' capitalized on a blocked punt by SaCoby Carter for their first score, with only 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Sherman Neal grabbed the loose ball behind punter Mickey Groody and returned it 29 yards to bring Middle Tennessee (5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt) within three, 10-7. The next punt did not fare much better for the Owls. The snap went high, forcing Groody to roll to his left, and Neal was in the backfield to record the tackle. It gave the Blue Raiders the ball on the Owl 37. Jeremy Kellem was able to get a hand on a Groody punt halfway through the period to raise the blocked kick total to three, the highest by a Middle Tennessee team since the Blue Raiders matched the effort in 2002 against North Texas.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
Middle Tennessee tallied 34 unanswered points behind a strong performance on the ground, led by quarterback Dwight Dasher, and was able to hold on for a 48–21 win Saturday afternoon against visiting FIU in front of 17,808 at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The victory secures bowl eligibility for the Blue Raiders with three games remaining in the regular season.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
Middle Tennessee finished with 385 rushing yards, the fourth-highest total in a school history, and the third-straight contest in which the Blue Raiders surpassed the 200-yard plateau. Dasher ended the game with 178 yards on the ground, while adding 182 through the air on 13-of-28 and two touchdowns. For the year, Dasher now has 2,029 yards passing and 703 yards rushing.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
With Middle Tennessee's win over FIU ran its record to 6-3 which is the best start to a season since 2006 when the Blue Raiders competed in the Motor City Bowl. The six wins now make Middle Tennessee bowl eligible.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Defense and quarterback Dwight Dasher turned up the intensity in the second half as Middle Tennessee won its fourth straight with a 34–17 victory Saturday against Louisiana–Lafayette in front of 16,411 at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Blue Raider defense sacked Ragin' Cajun quarterback Chris Masson five times, one more instance than the Louisiana–Lafayette offense had allowed all season, tying for the fewest in the nation entering the contest. The Ragin' Cajuns were held to only 75 yards in the second half.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Dasher finished 16-of-25 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, leading Middle Tennessee to four scores on seven drives in the final 30 minutes after trailing by three at halftime.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
This win was the sixth time Middle Tennessee has come-from-behind for a victory under head coach Rick Stockstill. It is the third instance it happened this year with the Blue Raiders pulling out triumphs on the road at Maryland and at FAU.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Arkansas State Red Wolves
It was "Senior Day" at Middle Tennessee but a standout underclassman continued to steal headlines on the field as the Blue Raiders capped the home portion of their schedule with an emphatic 38-14 win against visiting Arkansas State in front of 19,111 at Floyd Stadium Saturday.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Arkansas State Red Wolves
Junior quarterback Dwight Dasher threw touchdowns to four different players to lead a Blue Raider offense that piled up 427 yards and dominated the Red Wolves from the opening quarter. Dasher finished with 263 yards and the four touchdowns to lead Middle Tennessee to its eighth win – tied for the most wins since the 2001 campaign.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Arkansas State Red Wolves
The Blue Raiders also secured their fifth win at Floyd Stadium, representing the most home wins since Middle Tennessee was 5-0 at home in 2001. The fans enjoyed this one from the outset as the Blue Raiders (8-3) stormed to a 17–0 lead in the first quarter and never relented...


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Arkansas State Red Wolves
It wasn't all offense. Middle Tennessee's unrelenting defense continued to dominate and got into the scoring act as well. The defense yielded just 220 yards and scored when Jamari Lattimore picked up a fumble and lateraled it to Jeremy Kellem who scored to give the Blue Raiders a commanding lead. Marcus Udell also collected his seventh interception of the season to key a stop squad that was never really threatened.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Arkansas State Red Wolves
Middle Tennessee, hopeful of a second bowl in Head Coach Rick Stockstill's fourth season, will conclude the regular season seeking nine wins at Louisiana-Monroe next Saturday.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Middle Tennessee put the finishing touches on the most successful gridiron season of the FBS era with a convincing 38-19 win against Louisiana-Monroe at Malone Stadium Saturday.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
The Blue Raiders (9-3, 7-1) notched their ninth win by putting an exclamation mark on a persuasive season that now includes: most single-season wins (9) of the FBS era, most SBC wins (7) in a single season, one of two SBC schools to win nine games in a season (North Texas, 2003) and a current six-game win streak. The nine wins for Middle Tennessee is the most in a season since 1992.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
They will now await a postseason bowl destination they believe is sure to come. It would be the program's second in four seasons under Head Coach Rick Stockstill.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Middle Tennessee climaxed its dynamic regular season in the much the same manner it has achieved success all season – nasty defense, productive offense and special teams contributions, but the big story was junior quarterback Dwight Dasher who danced his way into the Blue Raider record books with his arm and legs.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Dasher ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more to lead the offensive charge that included 306 yards total offense. Dasher's two touchdowns enabled him to tie Mickey Corwins's single-season mark of 21 touchdowns, set in 1984. He also became Middle Tennessee's career leader for rushing yards by a quarterback with 88 against ULM, giving him 1,676 career rushing yards to break Marvin Collier's mark of 1,652 set from 1985 to 1988. Dasher was 10-of-18 through the air for 116 yards. He did throw two interceptions.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Defense also was a staple as it dominated the Warhawks after allowing a touchdown on their opening possession. The dandy defensive effort included three interceptions, one for a touchdown, four sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Chris McCoy continued his stellar campaign with ferocious play that included three tackles for loss. Alex Suber was a defensive wizard with eight tackles, including one for loss, an interception and a pass break-up, and linebacker Danny Carmichael continued to make plays from one side of the field to the other, collecting 10 tackles including one for loss. Suber, Jeremy Kellem and Kevin Brown had the interceptions.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
Middle Tennessee and its throng of fans enjoyed an early Blue Christmas in the Big Easy when it powered past Southern Miss, 42-32, in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome Sunday night.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
The Blue Raiders capped one of the best seasons in school history with their first bowl win during the FBS era as the Sun Belt's representative in the New Orleans Bowl, where Conference USA representative Southern Miss had never lost in three previous tries before getting throttled by a spirited Middle Tennessee team. It was the second bowl appearance for Middle Tennessee as a FBS member and its first in the New Orleans Bowl.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
Middle Tennessee (10-3) ended the season with a seven-game win streak. It's the most wins for the Blue Raiders since the 1992 squad won 10 and the win streak is the longest since the 1985 team won 11 straight. Astonishing junior quarterback Dwight Dasher was named the New Orleans Bowl Most Valuable Player after accounting for 363 yards total offense – 201 rushing and 162 passing – rushing for two touchdowns and passing for two more.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
For good measure Dasher also became one of just eight quarterbacks in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 in the same season. His 201 yards rushing established a New Orleans Bowl record and he became the only quarterback in Blue Raider history to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
While the spotlight would shine on Dasher it was still that blue-collar, blue-clad defense that stiffened after a slow start and dominated the game following the opening quarter when it surrendered two touchdowns on Southern Miss' first two drives. It allowed just 18 points the remainder of the game, while the Blue Raider offense piled up 42 points.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
The defense also had two interceptions compliments of Alex Suber and Danny Carmichael. Making the turnovers even more impressive was the fact Southern Miss quarterback Martevious Young had thrown just two interceptions all season and had 165 consecutive completions without a pick before Suber turned him over in the second quarter. Suber's interception would set up a touchdown that enabled Middle Tennessee to rally and tie the game, 14-14.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
Carmichael's interception sealed the game and capped a tremendous Blue Raider career on a high note.


