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Preakness winner Bernardini out of Belmont By The Associated Press
50 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Preakness winner Bernardini will not run in the Belmont Stakes, another blow to the final race of the Triple Crown series.
The Belmont field already was without Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who sustained career-ending injuries in last weekend's Preakness, which Bernardini won by 5 1/4 lengths.
Darley Stable announced the decision about Bernardini in Lexington, Ky., saying the colt deserves a break after running three races in quick succession.
The Belmont will be run June 10.
Bernardini won his first career race on March 4 and won the Withers Stakes in his next start April 29.
Then came his surprise victory in the Preakness over Sweetnorthernsaint, the race overshadowed by the serious injury at the start to Barbaro. The Derby winner broke three bones in his right rear leg and underwent surgery.
Dubai's Sheik Mohammed, who operates Darley Stud, made the decision to rest Bernardini.
"We feel that he climbed the ladder of competition quite quickly," said James G. Bell of Darley Stable. "We believe he deserves a break."
The colt is due to return in August, with the Jim Dandy, Haskell and Travers Stakes under consideration. The ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Churchill Downs, Bell said.
The field for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont will include Bluegrass Cat, second in the Derby, and Steppenwolfer, who was third. Jazil, who finished in a fourth-place tie, also is set to run.
Trainer Bob Baffert plans to send Bob and John to the race, and might send Point Determined. Bob and John was 17th in the Derby and Point Determined was ninth.
From the Preakness, Sweetnorthernsaint is a possibility, and trainer Nick Zito said third-place finisher Hemingway's Key will run.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright homered in his first major league at bat and pitched three innings of relief to earn the win in the Cardinals 9-4 win today. CF So Taguchi also homered going 1 for 4 with two RBIs and c Yadier Molina hit a tying RBI single in the sixth and drew a bases loaded walk in the seventh.
The Cardinals took 2 out of 3 games against the Giants.
Carpenter scratched from start against San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- St. Louis right-hander Chris Carpenter was scratched from his start against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday with some swelling in the right side of his upper back.
Right-handed reliever Brad Thompson made a fill-in start for the Cardinals, his first career outing as a starter.
Carpenter, a 21-game winner last season and the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, is 4-2 this season with a 2.63 ERA and has been hurt by a lack of run support.
Loving your pets to death By James Grubel
Wed May 24, 9:25 AM ET
an overweight mouse
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia is a nation of pet lovers but it may be loving its animals to death with pet owners passing on rising levels of obesity by overfeeding their cats and dogs, the country's main animal welfare body says.
Despite its image as a sports-mad country full of fit, sun-bronzed youth, Australia in reality is battling the bulge and challenging the United States as the world's fattest nation. The problem now extends to household pets.
Obesity rates for Australians have doubled over the past 20 years, with 62 percent of men and 45 percent of women now deemed overweight or obese.
The same trend applies to household pets, with an increase in the number of overweight cats and dogs being dealt with by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and even one case of an obese pet mouse.
"It's a big problem, and quite reflective of what's happening in the human situation," said Mark Lawrie, the RSPCA's chief vet.
Australia is a nation of 20 million people, almost 4 million dogs, 2.5 million cats, 8.7 million pet birds and more than 12 million pet fish.
It has one of the world's highest rates of pet ownership at 64 percent of households, compared to 62 percent in the United States and 44 percent in Britain.
Lawrie told Reuters surveys had found that between 40 and 44 percent of dogs and more than one in three household cats were now overweight, due to poor diet and a lack of exercise.
Fat cats and dogs were more vulnerable to diabetes, arthritis, heart problems and liver disease.
Dogs most at risk were Labradors, Beagles and cross-breeds such as Labradoodles -- a mixture of a Labrador and a Poodle -- with household moggies more at risk than other types of cats.
The RSPCA said de-sexing and lower levels of exercise had an impact on pet obesity, but the key issue was over-eating.
"It's really the calorie intake and food that makes the big difference," Lawrie said, adding that many pet owners could not resist giving their animals food when they asked for it.
