PGATOUR.COM - Ishikawa to give 2011 golf earnings to Japan victims

TOKYO (AP) -- Golf sensation Ryo Ishikawa says he is giving all of his tournament earnings this year to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in his native Japan.

Kyodo News reported Wednesday that the 19-year-old Ishikawa also is pledging money for every birdie he makes. If he plays similar to last year, Ishikawa could wind up giving more than $2 million toward relief efforts.

He was No. 3 on the Japan Golf Tour money list in 2010, making just over $1.8 million, which includes his earnings from the majors and World Golf Championship. He led the Tour by making 341 birdies last year, which could amount to another $400,000. His pledge was for 100,000 yen for each birdie.

Ishikawa won his first pro tournament as a 15-year-old amateur, and already has won nine times in Japan.

via pgatour.com

Good for him.

VP Biden’s Office Apologizes for Confining Reporter in Storage Closet During Fundraiser | The Blaze

This is one of the more bizarre snippets to come out of the political/media axis in awhile.

Fox News:

The vice president’s press secretary has apologized to a local political reporter after he was kept in a storage closet during a Florida fundraiser.

Scott Powers, a reporter with the Orlando Sentinel, was relegated to the storage space during a fundraiser Wednesday for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., apparently to prevent him from speaking to people before Vice President Biden showed up.

The Sentinel did not make a big deal about the incident when it first happened, publishing a somewhat lighthearted account on their political blog:

Not looking for sympathy here, but the life of a political reporter isn’t all champagne and canapes. Consider our man Scott Powers…

But the story took on more extended life when the Drudge Report featured it prominently with in a “flash” report:

Reporter Scott Powers was the designated “pool reporter” for the vice president’s Wednesday visit to the massive Winter Park, Fla., home of developer and philanthropist Alan Ginsburg. The veep hadn’t arrived yet but most of the 150 guests (minimum $500 donation) had. They were busy noshing on caprese crostini with oven-dried mozzarella and basil, rosemary flatbread with grapes honey and gorgonzola cheese and bacon deviled eggs, before a lunch of grilled chicken Caesar and garden vegetable wraps.

Not so for Powers. A “low-level staffer” put Powers in a storage closet and then stood guard outside the door, Powers told the DRUDGE REPORT. “When I’d stick my head out, they’d say, ‘Not yet. We’ll let you know when you can come out.’”

via theblaze.com

Huh?

Even BPA-Free Plastics Leach Endrocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Plastic containers and linings often leach chemicals into the surrounding environment.  And some of those chemicals, like the endocrine-disrupting bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, may be harmful to your health.

Manufacturers have even begun advertising some products as "BPA-free." But a recent study found that most plastic products leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals even if they're labeled "BPA-free!"

The scientists found that 70 percent of common plastic products tested positive for estrogenic activity, and that number rose to 95 percent when the products were subject to real-world conditions such as dishwashing or microwaving.

Time Magazine reports:

"BPA is particularly worrisome simply because it is so common. Nearly every American has some amount of BPA in his or her body, in part because plastics are so ubiquitous."

via articles.mercola.com

Uh oh!

Will Glenn Beck Jump Ship — a $200 Million Gamble?

According to street buzz and a story by the New York Times' Brian Stelter, Glenn Beck is considering a business startup to complete his media empire. The emoting host’s contract ends at the bottom of this year, and he would then be free to head up his own enterprise, a Beck owned and run television network.

But networks don't come cheap. Or easy. Discovery is reported to have sunk more than $200 million into OWN, which started broadcasting Jan. 1. And in February, only about 135,000 people were watching OWN, a number down 10 percent from Discovery Heath, The New York Times reported. The network has already had to shuffle its programming.

It sounds as if Beck has given the idea some deep thought. The Times said that the host has “been contemplating a cable channel of his own for more than a year.”

Glenn Beck

If anyone can pull it off, Beck can. Other than former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, no other media figure can raise the blood pressure of those on the left like Fox News host Glenn Beck.

There are other signs indicating a Beck cable channel possibility. He has been busily expanding the off and on-air personnel of his Web TV venture and his independent media company.

The Times cited reports, including one from the Mediate Web site, which named a senior Fox News executive, Joel Cheatwood, as a key player who “would soon join Mr. Beck’s growing media company, Mercury Radio Arts.”

Sources also indicate that Beck’s business relationship with current employer Fox News is less than cozy, partially due to a significant number of sought after advertisers who have dropped his show. David Carr, another New York Times writer, recently cited anonymous Fox News officials who “are looking at the end of his contract in December and contemplating life without Mr. Beck.”

Owning a network isn't Beck's only option. A Beck network could include the acquisition of an existing cable channel or expansion of his subscriber-based Web content business, “Insider Extreme,” which takes in roughly $4 million a year.

Observers of media personalities and contract renegotiations view the story with a dose of cynicism, questioning whether or not Beck’s camp is merely engaging in positioning for his upcoming contract renewal.

Forbes’ Marc Babej is of the opinion that this is precisely what is going on.

