Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford, the Georgia quarterback whose agent was negotiating with the Detroit Lions to make him the first pick on Saturday. As Stafford waited for a phone call from his agent, Tom Condon, he tried his best to avoid the rumor-go-round that marks the final hours before the draft. Late Friday night, Stafford indeed was entrusted to turn the Lions’ franchise around. The Associated Press reported that Stafford agreed to a six-year contract worth $41.7 million in guarantees and as much as $78 million.

He turned away from television and radio. He tried not to read newspapers. The Web was off limits. He had already consulted with the former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman about what it was like to turn a franchise around. That was an indicator that he expected to be the Lions’ latest choice in their quest to finally find a successor to Bobby Layne — who attended the same Texas high school as Stafford.

The day before the draft is the N.F.L. green room writ large, 24 hours of wondering and waiting for the future to arrive. This draft is particularly unsettled because there is no consensus on who the St. Louis Rams will take second — or on who else will go in the top 10. Stafford is now the name at the top of the draft order, but his University of Southern California counterpart Mark Sanchez, who elected to spend draft day at home in California instead of in New York, could be the player on whom the top half of the draft hinges.

Stacey Castor

Stacey Castor was charged with the murder of her husband and attempted murder of her 20-year-old daughter. The bizarre story began four years earlier, in August 2005, when Stacey Castor was at work waiting for her husband, David, to arrive. Stacey Castor, now 41, worked as an office manager at her husband’s business, Liverpool Heating and Air Conditioning.

Just days after the apparent suicide death of her second husband, 48-year-old David Castor, in 2005, Stacey Castor buried him in a rural cemetery in upstate New York. Lying next to him in the neighboring plot was Stacey Castor’s first husband, Michael Wallace, who had died five years earlier, at age 38, of an apparent heart attack. Will she be tried for murder yet again? Stacey Castor was convicted of killing her first husband and attempting to kill her daughter.

With less evidence and several years since Michael Wallace’s death, Cayuga County needs to work a bit harder in their effort to prosecute Stacey Castor for murder. So they need every bit of information they can get. Cayuga County Sheriff Dave Gould realizes requesting the grand jury transcript, which are rarely opened after a trial, could be a tough grab.

Nashville Marathon

It's Marathon Saturday in Music City. This morning, seven thousand five hundred marathon runners, and twenty five thousand half marathon runners, take to the streets of Nashville, on a course that runs through downtown Nashville, with a finish line at LP Field. A hundred thousand cheering fans line the streets as 2009 Country Music Marathon participants pass by, making their way through Nashville, with 50 musical bands playing on 27 entertainment stages along the way. Hundreds of high school cheerleaders motivate marathon participants to the finish line, and a post race country music concert follows Saturday night.

This is the 10th annual Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, with runners kicking off at Centennial Park and running past Nashville's many scenic sights. Along with other healthcare professionals, Nashville Chiropractors have their hands full, providing chiropractic care and volunteering services to scores of folks in the country music city.

Country Music Marathon Map -- There's an excellent Gif Format Course Map for the 2009 Marathon, you can view or download it here (cmm_09_course.gif). Both the Marathon & Half Marathon start at 7:00 am. Watch 2009 Nashville Marathon -- The 2009 Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon is featured on a 1 hour national broadcast on Fox Sports Net and a one hour national broadcast on FSN, with a one hour regional show on Comcast Sports Southeast.