2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – New Orleans Bowl
The win demonstrated the continued growth of Middle Tennessee's program under fourth-year head coach Rick Stockstill, who has led the Blue Raiders to both of their bowl appearances of the FBS era. He had to like the way his team performed before a national-television audience on one of its biggest stages.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
The December 2009 Midwest blizzard was a powerful extratropical cyclone which was of a category which meteorologists refer to as a cyclogenic bomb, a system which shows a drop in central pressure similar to the rapid intensification cycle of a tropical cyclone, more than 1 mbar (approx. 0.03 inHg) per hour for 12 to 24 hours or more. A sustained drop averaging more than 2.5 mbar/h is termed explosive deepening/intensification, and this was the case with this rapidly deepening and intensifying storm as it traversed the Midwest and Ontario and on to Québec, Greenland and vicinity.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
In many locations wind, snowfall, and precipitation moisture content records dating back to the December 2, 1990 storm, the 1976-1978 period, the 1949 blizzard, or even further back were broken, with barometric pressure records falling as well. Both the central pressure (depth) and rate of change and differential over a given distance (intensity) were remarkable, and both caused hurricane-force winds in places.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
The storm originated over the south-western United States west of the Rocky Mountains on December 6, 2009 and took a common winter storms track known as the [Oklahoma] Panhandle Track. Rapid to explosive intensification took place over a period of more than 36 hours as the system regrouped over the southern Great Plains, with the central pressure bottoming out at 976 mbar (97.6 kPa or 28.81 inHg) on the morning of December 9 over northern lower Michigan although readings as low as 969 mbar (96.9 kPa or 28.61 inHg) were reported in the region by co-operative observers and others.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
This central pressure was lower than the storm which sank the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975 and equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
It appears to be the fourth-lowest central pressure measured in the Midwest, behind 953 mbar (28.11 inHg) (and a possible tie of national record for Canada of 940.6 mbar (94 kPa or 27.76 inHg)) in the October 26, 2010 windstorm (October 2010 North American storm complex), 962 mbar (28.44 inHg) reading in southern Minnesota during the November 10, 1998 windstorm and readings down to 955 mbar (28.21 inHg)  with the Midwest and North-East blizzard of late January 1978.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
In advance of the storm, the barometric pressure at many weather stations fell by 3 or more millibars per hour for 18 hours or more. Several locations along the path of the storm reported winds in excess of 100 mph with a 115 mph gust in north-eastern New Mexico.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
The belated arrival of cold air in the system appears to have prevented even faster intensification and deepening and meant that many locations received 10 to 25 inches of wet, heavy snow, which would have fluffed out to 40 to 55 or more inches of fluffy snow at 10 °F (-12 °C). In spite of this, the largest snow drifts created by the storm in the Midwest were some in Iowa which approached 30 feet (9 m) in height.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
In some localities, the moisture content of the precipitation from the storm exceeded 3 inches (76 mm)   This was probably part of the reason that the section of the snowpack generated by this storm persisted into late April 2010 in some locations.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
Lightning, thunder, rain, granular snow, ice pellets, graupel, hail, blowing dust, and freezing rain were also elements of this storm in different locations, which the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa called an "epic" blizzard in its December 7, 2009 issuance of a Blizzard Warning for essentially its entire County Warning Area.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
Thunderstorms and lake-effect snow bands increased the totals in some places, including locations where the lake effect was able to be discerned more than 100 miles inland.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
Fog of the advection, frontal, and evaporation (steam) species—often occurring in combination—accompanied the snow in many localities, in some cases turning to freezing fog before lifting; some stations reported a very unusual simultaneous combination of heavy snow or mixed precipitation, lightning, dense fog, and winds in excess of 50 mph.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
The storm picked up forward speed as it entered South Central Canada, the clouds and precipitation appearing to travel in excess of 100 mph over central and north-east Canada and the North Atlantic Ocean.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
As in a case in December 1986 when the precipitation shield of a snow storm was confirmed to be traveling at 125 mph over Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa and with some species of synoptic scale dust storms and some cold fronts which also can attain forward speeds of up to 110 mph or more, the system hooked into an area of fast-moving upper-level winds and/or a strong jet stream. This setup allowed a great deal of convection not often seen at the ambient temperatures during this storm's cyclogenesis, reorganisation, and movement to the north-east to take place during most of the lifetime of the system.