“Talk of a Glenn Beck TV network might have its origins in a contract negotiation tactic. As a major programming concept it would be a nonstarter,” Babej wrote.

Starting a network from scratch involves significant risk, particularly since the effort requires an abundance of advertisers. Beck’s ratings are unprecedented for his cable time slot, hitting about 2 million viewers a day and outdrawing all of his competition combined.

These kinds of numbers may induce Fox News to bury the Beck hatchet, much like CBS is reportedly in the process of doing with sitcom star Charlie Sheen.

If Beck actually attempts to follow in Oprah Winfrey’s footsteps and goes forward with his own network, it may signal a new media trend, one that may serve to increase the leverage media personalities have with respect to their employers.

That's if — and it's a big if — the network is successful.

via newsmax.com

Interesting.

Glenn Beck Could Launch His Own Channel

Conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck is considering leaving the Fox News Channel to launch his own TV channel, The New York Times reports. Beck has been contemplating such a move for more than a year, sources told the Times.

Beck has a contract with Fox the ends in December, and he issued a statement Tuesday night that did not directly address his future broadcasting plans: “Roger Ailes has built the most important voice in America today — Fox News — and it is an honor to do my show there every night. I have no intention whatsoever of doing the show I am doing now on Fox anywhere else.”

Speculation on Beck leaving Fox has heightened since his media company, Mercury Radio Arts, started adding new staff and generating new content.

via newsmax.com

Interesting... any truth to this?

Business Insider: Former SEIU Official Reveals Secret Plan To Destroy JP Morgan & Crash The Stock Market | The Blaze

A former official of one of the country’s most-powerful unions, SEIU, is detailing a secret plan to “destabilize” the country.

Specifically, the plan seeks to destroy JP Morgan, nuke the stock market, and weaken Wall Street’s grip on power, thus creating the conditions necessary for a redistribution of wealth and a change in government.

The former SEIU official, Stephen Lerner, spoke in a closed session at a Pace University forum last weekend.

The Blaze procured what appears to be a tape of Lerner’s remarks, many of which many Americans will no doubt sympathize with. Still, the “destabilization” plan is startling in its specificity.

Lerner said that unions and community organizations are, for all intents and purposes, dead. The only way to achieve their goals, therefore–the redistribution of wealth and the return of “$17 trillion” stolen from the middle class by Wall Street–is to “destabilize the country.”

Read the rest of the Business Insider analysis here.

To watch the video click here.

via theblaze.com

Scary stuff.

AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion | The Wire | The Blaze

DALLAS (AP) — AT&T Inc. says it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion.

T-Mobile is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the United States.

via theblaze.com

Is this true?

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible: A Genuine Ragtop Road Monster, Leaks and All | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil - WSJ.com

Chevrolet reports that the new Camaro SS convertible, a ragtop version of America's hillbilly Veyron, weighs a mere 246 pounds more than the SS coupe. That's a very creditable figure but I wonder: Does that include water-weight gain?

I ask because as I was heaving the big bruiser around in the back roads of North Carolina, I heard a strange sloshing in the back. Concerned—had someone spilled his bong?—I pulled over to investigate. I raised the canvas top halfway and there, pooled in the lined recess behind the rear seatback, was about a pint of rainwater.

Dan Neil reviews the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS, a convertible version of the legendary Detroit muscle-car.

This puzzled and excited me. Puzzled because, surely, the engineers and designers who have so admirably decapitated the Camaro could have managed to keep the rain out. Actually, in many ways the convertible is a superior car. While the ragtop is a bit slower to 60 mph (4.9 seconds, compared with 4.6 for the coupe) and a half-second more leisurely through the quarter-mile (13.4 seconds), the retracted top cures the low-roof coupe's biggest functional liability: massive rear-quarter blind spots and desperately limited outward visibility. You know that tunnel-vision thing that happens right after you fall out of your tree stand? Like that.

Photos: Ragtop Road Monster

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General Motors

With a base price of $39,650, the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible is offered with either a direct-injection, 3.6-liter, 312-horsepower V6 or one of two 6.2-liter V8s.

So while the SS coupe might be a touch faster, it's actually harder to drive fast because it's so hard to see out of. Advantage, convertible. Also, given the car's slightly remote-feeling steering, it helps to be able to hear the tires moaning in a corner, the better to judge the available grip. Chevy's chassis boffins have reinforced the convertible so that it is at least as stiff as the coupe—despite its lacking the cross-bracing rigidity of a hardtop—and the shock and spring rates are just as flinty as the coupe's.

In fact, the convertible is mechanically almost a clone of the coupe. It's offered with either a direct-injection, 3.6-liter, 312-horsepower V6 or one of two 6.2-liter V8s: the 400-hp L99 engine (paired with the six-speed automatic transmission) or the 426-hp LS3 engine mated to the six-speed manual. The latter configuration—pleasingly snarly and bellicose, with a popping and slobbering exhaust note right out of "Beowulf"—is how my test car came.

