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Heels on to the Final Four

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Heels win, Ty Lawson, Danny lead the way.  Big story was defense, 9 steals!  Blake Griffin is a beast, but OU in the end couldn't find other scorers.

Go Heels!

A-Reck -- The Hardball Times

A-Reck -- The Hardball Times

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/art...

I’ve never made any secret about the disdain I feel for Bud Selig and Scott Boras; I feel both are negative influences on the game and baseball will be far better off once they’re out of the picture. Now if we could only do something about Jeffrey Loria and David Samson. But I digress. Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I think Scott Boras has been a very destructive influence on Alex Rodriguez. Oh sure, he’s helped him make a ton of money but I think it’s safe to say that his skills would have made him a wealthy man regardless of who represented him as an agent. Nevertheless, I do think that absent Boras, Rodriguez might be a better player and certainly he would be better liked. It goes far beyond 252, although it did play a factor. His free agency at the end of the 2000 season was a definite turning point for A-Rod insofar as being both a baseball player and an icon. Of note, when he was with the Seattle Mariners, it was Ken Griffey Jr. and not Rodriguez that was king in the clubhouse. A-Rod enjoyed a single season as “top dog” (although he would have had to share that status with Edgar Martinez) and after he left as a free agent there weren’t all the stories about the special privileges he enjoyed there as there were when Junior was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds. The slugging shortstop assumed a leadership role on the 2000 Mariners, and it appears that he wasn’t given the type of perks and privileges that would cause other players to resent him in the Pacific Northwest. However, when he became a free agent, Boras made it known that a team would have to move heaven and earth to land him—it was entirely about what a club could do for Alex Rodriguez; as Boras put it, it was about ‘their desire to bring A-Rod to them.’ Allegedly he demanded a long list of perks from the New York Mets, and even though Boras denied asking for such things, he did get a lot of them out of the Texas Rangers. Did these perks originate in the mind of Boras or...

The Simple Dollar � A Guide to Making Inexpensive and Delicious Homemade Pizza

The Simple Dollar � A Guide to Making Inexpensive and Delicious Homemade Pizza

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/0...

Nice $5 pizza.

Stimulus Makes Cobra Coverage a Better Bet - WSJ.com

Stimulus Makes Cobra Coverage a Better Bet - WSJ.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12350...

As part of the economic-stimulus package signed into law this week, the federal government will provide a nine-month subsidy covering 65% of the Cobra premium for people who qualify. Eligible workers who originally opted not to take Cobra but who now want the subsidized version have 60 days after they receive notice from their employers to sign up, says Richard G. Schwartz, a benefits lawyer in New York.

Ultimate Exposure Computer

Ultimate Exposure Computer

http://fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Imagine an exposure computer so advanced that it uses your eyes as a sensor. The processing unit is as powerful as your brain. The computer is accurate over a light range from reflected starlight through the light produced in a hydrogen fusion reaction. This computer weighs nothing and operates without batteries. It comes with instructions to allow you to implant the capabilities of the computer directly into your own memory so you can accurately judge a correct exposure by simply looking at the type of light that the subject is in. You are using this computer right now!

FT.com / Weekend / Reportage - The credit crunch according to Soros

FT.com / Weekend / Reportage - The credit crunch according to Soros

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9553cce2-eb...

Interesting item on reflexivity - Reality creating perception which drives reality, and so on. His core idea is “reflexivity”, which he defines as a “two-way feedback loop, between the participants’ views and the actual state of affairs. People base their decisions not on the actual situation that confronts them, but on their perception or interpretation of the situation. Their decisions make an impact on the situation and changes in the situation are liable to change their perceptions."

Baseball Musings: Defending Spending

Baseball Musings: Defending Spending

http://www.baseballmusings.com/archiv...

Best quote on the Yankee's Hot Stove season The Yankees are like Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life. He was buying up bank shares cheap during the depression, but he was also supplying liquidity. The Yankees are doing the same, as their luxury tax and revenue sharing bills help keep other teams competitive.

Money saving membership Yahoo Finance

Money saving membership Yahoo Finance

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/...

Absolutely agree on AAA, and BJs/Costco.

Hate this time of the year for sports

Baseball season is now over, basketball (Carolina) has not yet started. Time to catch up on my reading.

There is a tomorrow - Sox Win force Game 7 - Sox 4 - Rays 2

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Captain, My Captain comes up big - homers in the 6 to give the Sox a lead they would not relinquish
Beckett was not the Beckett of old, but very good and got the job done.
Oki  got the job done.
Only downside - 12 men left on base.