2009 Midwest Blizzard
The storm was the largest wind producer for the region since Hurricane Ike reintensified and regained partial tropical characteristics over Indiana and Michigan.


2009 Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces
The 28th Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces will be the 2009 version of the Criterium of Aces. It took place on 29 March at the Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland. In the 2008 season, Criterium was won by multi-winner Tomasz Gollob, who beat junior Emil Saifutdinov and Tomasz Chrzanowski.


2009 Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces, Start list
Note: riders in bold type are Polonia' riders. Riders with numbers are 2009 Speedway Grand Prix riders.


2009 Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces, Heat details
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •  t - exclusion for touching the tapes •  x - other exclusion •  e - retired or mechanical failure •  f - fell •  ns - non-starter •  nc - non-classify


2009 Milan–San Remo
The 2009 Milan–San Remo cycling race took place on 21 March 2009. It was the 100th edition of the Milan–San Remo monument classic, and followed the same route as the previous year. Manx sprint specialist Mark Cavendish won by a narrow margin. Heinrich Haussler made a late attack with 250 metres to the finish and rode away but Cavendish made up Haussler's 10m lead with 100m to go. The race was the fourth event in the inaugural UCI World Ranking.


2009 Millennium Point stampede
The 2009 Millennium Point Concert Stampede was an incident which occurred during a November 15, 2009 holiday event outside of the Millennium Point complex in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Hundreds of people broke through a temporary crowd control barrier causing various injuries to fans during the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On event, while JLS were performing.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, The event
The free event, organised by 96.4FM BRMB and Birmingham City Council, was to start at 2 pm, followed by the Christmas Lights Switch-on at 7.30 pm and finishing with a fireworks display.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, The event
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Ben Bradshaw and the city council's Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture, Martin Mullaney blamed the tragedy on bad weather and a failure of the fencing for the incident. However, local MP for Perry Barr, Khalid Mahmood pointed toward the Birmingham City Council's lack of preparedness. Steve Hollingworth, assistant director of sports and events at Birmingham City Council said the event had been organised and prepared properly. Mahmood said the council should have made access to the event by ticket-holders only, and that ticketless fans should not have been admitted and compared the situation to the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster, where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, The event
All parties agreed that the late surge of fans from outside of the main event was poorly handled and that the council could have erected plasma TV screens outside the event for those unable to get in.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, The event
An independent report by a health and safety consultant placed the final blame on Birmingham City Council's choice of fencing. The usual solid fencing was deemed unsafe in the high winds and so was replaced by see-through temporary fencing that morning. Despite this, the report concluded that pre-planning for the event was "satisfactory". It was believed that members of the public could see spaces in the crowds appearing through the see-through fence and decided to climb over, resulting in the fence collapsing and causing the subsequent surge and injuries.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, Council preparation
Because a free pop music concert and fireworks show was planned, sections of Millennium Point were fenced off. Either marshals and/or police were stationed at a few points so as to prevent any minor crimes, like pickpocketing. Trouble breaking out may have been contributed by party-goers becoming over-excited, plus the unofficial presence of alcohol.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, Council preparation
Birmingham City Councillor Martin Mullaney later stated it was a failure of the fencing at Millennium Point which was the main problem, since the wind broke the solid-steel fencing down during the night, and it was then replaced with Heras fencing, as used on building sites, and extra security personnel.


2009 Millennium Point stampede, Council preparation
According to reports, about 20,000 to 21,000 (officially) or 27,000 people (police estimates) arrived for the show at Millennium Point, which had been expecting to attract just 5,000 fans, not the 15,000 and 20,000 Birmingham City Council had expected to arrive. The venue had a capacity of 5,000 people, and it was recognised that things would become overcrowded.


2009 Miller Superbike World Championship round
The 2009 Miller Superbike World Championship round was the seventh round of the 2009 Superbike World Championship season. It took place on the weekend of May 29–31, 2009 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.


2009 Miller Superbike World Championship round, Results, Superbike race 1
Race 1 was stopped after lap 7 for a crash involving Karl Muggeridge. The race was then restarted and completed; the final standings are the aggregate of the times of the two heats.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
The 2009 Millsaps Majors football team represented Millsaps College during the 2009 college football season. In 2009, the Majors finished 5-1 in SCAC play to again earn a share of the conference title. The team's fourth conference championship in as many years was added to the accomplishments of the winningest senior class in the program's history, who finished their four-year careers with a 33-10 overall record.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
However, the team had hoped to attain another NCAA playoff berth, a cause derailed by three painfully close loses. First, the Majors lost to their rival Choctaws in two overtimes in the season-opening ninth edition of the renewed Backyard Brawl. Millsaps won their next three games, including an emotional 24-6 victory over Trinity after a week in which Coach DuBose's wife Polly underwent the first of several breast cancer surgeries that took place during the season.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
The following week Coach DuBose spent limited time with the team while caring for his wife, as the Majors prepared for an important conference road game. The team traveled to Greencastle, Indiana to face DePauw. Coincidentally, the game fell on the first weekend of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), and DePauw had painted a pair of pink ribbons on their field in support of the event. In a show of outstanding camaraderie and sportsmanship, DePauw had then inscribed "P.D." in each of the ribbons for Polly DuBose.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
The Majors put forth a valiant effort in the game, coming from 16 down to within a two-point conversion of tying the game with under four minutes to play. The two point attempt failed when running back Shane Bowser could not escape an open field tackle and came up less than a yard short of the endzone. DePauw was able to run out the clock and preserve the victory, handing the Majors only their second conference loss of DuBose's tenure in heartbreaking fashion, after the Majors had won 10 straight dating back to that fateful 2007 contest against Trinity.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
The next week the Majors came up with another disappointing loss, again on the road, this time at the hands of Huntingdon. Millsaps squandered a 36-24 third quarter advantage, as Huntingdon's potent offense caught fire in the second half. The Majors' normally powerful offensive unit sputtered as two quarterbacks were forced to leave the game due to injury and the team could only watch as Huntingdon roared back to claim a 47-36 victory.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
The team finished the season on a positive note, handily dispatching of their last four opponents, including a homecoming victory over previously undefeated Centre. A 61-7 dismantling of Sewanee the following week secured the program's share of a fourth consecutive conference title.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team
Junior return specialist Michael Galatas was named the SCAC's "Special Teams Player of the Year" for the second consecutive season, the fourth consecutive season the award went to a Major, and junior linebacker Will Hawkins was the conference's "Defensive Player of the Year", and a first team All-American. A total of 20 Majors were voted to the all-conference first, second and honorable mention teams.