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General Motors

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible

• Base price: $39,650
• Price as tested: $42,080
• Powertrain: 6.2-liter, 16-valve pushrod V8 with port fuel injection; six-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive with limited-slip differential.
• Horsepower/torque: 426 hp at 5,900 rpm/420 pound-feet at 4,600 rpm
• Length/weight: 190.4 inches/4,116 pounds
• Wheelbase: 112.3 inches
• 0-60 mph: 4.9 seconds
• EPA fuel economy: 16/24 mpg, city/highway
• Cargo capacity: 10.2 cubic feet (top up); 5 cubic feet (top down)

The SS convertible will definitely get around a corner. I mean, it isn't particularly tidy—blame the 4,116-pound curb weight and the relatively high center of gravity. The car can get a bit pitchy as you squeeze the (awesome) brakes and you have to give it a half-sec to take a set in a corner. But then it puts its shoulder down, the summer radials take root, and the car arcs around in a heady display of angular momentum.

Compared with a lightweight open-top sports car like a Mazda MX-5, the SS convertible feels like swinging a sack of flour in a pillow fight. A lot of effort, but when you make contact, Pow!

More from the dynamics notebook: Not surprisingly for a front-engine V8 convertible, the SS ragtop is a little nose-heavy and the engineers have thoughtfully dialed in an additional degree of protective understeer, lest you, in an exuberant moment, wipe out your neighbor's display of wooden duck windmills. However, in the right gear and the right corner, you can bring the rear end around with the car's largess of pushrod torque (420 pound-feet at 4,600 rpm). All Camaros have limited-slip differentials, which is nice. You can also engage the Competition Mode, which allows more yaw angle before the car's stability control intervenes. All of these technical measures help you to more safely and confidently explore the limits of your SS convertible.

The "competition" in question, by the way, is Most Hated Man in the County.

And, of course, the Camaro also allows you to kill the traction control completely in order to perform clutch-dropping, tire-hazing, tail-dancing 50-foot burnouts. With the top down. In high-school parking lots. And they say there is no God.

I understand that these go-fast features are obligatory for the SS convertible. I likewise understand that none but the nuttiest will attempt to road-race this machine. No, this car is all about self-presentation, about the code, the metaphor, the ball-peen mentality of Camaro. And that brings us back to the aquarium I found under the top, and my excitement.

The Camaro is an imperfectly perfect design. If the designers had been the slightest bit rational, they would have insisted that the coupe's outward visibility be better and they would have done something about the absurd roof buttresses and postage-stamp backlight. But they didn't dial the design down; they dialed it up, so extravagantly in fact that when in the "Transformers" movie the car turns into a giant laser-belching robot, you miss the car because it looks cooler.

To effect the convertible, GM's designers insisted that the canvas roof retain exactly the same turret-style profile as the coupe roof. In order to do that, they extended the canvas-top mechanism below the beltline, thus creating the pocket for the pond to form. They certainly could have made life easier on themselves. I suspect, as they read this, they might wish they had.

But please, despairing designers, take heart. It's just a crummy seal. Easy to fix. The world is full of nominalized, fully rational cars with perfectly fitted convertible tops. This is not the mind space that Camaro needs to occupy. Instead, it wants to be the Harley-Davidson of sports coupes: slightly brutal, a little primitive, deeply nostalgic. And as someone who's owned a few vintage ragtops, I can tell you, nothing could be more authentic than a leaky top.

So the car will occasionally need a diuretic. Who cares?

Meanwhile, behold the power of the SS convertible. I was coursing along an interstate with the top down when I found myself overtaking a guy in a yellow SS coupe. He didn't notice me until I was right beside him and, until that moment, he was Master of the Universe. Then he looked over and his face fell off.

To qualify as a true performance car, the Camaro really needs more horsepower, a more cinched-down suspension, less weight, more evolved aero and better gearing. Stay tuned for next year's 550-hp Camaro ZL1. In the meantime, the SS convertible is the ultimate Camaro, as well as the world's quickest rain barrel.

via online.wsj.com

Cool!!

Aflac Cans Duck Voice After Tasteless Tsunami Quacks | The Blaze

As the shocking destruction and death toll mount in Japan following last Friday’s devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami, trademark loudmouth Gilbert Gottfried cracked a number of poor-taste jokes on Twitter that his employer, disability insurer Aflac, didn’t find funny.

“Af-lac!” has since canned the quack.

Here‘s a sampling of Gottfried’s sick (and lame) humor:

In other messages, the stand up comic used the recent tragedy to plug his new book.

On Monday, Aflac condemned Gottfried’s comments as “lacking in humor,“ adding they ”certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac.”

The company said it would soon start a nationwide casting call to find a new voice — and noted that it was already using a different voice in the Japanese market, where it is the No. 1 foreign insurer.

via theblaze.com

How stupid.

Obama Tells GOP: Nice Try on Health Care Records

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama once promised that negotiations over his health care overhaul would be carried out openly, in front of TV cameras and microphones. Tell that to the White House now.

Republican congressional investigators got the brush-off this past week after pressing for details of meetings between White House officials and interest groups, including drug companies and hospitals that provided critical backing for Obama's health insurance expansion.

