Here's a poll question for the neighborsgo members and it's a simple one today. Who will get the 2016 Summer Olympic Games which will be awarded out on Friday at the I.O.C. Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

We have 4 great cities hoping to win these games and show their city to the world.

Will it be?  A. Chicago    B. Rio De Janeiro   C. Madrid     D. Tokyo

With the opening weekend of the AHL and the CHL around the corner. Here's the divison alignment for both of the minor leagues that have a lot of intrest in the Lone Star State are about to start the season.

In the Central Hockey League, the defending Champion Texas Brahmas are looking solid for another big run with nearly all their big guns from last year with players like Goaile Brett Jeager, Defensemen Scott Sheppard and Forwards which include Justin Kinnunen and Jason Deitsch who some say may be the best player to ever play for the Brahmas.

For the Allen Americans, a long road trip to start the year awaits the expansion team as they await the completion of the Allen Event Center. The first game between the Texas Brahmas and the Allen Americans will come on Halloween night at the NYTEX Sports Center.

In the AHL, the Houston Aeros are looking to prove that last year was no fluke after getting to the Western Conference Final after finishing 3rd in the West Division. Along with Houston, the newly formed the Texas Stars which is the new Dallas Stars AHL Afflaite will make their debut against I-35 Rival San Antonio Rampage in San Antonio as the Rampage hope to rebound after finishing last in the West Division last year.

Here's the weekend in major junior hockey as we are a couple weeks into the major junior hockey season. Each team has played probably played 3 and 5 games by now with the QMJHL playing a little bit more then the WHL and OHL as the "Q" started a week earlier then the others.

In addition, I will show the opening week schedules in a little bit for the American Hockey League and the Central Hockey League as both leagues are nearing the start of the season. I will not show the NHL as for hockey fans, it's much easier to find.

Recently, I showed you the remaining schedule for the Qualfying Regions in CONCACAF, South America and Africa. Now here's the schedule for the European Region and the rest of the playoff matchups that's going to take place in November.

3 groups have already been clinched, Spain in group 5, England in group 6 and the Netherlands in Group 9. The big stories will be the big battles in group 4 between Germany and Russia. Groups 2 and 3 are really going to be entreating with Switzerland leading with Greece, Latvia and Israel all fighting it out for winning the group and getting the spot in the playoff.

Serbia in group 7 and Denmark in Group 1 are looking to pull off the biggest upsets as they look to fend off teams like Portugal, Sweden and France. Unlike in recent tournaments, they will be some big time teams that will miss out from Europe as teams like Ireland, either Croatia/Ukraine and France and either Germany/Russia will have to face a playoff to get one of the final spots in the World Cup.

Let's take a look at how the groups stand and the final games coming up in October.

When the Minnesota North Stars’ then-owner Norman Greenannounced he was relocating his NHL franchise to Dallas in 1993, many folks inthe area laughed. Hockey? In Texas? Good luck!

Not me. I was an elated teenager who was already hooked onpucks, thanks mostly to a hockey-wise Canadian aunt (Jeanie mailed volumes ofCBC Hockey Night in Canada videos, magazines, newspaper clippings, etc.). Infact, the hardest part for me was going to be shedding my allegiance to theMontreal Canadiens for the new home team.

But I was up for the “challenge” of embracing the DallasStars. I already had a good head start watching and rooting for Dallas hockey. Bythen I had seen quite a few Dallas Freeze games at Fair Park. The former CHLteam was an affordable, family fun introduction to the sport.

Despite what the scoffers and naysayers thought, I wasn’tthe only Texan with a deep love for hockey. In fact, the Big D and great game areold chums, beginning with the minor league Dallas Blackhawks (1967-82). Still,nothing could compare to the first NHL team coming to Texas, arguably the mostsports-crazed state.

Fortunately, the new Dallas Stars were a pretty solid team thatwas easy to love. The inaugural team was filled with scrappy veteran playerswho weren’t afraid to drop the gloves to fight, score some goals and dowhatever it took to win games and entertain fans (Neal Broten Shane Churla,Craig Ludwig, Grant Ledyard, Dave Gagner …).

The team also was loaded with some talented young players,namely Mike Modano, Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk. Just coming intotheir prime and fresh off a Stanley Cup loss in 1991, these players wouldbecome part of the nucleus that would lead the organization to back-to-back CupFinals appearances (1999 and 2000) and hoist Lord Stanley’s chalice in ’99 (theclub’s only championship).