2009 Millsaps Majors football team, Season summary
In December, DuBose announced he was leaving Millsaps to join new Memphis coach Larry Porter's staff. DuBose's tenure ended with 33 victories in four seasons, prior to which the Majors had won just 37 games in 10 years, and DuBose's four consecutive conference championships came after the Majors had won only two since joining the SCAC in 1989. DuBose's .767 winning percentage is the highest of any coach in the school's history and only Harper Davis won more games as the Majors' head coach.


2009 Milwaukee Bonecrushers season
The 2009 Milwaukee Bonecrushers season was the 2nd season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. The Bonecrushers returned to action in 2009 with renewed optimism after signing LeRoy McFadden, brother of NFL player Darren McFadden, as its new head coach, as well as the previous year's CIFL Offensive Player of the Year, Randy Bell. However, McFadden also chose to resign after just three games, leaving assistant coach, John Burns, to take over as head coach. While the Bonecrushers survived the 2009 season in Milwaukee, and in spite of bringing in top announcer Dennis J. O'Boyle to handle the public address and master of ceremonies duties at the U.S. Cellular Arena, attendance dwindled to nearly nothing and the team finished with a record of 3-8.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers' 2009 season was the 40th season for the franchise in Milwaukee and 41st overall. It was Ken Macha's first season as manager of the team. The Brewers failed to improve on their 90–72 record of a year ago and missed the post season, finishing with a losing record of 80–82.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Pitchers
Starting pitchers CC Sabathia, who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a mid-season trade in 2008, and Ben Sheets both rejected arbitration and became free agents following the end of the 2008 season. Numerous teams showed interest in Sabathia, considered one of the best free agent pitchers available after compiling an 11–2 record and an ERA of only 1.62 in 17 starts for the Brewers in 2008.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Pitchers
The Brewers made a 5-year, $100 million contract offer to Sabathia, but he elected to sign with the New York Yankees on December 9, receiving a 7-year, $161 million contract that was the largest received by a pitcher at the time. No serious attempt was made to resign Sheets, who had been the Brewers' ace before the acquisition of Sabathia but struggled with numerous injuries throughout his career.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Pitchers
In the bullpen, closer Salomón Torres elected to retire from baseball despite believing that it would have been "a given" that the Brewers would exercise their 2009 contract option on him. After a disappointing 2008 season, former closer Éric Gagné was not offered arbitration. Left-handed specialist Brian Shouse was offered arbitration, but instead chose to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays. No attempt was made to resign Guillermo Mota, who eventually signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Pitchers
Needing to acquire at least one starter to fill the hole in the rotation left by Sabathia and Sheets, the Brewers signed free agent Braden Looper, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals, to a one-year, $4.5 million contract for 2009. To replace the retired Torres, the Brewers turned to all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who became available after contentious contract negotiations caused the San Diego Padres, Hoffman's home for 16 years, to pull back their 2009 contract offer. Hoffman was signed to a one-year, $6 million contract for the Brewers. Relievers Todd Coffey, who was signed to a one-year contract avoiding arbitration after being claimed off waivers in September, and free agent Jorge Julio rounded out the offseason bullpen acquisitions.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Position players
Outfielder Gabe Kapler, second baseman Ray Durham, and third baseman Russell Branyan all became free agents following the end of the 2008 season; Kapler and Branyan signed one-year contracts with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners respectively, while Durham remains unsigned as of May 19, 2009. Center fielder Mike Cameron's $10 million contract option for 2009 was exercised by the Brewers. Utility infielder Craig Counsell's $3.4 million contract option was declined by the Brewers, making him a free agent, but the team later agreed to terms on a new one-year, $1 million contract in late January.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Coaching staff
Having made the move of firing manager Ned Yost with only 12 games remaining in the 2008 season, an early priority for the Brewers was the hiring of a permanent replacement for Yost. Candidates considered included interim manager Dale Sveum, former Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha, former New York Mets manager Willie Randolph, and broadcaster and former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly. On October 30, 2008, the Brewers announced the hiring of Macha, who received a two-year contract to manage the club.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason moves, Coaching staff
In an unusual move, Macha proceeded to hire two of his competitors for his coaching staff, naming Randolph the bench coach and Sveum the hitting coach. Although the Brewers offered pitching coach Mike Maddux a new contract, they were unable to match the offer made by the Texas Rangers. Bullpen coach Bill Castro was promoted to pitching coach, while Nashville Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles was promoted to fill the vacated bullpen coach position. Brad Fischer was hired as third base coach to round out Macha's new staff.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Spring training
The Brewers opened spring training camp on February 13, with the first game played on February 25. Home games were played at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona. The Brewers compiled a 22–10–3 record in spring training games, the best record of any National League team and the second-best record (behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) in the Cactus League.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Spring training
The 2009 spring training season was affected by the 2009 World Baseball Classic, which was held in March. Six players in the Brewers system played in the Classic and missed time during spring training: left fielder Ryan Braun (Team USA), relief pitcher Mark DiFelice (Team Italy), and minor league players Vinny Rottino (Team Italy), Adam Stern (Team Canada), Brett Lawrie (Team Canada), and David Welch (Team Australia). Additionally, the Brewers played an exhibition game against Team Australia, winning by the score of 10 to 5.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Spring training
With the lineup and starting rotation largely set, the main position battles entering camp were for spots in the bullpen and on the bench. Ultimately, the available bench spots were claimed by infielder Casey McGehee, who had been claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs during the offseason, center fielder Chris Duffy, who was invited to camp as a non-roster invitee, and outfielder Brad Nelson, the Brewers' fourth-round draft pick in 2001.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Spring training
Mike Lamb, who had been expected to make the club before McGehee's strong spring, was released by the team on April 1; he was eventually signed to a minor league deal by the New York Mets. Closer Trevor Hoffman suffered an oblique strain in mid-March and was forced to begin the regular season on the disabled list.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, April
The Brewers opened the regular season on the road on April 7 with a loss against the San Francisco Giants; Jeff Suppan made his first Opening Day start for the Brewers and fourth overall. The Brewers won their home opener three days later with a ninth inning rally over the rival Chicago Cubs. Overall, however, the team struggled during the first few weeks of the season, losing four consecutive series against the Giants, the Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Mets. The Brewers' pitching staff struggled early, compiling a 5.19 ERA during the first four series.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, April
Manny Parra, the number three starter in the rotation, particularly struggled and finished the month with an 0–4 record with a 6.52 ERA, and Suppan went 1–2 with a 5.88 ERA. The team's fortunes improved considerably after an 11–4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on April 21, however, as the Brewers won series against the Phillies and the Houston Astros before returning home and sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates to close the month, rallying to a 12–10 overall record in April.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, April
Leading the offense during the month of April was Mike Cameron, who led the team with a .333 batting average and tied for the team lead in home runs with 5. Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks also hit 5 home runs in April. The month's best starting pitcher was newly acquired Braden Looper, who went 2–0 with a 2.45 ERA in April. Dave Bush came within five outs of a no-hitter in a 6–1 win over Philadelphia on April 23.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, April