Complying with the records request from the House Energy and Commerce Committee "would constitute a vast and expensive undertaking" and could "implicate longstanding executive branch confidentiality interests," White House lawyer Robert Bauer wrote the committee. Translation: Nice try.

It's one more roadblock for Republicans who tapped into widespread anxiety about the scope and costs of the new health care law to regain control of the House in last fall's elections.

So far, they've been unable to repeal the landmark legislation they dismiss as "Obamacare." GOP efforts to deny administration agencies the money to carry out the law are running into unintended consequences, not to mention the sheer difficulty of tracking those dollars. Now it looks like oversight isn't going to be easy either.

"We are both concerned and disappointed by your response," the committee chairman, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., wrote back to Bauer. "The American public deserves the information we have requested. The secret meetings conducted by (White House officials) are a perfect example of why transparency in government is so important."

Upton urged the White House to carefully reconsider, but it's uncertain he'll ever get what he wants. Even if the standoff dramatically escalates to a congressional subpoena, history shows that presidents usually succeed in keeping records away from snooping eyes.

President George W. Bush's administration beat back efforts to reveal the dealings between Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force and industry. President Bill Clinton's administration successfully resisted demands for records of its failed push to remake the health care system, which was overseen by then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The request for records from Obama's health care reform office is broad. The committee asked for a list of every meeting, briefing or telephone call regarding changes to the health care system, as well as notes or summaries of those encounters. It wants a list of every employee of the now-disbanded health reform office, including their salaries. Committee investigators are also seeking any written communications, whether by letter or e-mail, with outside groups.

White House visitor records released at the request of The Associated Press in late 2009 show that Obama's top aides met frequently with lobbyists and health care industry leaders during the marathon congressional debate over health care overhaul.

The list included George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Health Plans; Scott Serota, president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; Kenneth Kies, a Washington lobbyist representing Blue Cross/Blue Shield, among other clients; Billy Tauzin, then head of PhRMA, the drug industry lobby; Richard Umbdenstock, chief of the American Hospital Association; and numerous others.

Nearly every health industry group has complaints about aspects of the final legislation. But they're also working to carry out its provisions, even as challenges to the law's constitutionality advance in federal court. Some sectors got significant concessions from the administration.

The pharmaceutical industry and hospitals agreed early on to tens of billions in savings to help finance new coverage for the uninsured. When an amendment to allow importation of low-cost prescription drugs came up in the Senate, the administration worked successfully to defeat it, although Obama had supported the idea as a presidential candidate. Hospitals won a reprieve of several years from cuts proposed by a new Medicare cost control board.

The White House sent the Energy and Commerce Committee some 100 pages of records that have already been made public, including visitor logs and press releases. That may be all they get for a long time.

via newsmax.com

No surprise.

NFL Talks Collapse; Players Disband Union - WSJ.com

The National Football League descended Friday into turmoil as negotiations between owners and players broke off, setting up a potentially lengthy court battle that could have serious consequences for both the league and the sports business in general.

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NFL players union executive director DeMaurice Smith, wearing hat, shown arriving for Friday's negotiations.

After spending seven-plus hours negotiating in Washington, D.C., in a 17th day of mediation, leaders of the NFL and the players union said late Friday afternoon that talks had stalled and blamed the other side for the meltdown.

Shortly thereafter the union filed paperwork to decertify and 10 players, including stars Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league. The suit seeks to prevent the owners from locking out the players. But the league locked out players as of midnight Saturday.

"Significant differences remain," said DeMaurice Smith, the union's executive director.

Sports Labor Disputes

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Take a look back at some of the disputes that have upset play in major-league sports.

"We worked hard," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who dismissed the players' litigation. "Ultimately this is going to be negotiated."

via online.wsj.com

Sad.

Tiger, Phil paired at WGC-Cadillac « PGATOUR.com The Tour Report

DORAL, Fla. — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the highest-ranked American players in this week’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, will be in the same group for the first two rounds at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral.

Woods and Mickelson will join reigning U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell in one of the featured groups this week. That threesome will tee off at 11:51 a.m. ET on Thursday off the 10th tee. On Friday, they’ll start the second round off the first tee at 12:54 p.m. ET. Golf Channel’s coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on both days.

Tee times for the first two rounds were released Tuesday, with the top 21 players in the Official World Golf Ranking grouped together in threesomes based on their positions in the rankings. (Click here for tee times)

That means the top three players in the world — No. 1 Martin Kaymer, No. 2 Lee Westwood and No. 3 Luke Donald, who elevated to that spot thanks to his win two weeks ago at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship — are together for the first two days.

Kaymer replaced Westwood atop the rankings at the Accenture Match Play when he reached the championship final. Kaymer eventually lost to Donald, 3 and 2.

McDowell (No. 4), Woods (No. 5) and Mickelson (No. 6) followed in the World Rankings. For Woods and Mickelson, Thursday’s round will the 26th round in which they’ve been paired together at an official PGA TOUR event, and the first since the final round of last year’s BMW Championship. (click here for complete list).

Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker (Nos. 7, 8 and 9, respectively) are in another group, as are Matt Kuchar, reigning FedExCup champion Jim Furyk and Ernie Els (Nos. 10, 11 and 12, respectively).

In another group that should generate excitement, two of the longest drivers on the PGA TOUR, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, are paired with Ian Poulter

via tourreport.pgatour.com

Cool.

Luntz hawks new book to GOP senators - On Congress - POLITICO.com

GOP pollster Frank Luntz has a new book out - as virtually every Republican senator is now well aware.

At a closed-door lunch Wednesday, Luntz pitched to GOP senators autographed copies of his new book - prompting an awkward reaction from the lunching session of the Senate Steering Committee, according to three sources familiar with the hush-hush meeting.

“He lost part of his audience when he said the only senator who is consistently on message is Jon Kyl – who also happened to invite him," one GOP source said. "And he lost a lot more when he hawked autographed copies of his new book. The Luntz shtick grew old a long time ago.”

Luntz even offered to hold book events in the senators' home states, the sources said. The book - entitled, "Win: the Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary," is an "unprecedented examination of communication excellence and how top performers win in all areas of human endeavor by utilizing superb communication skills," according to Amazon.com.

Luntz did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment, but another source familiar with the exchange said Luntz was merely joking about his book and that he praised Kyl because of his years of service before his retirement next year.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Steering Committee, actually was the one who invited Luntz to the meeting, an aide to the senator said.

Luntz - who has gained national prominence with his best-selling books on political messaging -- has a number of detractors within the Senate GOP who view him as a relentless self-promoter. He miffed a number of Republicans when he appeared to take credit for the GOP's political messaging during the health care debate -- even though he urged a more conciliatory approach soon after President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Still, he has some allies in the GOP among those who find his suggestions useful.

At the Wednesday meeting, Luntz reportedly urged the GOP to use Obama's words against him, prompting some eye-rolling because the tactic is used on a constant basis on Capitol Hill, according to two sources.

For now, it remains to be seen just how many senators end up buying his 320-page book, which retails for $14 on Amazon.

via politico.com

I am going to read it.

PGATOUR.COM - Sabbatini's black hat no longer a symbol of his personality

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Forget about the black hat.

Rory Sabbatini may reside in Texas -- where cowboys and villains have filled many a large screen -- but he doesn't like to be shone in that light anymore.

Fourth-round coverage

YANG, ALMOST: Y.E. Yang shot a strong Sunday 66 but fell short by a shot. Nonetheless, he leaves Palm Beach Gardens with renewed confidence. Story SUNDAY MONEY: Graeme McDowell moved into a tie for sixth Sunday with a course record-matching 64 at PGA National, the first time he broke 70 all week. Story NO CHANGE AT TOP: Lee Westwood could have leaped over Martin Kaymer back into the world No. 1 spot but failed to finish in the top three at The Honda. Story

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Sure, the South African was the one who famously took on Tiger Woods a few years ago, claiming he was as beatable as anyone. And Sabbatini also was the one who infamously left Ben Crane behind late in the round because he felt his partner was playing too slow.

But the Sabbatini who won Sunday's Honda Classic by a shot over Y.E. Yang for his sixth career PGA TOUR title insists he's not the bad guy everyone thinks he is. Nor did he ever embrace that caustic image.

"No, I don't enjoy it," Sabbatini said. "I'm a passionate golfer, I really am. I love the game of golf and I've had my moments. I'm not proud of everything I've done out here, but I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to be a role model for my children and I know as my wife has said to me, I wouldn't want my son doing some of the things that I've done in the past.

"So I definitely have to take into account that my son is old enough now that he understands everything that I do, and really try and be a role model for him."

Maybe it shouldn't matter who Sabbatini was, but what he's become. He will always play fast and say what's on his mind, but he also gives plenty of his time -- and his money -- to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund for military families in need. And when he's playing well, he can beat anybody in the world.

There are reasons for a somewhat kinder, gentler Sabbatini. For one, he watched last September as his wife, Amy, had to be put in the Intensive Care Unit after complications during the birth of their third child, Bodhi. Sabbatini also had his own medical issues late last year, being diagnosed with skin cancer on his face that required minor surgery.

Thus, the reason behind his switch to a larger hat, a la Greg Norman. These experiences also explain his gradual personality shift.

"It's been a tough road," he said. "So it definitely is kind of a turning of a new leaf, so it really does feel good. It does feel like a fresh start in a sense."

One thing remains constant: Sabbatini won't back down, whether it's being asked a tough question by a reporter or when Yang cut his once-commanding five-shot lead to one with three holes left Sunday.

Sabbatini responded with a clutch 16-foot birdie at the 16th hole to restore his lead to two and weathered the rest of the Bear Trap, along with a a 28-minute lightning delay, to two-putt the final hole and move back into golf's inner circle by qualifying for this week's World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

"After 15, I knew I had to put some pressure back on Y.E.," Sabbatini said. "Making that putt was a huge bonus."

Sabbatini, who was once ranked among the top 10 in the world, has always had the skills. Now he's learning how to control his mood as well as his ball trajectory.

