Some Jim Calhoun news:

First off, his second annual Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Bike Ride will be held on Sunday in Simsbury. The 50-mile ride begins at 8:30 a.m., the 25-mile at 9:30 a.m. and the 10-mile ride at 11 a.m.

Calhoun plans on starting the 50-mile ride, but if he becomes too fatigued, he will veer off and finish up on the 25-mile route. Afterwards, there will be a summer-style barbeque with music provided by local rock band Tire Biter (supposedly a Southern rock-type outfit. Never heard of them, but then I just moved to Connecticut. They should have hired my band, Dead Flowers. I'm the drummer and occasional vocalist. More on that another time ...)

The start and finish line for all the non-competitive rides will be at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows on Iron Horse Boulevard. Between 500-600 riders and about 200 volunteers are expected for this event, and organizers hope to double the $244,000 raised at last year's inaugural ride.

Also, the annual Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game will be held on Aug. 9 at Mohegan Sun. Here's the press release on that one:


National Champion Collegiate Coach and Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun will host an alumni all-star basketball game – the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game – as part of the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic. Proceeds from the game and the entire Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic will benefit the UConn Foundation, Inc.’s Jim and Pat Calhoun Cardiology Research Endowment Fund for the UConn Health Center.

This all-star basketball game, which has been sanctioned to allow NBA players to participate, will be played at 7:30PM at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, August 9, 2008. Most of the great players who have played for Coach Calhoun during the past twenty years are expected to participate. Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler, Kevin Ollie, Donyell Marshall, Khalid El-Amin, Doron Sheffer, Ricky Moore and Rudy Gay among others have played in past charity games at Mohegan Sun. Two teams of Coach Calhoun’s former players will play in a collegiate-style game.

“I am excited to be able to bring so many of my former players back together for what should be a special reunion for them and for the fans of Connecticut. I am also pleased that proceeds from the game will go to fight America’s number #1 killer – heart disease,” said Coach Calhoun.

Since 1999, the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic has raised more that $2.5 million for cardiology research at the UConn Health Center’s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center.

Mohegan Sun is the title sponsor and Big Y World Class Market and Comcast are the presenting sponsors of the Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic and Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game. Other major sponsors of the event include: UConn Alumni Association; XL Center; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England; Omar Coffee; Globe Travel; Prime Materials Recovery; The Hartford Courant; WTIC NewsTalk 1080; and, Becker’s Diamonds and Fine Jewelry.

Tickets are $22 to $29 and go on sale as of 10AM on Monday, June 9th through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call any Ticketmaster Charge by Phone number (such as 860.525.4500 in the Hartford area); or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office starting Tuesday, June 10th subject to availability.

For more information about the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Basketball Game and the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic, please call the event’s organizers, Gold, Orluk & Partners, at 860.674.1500.