Trevor Hoffman returned from the disabled list and made his first Brewers appearance on April 27 in a non-save situation; he recorded his first save with the Brewers (and 555th overall) the following day. Backup catcher Mike Rivera, however, suffered a sprained ankle in the same game and was placed on the disabled list; rookie Carlos Corporán was called up from Nashville to replace him.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
The Brewers opened May with a split of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks before sweeping the Pirates in a two-game series in Pittsburgh. In sweeping the Pirates, the Brewers extended their winning streak against Pittsburgh to 17 games dating back to May 20, 2008, the longest winning streak by one Major League Baseball team over another since 1970. The Brewers continued their winning ways in the following five series as well, splitting series against the Reds and Cubs, sweeping the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals, and winning two out of three games in Houston.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
In a one-month period between April 21 and May 21, the Brewers did not lose a series and went 22–6, the best record in baseball over that period. The team struggled at the start of interleague play, however, as the Brewers were swept in their last scheduled visit to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome by the rival Minnesota Twins.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
Returning home, the Brewers won a Memorial Day matinee against the Cardinals in a game where both Yovani Gallardo took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter had a perfect game into the seventh inning, but lost the next two games, leaving the Cardinals in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. The Brewers finished the month of May with a sweep of Cincinnati, giving the team an 18–10 record for the month.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
Injuries and ineffective play by several bench players caused the Brewers to make several roster moves during the month of May. Mike Rivera returned from the disabled list on May 14 as Carlos Corporán was returned to the minors; Corporan appeared in only one game, where he caught the last two innings of a 15–3 blowout of the Cincinnati Reds on May 6 and singled off of regular Cincinnati shortstop Paul Janish in his only at-bat.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
The team suffered a significant setback on May 18 when starting second baseman Rickie Weeks suffered an injury to his left wrist, ending his 2009 season. For the time being, Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee are expected to replace Weeks in the lineup; Hernán Iribarren was called up from Nashville following the injury, but was returned to Nashville after only one series. Brad Nelson, who went hitless in 21 at-bats, declined a demotion to the minor leagues and became a free agent on May 15; top third base prospect Mat Gamel was called up to replace Nelson on the roster.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, May
On May 21, the Brewers traded Triple-A outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr. to the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Jody Gerut; Chris Duffy was demoted to Nashville to make room on the roster for Gerut. Finally, on May 21 the team called up outfielder Frank Catalanotto, who had been signed to a minor league contract by the team earlier in the month.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, June
The Brewers opened June on a sour note, dropping three out of four games to the Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium, but rebounded in the next series and won two out of three against the Atlanta Braves. Following a poor outing on June 1 in which he failed to retire any of the six batters he faced, Jorge Julio was released; Mike Burns was called up to take Julio's spot in the bullpen. In 15 appearances for the Brewers, Julio went 1–1 with a 7.79 ERA in 17+1⁄3 innings.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, June
The Brewers returned to Miller Park on June 9 but suffered a 1–5 homestand in which the team was swept by Colorado and lost two out of three against the Chicago White Sox. After giving up 6 runs in 1+1⁄3 innings in the second game of the White Sox series, Manny Parra was demoted to Triple-A Nashville; in 13 appearances through June 13, Parra went 3–8 with a 7.52 ERA. In the third game of the series, Trevor Hoffman finally gave up his first run of the season in what was then a tie game; Hoffman had pitched 18+2⁄3 innings in 2009 without giving up a run.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, June
The Brewers returned to interleague play in Cleveland, where they swept the Cleveland Indians in a high-scoring series that included a six-run rally in the eighth inning on June 15, capped by Prince Fielder's first career grand slam, and an 11-inning win on June 17 that mooted a four-run comeback by the Indians in the ninth inning, giving Hoffman his first blown save of the season. The team's interleague woes returned for the remaining two interleague series, however, as the Brewers were swept in Detroit and dropped two of three against the Twins at Miller Park.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, June
The Twins series included the first start by a Brewers pitcher not in the opening day rotation, as Mike Burns made his first career start, replacing the injured Dave Bush. Milwaukee's fortunes improved with a return to National League play, as the team closed out June with series wins at home against San Francisco and the New York Mets. On June 27, Seth McClung made his first start of the year as Manny Parra's replacement in the pitching rotation (due to off days, a fifth starter had not been needed since Parra's June 13 demotion). On June 30, Burns collected his first career win in a game which also included Casey McGehee's first career grand slam. The Brewers ended June with a 12–15 record for the month, but nonetheless held a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for the division lead.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
After opening July with a 1–0 loss to the Mets, the Brewers traveled to Wrigley Field for the first time in 2009, losing three of four games to the Cubs over the Fourth of July weekend. The team fared little better upon returning to Miller Park, dropping series against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny Parra returned to the majors on July 9 and pitched seven shutout innings, but received a no-decision after the Cardinals scored five runs off the Milwaukee bullpen in the eighth inning.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
Three Brewers players participated in the 2009 MLB All-Star Game held July 14 in St. Louis, Missouri. Ryan Braun received 4,138,599 votes in fan balloting, the most received by any National League outfielder, and started his second consecutive All-Star Game. Prince Fielder also made his second All-Star appearance when he was selected as a reserve player by National League team manager Charlie Manuel.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
Fielder was also invited to the 2009 Home Run Derby, which he ultimately won with 17 home runs in the first two rounds and six home runs in the final round, beating Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers. Finally, Trevor Hoffman made his seventh All-Star appearance as a replacement for injured Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
Following the All-Star Break the Brewers went on the road, splitting a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds before losing two of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates win on July 20 snapped the Brewers 17-game winning streak against Pittsburgh in a game marred by a disputed beanball thrown at Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens, reportedly in retribution for an incident in April where Karstens hit Ryan Braun with a pitch, that caused both benches to empty during the eighth inning. On July 19, second baseman Felipe López was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league players Cole Gillespie and Roque Mercedes; the acquisition of Lopez was expected to fill the hole at second and at the top of the lineup left by Rickie Weeks' May injury.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
Milwaukee's July struggles continued at home, as the team lost a series against Atlanta before splitting a four-game series against the Washington Nationals, who entered the series with a Major League-worst 30–68 record. Tim Dillard was called up from the minor leagues to replace the struggling Mike Burns, and Carlos Villanueva made his first start of the season in a July 28 loss to the Nationals. Villanueva was a somewhat surprising choice for the assignment; though he had starting experience in 2008, Villanueva had struggled out of the bullpen in 2009 with a 2–7 record and 6.19 ERA.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Regular season, July
Following the series against the Nationals, the Brewers were forced to make more roster moves as Jeff Suppan was placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique and third baseman Bill Hall was optioned to Triple-A Nashville at his own request to work on his hitting; Hall had struggled with a .201 batting average in 199 at-bats in 2009. Shortly before the July 31 trading deadline, former Brewer Claudio Vargas was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for minor league infielder Vinny Rottino in an attempt to shore up the pitching staff.