"I commend him for being I guess so emotionally stable," Yang said of Sabbatini. "Usually if you're in the front, if you're running away from somebody, you tend to be a bit nervous. But in Rory's case, he seemed really calm."

For most of Sabbatini's career, he's been as calm as the 25-mph winds that turned the first three rounds of The Honda Classic into a mini-U.S. Open, where par was your friend.

But just as the winds at PGA National died down, so has some of Sabbatini's bluster.

"He gets in his own way an awful lot and rubs some people the wrong way," said Jerry Kelly, who finished third. "I can relate to that because I'm the same type of person. But he usually has the best intentions for everybody else around him. Today, he did not let his emotions get the best of him."

via pgatour.com

Good for him!!

Chirkinian passes away at 84 « PGATOUR.com The Tour Report

Remembering Frank Chirkinian

Legendary golf television producer Frank Chirkinian passed away on Friday.

Frank Chirkinian, the legendary golf and sports television producer, passed away at his North Palm Beach, Fla., home Friday evening after a long battle with lung cancer. Chirkinian, who was selected for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in February, was 84 years old (click here for a video tribute of Chirkinian).

Under his 39-year watch as CBS’ lead golf producer, the network was the first to use high-angle cameras in blimps, trees and cranes. He also put roving reporters on the ground, painted the cups white and created the IFB device that allows producers to talk to their announcers during a telecast.

In 1960 he was the first to list a player’s score relative to par instead of their total strokes for the tournament.

In all, Chirkinian produced 38 Masters telecasts.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem issued the following statement:

"Frank Chirkinian was a visionary in every sense of the word," Finchem said. "He was an artist. The sport of golf was presented on television to generations of fans in innovative, imaginative and entertaining ways because of Frank. Our sport has lost a friend and a true pioneer."

The World Golf Hall of Fame issued the following statement:

Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum: “Golf lost one of its giants with the passing of Frank Chirkinian. Like everyone in the game, the World Golf Hall of Fame family is saddened by this news. We will be honored to celebrate his life and impact on the game with his induction into the Hall of Fame in May. He will forever be remembered as a pioneer and truly deserving of being known as the father of golf on television.”

CBS Sports issued the following statements Friday:

Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports: "In his 38 years with CBS Sports, Frank Chirkinian’s remarkable innovations and contributions have become the industry standard for the way we watch golf on television. Frank has left a legacy of excellence and creativity in golf broadcasting that will never be equaled and is a true Hall of Famer in all of sports television."

Jim Nantz: "He was a friend, a mentor and a father figure to me. I was blessed to have his guiding hand extended to me at the age of 26. I am comforted knowing, as long as there is golf being televised any where in the world; Frank Chirkinian lives."

Lance Barrow, Coordinating Producer of Golf and the NFL on CBS Sports: "The golfing world lost a great ambassador to the game today in the passing of Frank Chirkinian. He did as much for the game as anyone who has ever been associated with golf. His legacy will live on forever."

CBS Sports will honor Chirkinian throughout the day on Saturday. Nantz will deliver a special tribute to Chirkinian during halftime of the Kansas-Missouri game that begins at Noon, ET.

via tourreport.pgatour.com

A great loss.

Rising Gas Prices Hit Home - WSJ.com

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—This Miami exurb flourished in the housing boom but has fallen hard during the bust, with one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation for the past two years. Rising gasoline prices are making a bad situation even worse.

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Jason Henry for The Wall Street Journal

Gas prices are squeezing Homestead, Fla., residents like Craig McBean, who commutes some 30 miles to Miami.

Home buyers priced out of the red-hot Miami market in the middle of the last decade flocked to places like Homestead, putting up with a longer commute in return for less expensive housing. Mortgages were easy to get and often began with low rates that would later rise. Homestead's population, now about 50,000, rose dramatically during this time as thousands of homes were built and sold.

That all started crashing down in 2007. The first wave of foreclosures started when interest rates on adjustable-rate subprime mortgages jumped and lifted payments beyond what many could afford. With prices collapsing, foreclosures picked up momentum as borrowers who found themselves underwater—owing more on their homes than the homes were worth—started walking away.

Higher gas prices are now hitting hard around Homestead, where many residents drive some 30 miles to work in Miami, adding to homeowners' strain. So while the foreclosure problem is starting to abate in many cities, the problem in places like Homestead could grow.

"The people who bought in Homestead were generally people who were on the margin to begin with. It's not a good sign when gas prices go up and become an added cost factor for these struggling homeowners," said Ned Murray, associate director of the Metropolitan Center at Florida International University, a Miami-based applied-research institute.

Data prepared for The Wall Street Journal by CoreLogic Inc. showed that in two Zip Codes in the Homestead area, 33032 and 33033, more than 44% of all mortgages were three months or more delinquent as of November. Those were the highest rates in the country. A loan typically enters the foreclosure process once it is three months past due. (CoreLogic looked only at Zip Codes with more than 5,000 mortgages.)

The communities in the two Zip Codes are filled with modest, middle-class homes, many built from 2004 to 2006. Some of those homes are now empty after the owners left or were evicted. Some of those still around are considering leaving.