I have a lot of great memories involving the Stars. They’rea part of my youth and easily the team I care about most (sorry, Cowboys). Soyou can imagine my elation being a 2009-10 season ticket holder. I’m splittingtwo seats this season with a fellow Person Who Knows Pucks — Coppell/ValleyRanch neighborsgo editor Greg Tepper. I told Greg having season tix was a dream come true.

And after attending last night’s preseason game — my first in section 304, row C, seats 7 and 8 — I know that dream is a full-out fact. The outcome — a 3-1 preseason loss to the Florida Panthers —was just a small, sour note. The highlight? That’s easy. It’s knowing that Ihad 21 nights of watching the greatest sport ahead of me. Nights that I willshare my passion for hockey with friends and family members. Evenings in whichI will teach the nuances of the sport to folks attending their first game. Andto that, I say, "Let’s! Go! Stars!"

With the finish line of World Cup Qualifying in sight. Here's a look at the reaming games for the World Cup Qualifiers in CONCACAF, South America and Africa. A majority of the World Cup Qualifiers will be ending in mid October for a majority of teams, except for the Playoff Matches and the groups in Africa which will end in November.

Each team in CONCACAF, South America and Africa has 2 games left to play. No one has clinched yet in CONCACAF. For South America, Brazil and Paraguay have clinched. Finally in Africa, Ghana has won Group D and the Ivory Coast has pretty much clinched Group E, all they need is a tie in their final 2 games to book a ticket to South Africa.

For the Africa teams, in addition to the FIFA World Cup, the top 3 teams in all 5 groups will qualify for the 2010 African Nations Cup.

The UIL football season can be divided into four parts – the preseason, non-district games, district play and then the playoffs.

With each of these portions of the season comes a chance for a team to improve, develop and strengthen from week to week.

However, some teams in the area are looking at their schedules as a clean slate, a chance to start anew and an opportunity to shut down any preconceptions made in the first two portions of the season.

Put bluntly, teams are coming out this week to show that non-district results do not always matter.

There is no greater news for cyclists than the weather forecast. A strong wind, storms (and their post-storm slick roads), ice/snow (natch) and extreme heat or cold can ruin rides.

For those disappointed by the rain postponing Tour de neighborsgo Sept. 12, I come to you with good news — the makeup date, Saturday Sept. 26, is gonna be a beaut. Don’t take my word for it. Check out weather.com.

So, just a reminder about the who, what, when, where: Come out with the whole family and be sure to bring your bikes from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 26 for Castle Hills Tour de neighborsgo! We will start the morning off with a 1.5 mile bike ride around the neighborhood. It will be fun and easy enough for the whole family. Got a tyke? No problem! We will have a mini Tyke Trike before the family ride. Then join us back at the Castle Hills Village Shops and Plaza (MAP) where families can enjoy music, demonstrations by Taekwondo America, performances by Dianne Cole Johnson dance studio, lemonade provided by Bundles Gourmet, family fun activities, raffles and more.

With a majority of teams in the home stretch of World Cup Qualifying. We take a look at teams that already in, looking to get in and those will have a fight on their hands in the final set of games that are coming up in Mid October and those who impressed recently.

Well take a look at the losers in a little bit, but first lets take at the winners.

Sometimes the tally in the win column, no matter how rough, is all a team needs to keep its pride going during the season.

In the case of Garland Lakeview Centennial, a 2-0 record has not come easy following last week’s overtime win against McKinney North, but the Patriots are approaching district play with a chance to be undefeated – a confidence boost that is sometimes hard to come by, even for the best local teams.

Tonight, the Patriots will face The W.T. White Longhorns on the road with a chance to extend the team's record to 3-0 before entering the fierce competition in District 10-5A.

Last year’s meeting between these two teams, exactly one year ago this Friday, ended in a 21-7 Lakeview victory.

This year, the Patriots’ strong offense is producing a pair of the area’s top ball carriers in quarterback Davonte Black and running back Paul Hogg Jr.

Hogg is No. 4 in the district in rushing yards and with 268 yards on the ground, while Black is No. 6 in the district and has 241 yards and eight touchdowns.

Improvements for the Patriots are also evident in the teams ability to put points on the board in 2009 compared to 2008. Last season, Lakeview was averaging 20.5 points per game at this point and giving up 21 per game. This year, the Patriots are averaging 35 points and allowing only 15.5.

In 2009, the Patriots are making a statement on the football field and could end up as the sleepers of District 10-5A.

Though the team is not on the rank boards and watch lists in the area, a chance for a long-awaited return to the playoffs could be just the motivation needed to keep up the current pace in the season.

After all, 21 years ago Lakeview produced an area championship team. Who is to say it couldn’t happen again?

Marcus Murphree is a neighborsgo editor and can be reached at 469-330-5638.