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


2009 Milwaukee Brewers season, Farm system
The Brewers' farm system consisted of seven minor league affiliates in 2009. The Brewers operated a Dominican Summer League team as a co-op with the Baltimore Orioles.


2009 Mindanao bombings
The Mindanao bombings was a series of seemingly unrelated bomb attacks that took place on July 4, 5, and 7, 2009 in the towns of Datu Piang and Jolo, and the cities of Cotabato and Iligan in Mindanao, Philippines. The bombings killed around 7 people and injured at least 66. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has blamed several militant organizations active in Mindanao, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Abu Sayyaf, and Jemaah Islamiyah.


2009 Mindanao bombings
The Roman Catholic Church and its leader Pope Benedict XVI condemned the initial attack. A statement from the MILF said the attack was carried out by "heartless people" and called for an independent investigation to determine who was responsible. They also said, "there's no religious conflict in the south" and "we're fighting for our right of self-determination". A press secretary to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed confidence that the bombing would not collapse peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.


2009 Mindanao bombings
Several members of the opposition said that these attacks may be related to a possible plan by the government to place the country in emergency rule, alluding to the days of Martial Law under former president Ferdinand Marcos. Others have said they may be in preparation to heighten security amid the State of the Nation Address by Arroyo, which may restrict demonstrations and protest. The government rejected these claims and said they were assessing the situation. Security was increased in Metro Manila, the seat of government, and in other areas of the country, particularly Mindanao. A day after the incidents, the UN Development Program, meanwhile, announced it was suspending its operations for refugees in the south.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Datu Piang and Cotabato
The night before the Mindanao attacks, a bomb exploded in the nearby town of Datu Piang. At approximately 8:50 a.m. in Cotabato City, a bomb exploded  near a lechón food stall, across the street from the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception during Sunday Mass as a military truck drove by, killing five people and injuring up to 55 more. The dead included at least one member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, a street food vendor, and a three-year-old boy. According to initial police reports, two soldiers standing guard near the cathedral were killed by the blast. Five soldiers were injured in the explosion. A sixth victim, an injured infant, died later in hospital.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Datu Piang and Cotabato
According to Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Jonathan Ponce, the bomb consisted of a mortar shell and was detonated remotely using a mobile telephone. Witnesses reported that the cathedral did not sustain significant damage. Shortly after the attack, security forces arrested a man suspected of planting the bomb. He was arrested while carrying a second device into the cathedral, according to police.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Datu Piang and Cotabato
The military blamed the bombing on rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a secessionist Islamic organization active in the southern Philippines. Ponce said, "The rebels are getting desperate and they are no longer choosing their targets. They are now attacking even places of worship." MILF leader Mohaqher Iqbal denied that the militant group carried out the attack, stating: "There's no religious conflict in the south [of the Philippines]. We're fighting for our right of self-determination."