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Of Homestead's 21,300 mortgages, nearly 9,000 are severely delinquent, with 6,100 homes in a state of foreclosure and more than 900 owned by the bank and likely empty, CoreLogic said. Homestead says about 700 homes are vacant.

Among the struggling Homestead homeowners is 35-year-old firefighter Craig McBean, who purchased a three-bedroom home in 2005 for $250,000. Since then, the home's value has fallen nearly 40% and his wages have been cut 20%. About two years ago, the monthly payments on his home jumped to $2,400 from the original $1,800, taking a big bite from his $45,000 annual salary. Still, Mr. McBean has held on and continued to make his payments.

But the rising price of gasoline, currently around $3.40 a gallon in the Homestead area, has hurt. Mr. McBean said his gasoline costs doubled in recent years and it now costs him $80 to $100 a week to fuel his 1997 Ford F-150 truck. And his expenses are likely to keep rising; energy analysts expect average gas prices to hit a peak somewhere between $3.75 and $4.25 nationally this summer, in part because of turmoil in the Middle East.

With the higher mortgage and gasoline costs, and a one-hour commute to Miami on Florida's Turnpike, Mr. McBean is considering leaving Homestead, though he hopes to avoid foreclosure. "I would like to move somewhere closer to work," he said. "The money I could save over three to four years, I could put down on another home."

His predicament—and the pinch felt acutely in exurban America—is forcing some families to reconsider the total cost of living far away from urban centers, not just the cost of the actual home. "People thought they were getting a bargain when they were paying less" for a house, said Linda Young, research director at the Center for Neighborhood Technology. "What they didn't realize is that the transportation costs could be even more."

The Chicago-based nonprofit, which promotes public transportation and energy efficiency, estimates that in Homestead, housing and transportation together consume nearly half of the median $36,000 household income for the area.

"There are a lot of people stuck in far-out suburbs who are not going to be able to sell their homes because they made bad bets on the housing boom," said Jack McCabe, a housing analyst with McCabe Research & Consulting in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

David Dabby, president of Dabby Group Advisors, a Miami-based real-estate consulting and valuation firm, said the majority of the homes built between 2004 and 2006 in the Homestead area have gone into financial distress or foreclosure.

"Cataclysmic is not the word, but it's that type of event," he said, noting that nearly 90% of all home sales over the past 18 months have been distressed sales."That's as high as you can get."

via online.wsj.com

Sad but true... and somewhat avoidable.

Pressure Mounts on Absent Democrats - WSJ.com

Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin and Indiana ratcheted up the pressure on their absent Democratic colleagues Thursday, aiming to force an end to standoffs over bills that would limit public workers' bargaining rights.

In Wisconsin, Republican senators passed a unanimous resolution finding their 14 Democratic colleagues in contempt. They ordered the Democrats to return to the Senate in Madison by 4 p.m.—and threatened them with arrest if they resisted. Indiana House Republicans moved to start fining missing Democrats $250 a day, beginning Monday

via online.wsj.com

Yes.

Jobs Takes Stage at Apple Event - WSJ.com

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who took a leave of absence earlier this year citing medical reasons, took the stage Wednesday at a product event in San Francisco.

Geoffrey A. Fowler/The Wall Street Journal

Steve Jobs

Mr. Jobs's surprise appearance was greeted by a standing ovation. "We've been working on this product for awhile, and I didn't want to miss it," he told the audience.

The Cupertino, Calif., consumer electronics maker unveiled a second-generation iPad. Mr. Jobs said the iPad 2 has a dual-core microprocessor and new design.

Apple's new iPad would be hitting the market at a time when a slew of other manufacturers have announced plans to launch similar products this year. As competition intensifies in the growing tablet space, analysts and companies are also concerned about a looming price war.

In January, Apple said Mr. Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence and that Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook would take over day-to-day operations. Mr. Jobs, 55 years old, has battled pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant in 2009.

UPDATE: The next-generation iPad will come in white as well as black. The new device will ship on March 11, a week from Friday. It will ship in the U.S. first, and two weeks after that will ship in 26 other countries. "This thing is going to be everywhere in the month of March," Mr. Jobs said.

via online.wsj.com

Good news!

Stubborn Fact: Public Employees Paid More Than Private Workers in 41 States | The Blaze

As pro-union protesters erupt across the country, USA Today just released analysis that may cause a backlash against public unions. The findings? In 41 states, public employees “earn higher average pay and benefits” than private workers in each respective state.

The paper reports:

The analysis of government data found that public employees’ compensation has grown faster than the earnings of private workers since 2000. Primary cause: the rising value of benefits.

Wisconsin is typical. State, city and school district workers earned an average of $50,774 in wages and benefits in 2009, about $1,800 more than in the private sector. The state ranked 33rd in public employee compensation among the states and Washington, D.C. It had ranked 20th in 2000.

Among the key findings:

• California. Public employee compensation rose 28% above the inflation rate from 2000 to 2009 to an average of $71,385 in 2009.