2009 Mindanao bombings, Datu Piang and Cotabato
The attack drew condemnation from the Roman Catholic Church—including from its leader Pope Benedict XVI—Philippine government officials, and the MILF. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotabato, said the bombing was "not just a crime, [but] a sacrilege" and called for prayer "for the conversion of the bombers". A spokesperson for the MILF, Eid Kabalu, condemned the attack by "heartless people" and called for an independent investigation to determine who was responsible. Cerge Remonde, press secretary to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, expressed confidence that the bombing would not collapse peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Jolo and Iligan
Another bomb attack occurred on July 7, 2009, in Jolo on the southern Philippine island of Sulu. An improvised explosive device (IED) was placed inside a motorcycle, according to Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela of the Philippine National Police; it detonated in downtown Jolo at 7:55 a.m. outside a hardware store, killing six people. The store's owner was one of the fatalities. Approximately forty people were injured in the explosion. It exploded about 100 metres (330 ft) from the Mount Carmel Church. According to Gucela, police discovered two more unexploded devices within a similar radius around the church.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Jolo and Iligan
Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Arevalo, a spokesman for the Philippine Navy, said most of those wounded in the blast were in critical condition. Arevalo also said that, according to initial reports, locals had notified police of a parked motorcycle with wires connected to it, and that the explosion occurred as police were responding. Public officials in Jolo suspended school classes, fearing that additional attacks could follow. The authorities later said there had been only two fatalities rather than six.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Jolo and Iligan
Approximately two to three hours after the blast in Jolo, a bomb exploded in Iligan City in a car parked near a pawnshop. The explosion injured between seven and thirteen people, including up to three soldiers, but caused no deaths. The bomb exploded next to a Philippine Army "mini-cruiser"; however, Lt Col Juvymax Uy said the soldiers "were likely not the target of the blast".


2009 Mindanao bombings, Jolo and Iligan
The attacks in Jolo and Iligan came two days after the blast in Cotabato City, but the military "ruled out the possibility" that the bombings were related. Major General Juancho Sabban identified the Abu Sayyaf Group, which is based in Jolo, as the most likely perpetrators of the attack in Jolo, while saying that Iligan is located in an area "affected" by the MILF. Sabban said investigators were also considering Jemaah Islamiyah as possible culprits.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Jolo and Iligan
Eid Kabalu, the civil-military affairs chief of the MILF, was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying, "We tend to believe former [Philippine House of Representatives] Speaker Jose de Venecia’s view that this is part of a national grand design leading to a military takeover" of the country due to ongoing apprehensions over ruling party congressmen's fforts to form a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution and extend President Arroyo's rule. In the interview, Kabalu said the bomb attacks' not being confined to Mindanao was "a very clear sign" backing the "grand design" theory. He assailed the military for blaming the bomb attacks on the MILF.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Aftermath
The Philippine government held an emergency meeting immediately after the incidents to assess possible implications. A reward of one million pesos was offered for anyone who could provide information leading to the arrests of the bombers. On July 8, 2009, the United Nations Development Program announced it had halted its feeding program to the island's estimated 340,000–578,000 refugees displaced by the recent fighting between the government and rebel forces. Security was increased all over the archipelago, particularly in Metro Manila and its financial center, Makati.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Aftermath
House Speaker Prospero Nograles stated, "regardless of creed or religion and political inclinations, we all must act to end these series of criminal acts". Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño said the only people benefiting from the situation was the President's administration, and that "[t]he lack of conclusive information... reinforces the suspicion that either there is a failure of intelligence or the obfuscation is deliberately orchestrated to divert the public's attention from the ... threat of emergency rule". These statements followed allegations that the government intended to reinstate Martial Law, similar to that of Ferdinand Marcos in 1972.


2009 Mindanao bombings, Aftermath
The bombings occurred within days of a visit by of CIA chief Leon Panetta, who was due to meet with President Arroyo about the country's security relation with the United States, particularly about the current situation of the U.S. military's presence in the southern Philippines. They also preceded the final State of the Nation Address on July 27 by the Philippine president before ending her term, which led to several opposition senators saying that these attacks may have been a ploy to heighten security in the capital, restricting possible protests and demonstrations against her.


2009 Mini Challenge UK
The 2009 Mini Challenge season was the eighth season of the Mini Challenge UK. The season started on 18 April at Rockingham Motor Speedway and ended on 27 September at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit. The season featured six rounds across the UK.


2009 Mini Challenge UK, Championship standings
Championship points were awarded for the first 15 positions in each Championship Race. Entries were required to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. There were bonus points awarded for Pole Position and Fastest Lap.


2009 Minneapolis City Council election
The 2009 Minneapolis City Council elections were held on November 3, 2009 to elect the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council for four-year terms. Candidates affiliated with the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) won 12 seats and the Green Party of Minnesota one seat.


2009 Minneapolis City Council election
Members were elected from single-member districts via instant-runoff voting, popularly known as ranked choice voting. Voters had the option of ranking up to three candidates. Municipal elections in Minnesota are nonpartisan, although candidates were able to identify with a political party on the ballot.


2009 Minneapolis mayoral election
The 2009 Minneapolis mayoral election was held on November 3, 2009 to elect the Mayor of Minneapolis for a four-year term. Incumbent R. T. Rybak won re-election for a third term in the first round with 73.6% of the vote.


2009 Minneapolis mayoral election
This was the first mayoral election in the city's history to use instant-runoff voting, popularly known as ranked choice voting. Voters had the option of ranking up to three candidates. Municipal elections in Minnesota are nonpartisan, although candidates were able to identify with a political party on the ballot.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election
A general election was held in Minneapolis on November 3, 2009. Minneapolis's mayor was up for election as well as all the seats on the City Council, the two elected seats on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, and all the seats on the Park and Recreation Board. This was the first election held in Minneapolis that used ranked choice voting, a collective term for instant-runoff voting and the single transferable vote.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election
Because city voters approved a city charter change by referendum in 2006 to use a ranked choice voting system, Minneapolis did not hold a primary election on September 8, the 2009 date for primaries in Minnesota.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election
There was a lawsuit in court to prevent the voting change; it lost by summary judgment in the first court, was appealed directly to the Minnesota Supreme Court, where it also lost. One person active in the lawsuit filed as a candidate but did not campaign; allegedly this was to give him legal standing to sue after the election.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election, Mayor
Incumbent Democratic–Farmer–Labor Mayor R. T. Rybak announced on January 13, 2009 that he would be running for re-election. 11 candidates were on the ballot.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election, Mayor
Previously mentioned as possible candidates for Mayor were Bob Miller, the director of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), Minneapolis City Council members Gary Schiff and Ralph Remington, Minneapolis Park Board President Tom Nordyke, former City Council president Jackie Cherryhomes, and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin; none of them ended up running.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election, City Council
All 13 seats on the Minneapolis City Council were up for election.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election, Board of Estimate and Taxation
The two elected members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation were up for election. Incumbent Carol Becker was re-elected in the first round with 52.1% of first-choice votes. As no other candidate achieved the threshold to be elected the second member, several rounds of vote transfers were necessary. David Wheeler was elected in the fifth round after the remaining candidates were defeated.


2009 Minneapolis municipal election, Park and Recreation Board
The nine members of the Park and Recreation Board were up for election. Three members were elected from one citywide, at-large district via the single transferable vote and six from single-member districts via instant-runoff voting.


2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the third under head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 5, 2009, at Syracuse, a member of the Big East Conference. On September 12, the Minnesota opened the new TCF Bank Stadium with a 20–13 win against Air Force, moving from the Metrodome, which had been their home stadium since 1982. The Golden Gophers finished the season 6–7 and 3–5 in Big Ten play and lost 13–14 to Iowa State in the Insight Bowl.


2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Despite the worse overall record, the Golden Gophers only suffered two blowout losses in the 2009 season (20-0 to Penn State and 38–7 to Ohio State), compared to 3 in 2008 (55–0 to Iowa, 42–21 to Kansas, 29–6 to a 3–9 Michigan team, and one could possibly also include a 34–21 loss to Ohio State that was 34–6 until the Buckeye reserves came in).


2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, Preseason
The Golden Gophers came off a 7–6 season after starting 7–1, capped by an appearance in the 2008 Insight Bowl. On January 6, offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar resigned and defensive coordinator Ted Roof left Minnesota for Auburn. On January 9, former Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove was hired as the co-defensive coordinator, a position he will share with Ronnie Lee. On January 21, Jedd Fisch was named the offensive coordinator. He had previously been the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos.


2009 Minnesota Lynx season
The 2009 WNBA season is the 11th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association.


2009 Minnesota Lynx season, Offseason, Dispersal Draft
Based on the Lynx's 2008 record, they would pick 4th in the Houston Comets dispersal draft. The Lynx picked Roneeka Hodges.


2009 Minnesota Lynx season, Offseason, WNBA Draft
The following are the Lynx's selections in the 2009 WNBA Draft.


2009 Minnesota Swarm season
The Minnesota Swarm are a lacrosse team based in Minnesota playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2009 season was the 5th in franchise history.


2009 Minnesota Swarm season
The Swarm played their first four seasons in the East division, but because of the addition of the Boston Blazers and the demise of the Arizona Sting, they were moved to the West division for the 2009 season.


2009 Minnesota Swarm season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2009 Minnesota Swarm season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2009 Minnesota Swarm season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2009 Minnesota Swarm season, Transactions, Entry draft
The 2008 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 7, 2008. The Swarm selected the following players:


2009 Minnesota Twins season
The 2009 Minnesota Twins season was the 49th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 109th overall in the American League. It was their final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with their new stadium, Target Field, opening in 2010. They ended the regular season as AL Central champions after defeating the Detroit Tigers in a one game tie-breaker. They were then swept in the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
On April 17, Jason Kubel hit for the cycle, becoming the ninth Twin to accomplish the feat. Kubel joins just six other American League cycle-hitters that filled the 'HR' slot with a grand slam home run.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
On May 22, Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle, becoming the tenth Twin to accomplish the feat. When he homered twice in the seventh inning on August 23, Cuddy became the only man ever in baseball to accomplish both feats in the same season. Prior to Kubel last month, the eight previous Twins' cycle hitters were Rod Carew, 1970; César Tovar, 1972; Larry Hisle, 1976; Lyman Bostock, 1976; Mike Cubbage, 1978; Gary Ward, 1980; Kirby Puckett, 1986 and Carlos Gómez, 2008.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
After 319 consecutive games, Justin Morneau sat out June 21. He hadn't missed a game since June 27, 2007, until manager Ron Gardenhire held him out today. His consecutive-games streak remains the longest for the Twins club.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
At the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, Joe Mauer was the American League's starting catcher, and doubled in three at-bats. Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan entered as reserves. Nathan pitched an inning, walked one, struck out one and gave up one hit, earning a hold.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
Joe Mauer won his third American League batting title, with a .365 average. In the forty-nine seasons the Minnesota Twins have existed, a Twin has won the AL batting title fourteen times -- Rod Carew (7), Tony Oliva (3), Joe Mauer (3) and Kirby Puckett (1).


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
Closer Joe Nathan saved 47 games to top Eddie Guardado's previous club record of 45. He was a co-winner of the Rolaids Relief Man Award (with Mariano Rivera), only the second Twin (after Bill Campbell, in 1976) to do so. Nathan now leads in Twins career saves with 260.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
For the first time ever, four Twins topped 90 RBI: Jason Kubel (103), Justin Morneau (100), Joe Mauer (96) and Michael Cuddyer (94).


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
Along with winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, Joe Mauer was named American League MVP, the fifth Twin in history to be so honored. Mauer is the first AL catcher to lead the league in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.


2009 Minnesota Twins season, Tie-Breaker & Post Season
The Twins ended the 162-game regular season tied with the Detroit Tigers, necessitating a one-game playoff. This made the Twins the first major league team ever to play in a tie-breaker two years in a row (they lost one to the Chicago White Sox in 2008). The game took place on Tuesday, October 6 at the Metrodome. The Twins won the game, 6-5, in 12 innings on Alexi Casilla's game-winning hit scoring Carlos Gómez.