• Nevada. Government employees earned an average of $17,815 more — or 35% — than private workers, the nation’s biggest pay gap. The state’s low-paying private jobs in tourism were the cause, says Bob Potts of the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

• Texas. The state ranked last in benefits for public employees. The state hasn’t granted cost-of-living increases to most retirees since 2001.

via theblaze.com

Interesting.

PGATOUR.COM - The 'Best American' question? No easy answer right now

Here's one that will tie your brain in knots:

Best American golfer. Right now. Not ever. Not in perpetuity. Not best swing or best personality or most entertaining.

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Not one with the most potential down the road.

Best at this point in time.

Gotcha. Right?

Never thought we'd get to this point, did you? It was always so simple. Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. Pick one. Dealers choice. You're either a Tiger guy/gal or a Phil guy/gal.

Right now, they're fifth and sixth in the world rankings and sinking. Every week, it seems, another European leapfrogs one or both. And the big news is Phil has narrowed the gap to .10 of a point in the rankings.

Wasn't that long ago we longed to see that. Only at the top of the rankings. Not slip-sliding down the ladder.

They're still America's superstars. The game's superstars, for that matter. They step onto the property -- let alone the course -- and they're news. They enter a field, it's pure gold. They're in contention, they drive broadcast numbers.

They win? Oh, that's been a while, hasn't it?

With Tiger battling yet another swing change and trying to put past life issues behind him and Phil continuing to adjust to his psoriatic arthritis and the family's battles with breast cancer, they're no longer -- or at least right now -- America's go-to guys.

Will they be back? Absolutely. Don't ever doubt that. When they're at their best, they ARE the top two players in the world. They'll win more majors, lead more Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. They're locks for the Hall of Fame.

But right now? What we'd give to see Tiger focus on playing one of those mind-boggling shots instead of his latest swing plane. You dance with what brung you, to borrow a phrase from Darrell Royal, and, in Tiger's case, that's a powerful, seriously close to natural swing and an imagination and belief beyond compare. And Phil? He's fearless and his short game is beyond compare. Hitting fairways? Pfft. Close is good enough for him. Heck, we saw what he could do off pine straw.

Tweaking is part of the game. But wholesale changes too often? Look at Padraig Harrington, the king of tinkering. He made 14 changes in the off-season and they're just starting to take hold. When he's on, he's at the top -- think three majors. Right now, he's 36th in the rankings.

Get back to those things and, well, they'll be battling back up the ladder.

But until then? Well, America is in a bit of a kerfuffle. Every where you turn, you see talent. And a but ...

• Bubba Watson may have the best attitude and natural swing of the bunch -- and a win at the Farmers Insurance Open -- but he needs to pick up the pace. He's outgoing, he's fun. And he's moving up the rankings.

• Rickie Fowler -- you have to follow Bubba with his BFF -- has one of the best swings and best games out there. He's a bonafide superstar who's comfy-cozy in the spotlight and delivers under match play pressure. The but? He hasn't won ... Yet. It's coming.

• Dustin Johnson. So long off the tee. So close to two majors. He's the aloof one. Isn't really at ease with the attention that comes with being at the top. He needs to take a page from, say, Brit Luke Donald who's quiet, but can chirp away with the best when the time comes (like right now, coming off his win at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play). And there's that rules thing.

• Matt Kuchar. It's been a longer-than-anyone-thought rise, but he's risen to 10th in the world. He is a former champion at this week's Honda, and he did beat Watson in the consolation finals of the Match Play and he's solid. Piled up three other top-10s this year, but just three wins in his career. But hard to say he's the best.

• Anthony Kim. He's got the game and the confidence and a pretty decent start to the year. He was pretty amazing before wrist surgery last year -- a playoff win at the Shell Houston Open, a third at the Masters and a second at Honda -- but he's struggled a bit coming back.

• Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk. Strick's ninth in the world, Furyk's 11th. Two veteran leaders with all-around strong games. Must-haves on every U.S. team. Both won twice last year, with Furyk winning the FedEx Cup. Strick started the season with two top-10s, Furyk with one. The Florida swing/run-up to Augusta will tell us a lot.

• Hunter Mahan. The newlywed with a strong game. Not afraid of competition or showing emotion. But needs more wins.

And then there are guys like Mark Wilson, the only two-time winner out there. He's on the way up, which just makes the American outlook stronger. And Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink? You want them on your side, right?

We wanted a global game and we have it. Four Europeans in the top four spots in the world. A group of international stars like Donald, Jhonattan Vegas, Paul Casey, Camilo Villegas, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell who spend part -- if not all -- of the time living in the U.S. Sometimes you almost think of them as U.S. guys. Almost.

The bottom line? It's hard to pick the best American right now. If we really, really, really had to? We'd go with Phil, who was runner-up Bubba in San Diego and got a top-10 at the AT&T.

But honestly, let's give it a month, say five weeks to untangle those knots. For Tiger and Phil to straighten a few things out or for someone to step up.

Heading into Augusta we figure the answer has to simpler. Doesn't it?

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. Follow her on Twitter @melaniehauser.

via pgatour.com

Good question.