[16:17 USD/JPY: Sharp Rise In JPY Short Yields Seen Bolstering JPY] San Francisco, May 24. Japanese short yields rose sharply overnight in a move that Japanese traders believe will lead to strong JPY gains in coming sessions since foreign investors will be forced to cover their JPY borrowings in the wake of the rise in the cost of funding. JPY Libor rates rose sharply to 0.235% today from 0.196% yesterday in one of the sharpest moves for any currency on the three month rates. The Japanese financing bill rate rose to 0.2501% last night and the highest level in 63-months, while in the overnight call market, the rate rose as much as 0.05%. Despite calls from the LDP and other government officials for the BOJ to keep rates steady, Fukui clearly outlined this week that he sees higher risks from not raising rates. Traders still see risk for a rate rise in July that will continue to pressure rates higher, and ultimately seen leading to a stronger JPY.
Today"s JPY weakness is seen as an aberration given the rise in yields and traders see risk for JPY gains ahead as investors leveraging the JPY cover their funding costs. USD/JPY is at 112.80 after hitting 112.95 highs. Heavy option- related selling remains at 113.00 with stops at 113.25. Current support on dips is eyed at 112.60. Rhonda.Staskow@Thomson.com
Robert Yates Racing announces management change
May 23, 2006
MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (Ticker) - After four consecutive disappointing seasons at Robert Yates Racing, team owner Robert Yates finally decided that enough was enough.
Yates announced Tuesday that Eddie D'Hondt has been released from his position as general manager of Robert Yates Racing (RYR).
"Our goal is to figure out a technical direction and find the right people to lead that direction," Yates said. "This isn't a quick fix and its is going to be a process for us. This decision is a first step in the evaluation process."
RYR has been one of NASCAR's most successful teams over the last 17-plus seasons, securing a Nextel Cup championship with Dale Jarrett in 1999 and placing at least one driver in the top 10 in the points standings 10 times.
But RYR has had only two drivers finish in the top 10 over the last four seasons, and Yates feels that his entire organization needs an adjustment.
"We are re-evaluating the way we do business from the top down," Yates said. "This is a performance-based business and we have to evaluate the performance of where our cars are now. That begins with understanding our cars."
Jarrett and Elliott Sadler, RYR's two Nextel Cup drivers, both have struggled with inconsistency and bad luck this season. Jarrett currently is 12th in the standings with 1,237 points while Sadler is 15th with 1,181 points. The duo has combined to register just one top-five finish and four top-10s through 11 points races this season.
Qatari pays $2.75 mln for mobile phone number Tue May 23, 10:22 AM ET
DOHA (Reuters) - The tiny Gulf state of Qatar, famed mainly for having the Arab world's largest reserves of natural gas, added another record to its name Tuesday -- one of the world's most expensive telephone numbers.
At a charity event in the capital of Doha, a Qatari bidder paid $2.75 million for the mobile phone number 666-6666.
The winner, who made the highest bid 10 minutes into the auction, declined requests for interviews. Eight people took part in the auction, organized by Qatar Telecom to help raise funds for charity, paying 3,000 Qatari riyals ($824.60) per ticket.
Funds from the ticket sales were given to a local charity, while the 10 million riyals from the sale of the number will be used to expand medical services.
One of 19 penguins rescued along with two sea otters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina walks on the tarmac after returning to New Orleans following an eight-month refuge in California, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The rescued animals were flown by FedEx back to New Orleans and will return to their home at the Audobon Aquarium of the Americas which is scheduled to reopen 26 May 2006.(AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)
Egypt to excavate Roman city submerged in sea Mon May 22, 11:30 AM ET
CAIRO (Reuters) - The Egyptian authorities have given the go ahead for the underwater exploration of what appears to be a Roman city submerged in the Mediterranean, Egypt's top archaeologist said on Monday.
Zahi Hawass said in a statement that an excavation team had found the ruins of the Roman city 35 km (20 miles) east of the Suez Canal on Egypt's north coast.
Archaeologists had found buildings, bathrooms, ruins of a Roman fortress, ancient coins, bronze vases and pieces of pottery that all date back to the Roman era, the statement said. Egypt's Roman era lasted from 30 BC to 337 AD.
The excavation team also found four bridges that belonged to a submerged castle, part of which had been discovered on the Mediterranean coastline in 1910.
The statement said evidence indicated that part of the site was on the coast and part of it submerged in the sea. The area marked Egypt's eastern border during the Roman era.
Me too mick. They got those great big bodies and thin legs, it's really tough on them.
We're rooting for him.
Doctor Says Barbaro Is Doing Very Well By RICHARD ROSENBLATT, AP Racing Writer
2 hours, 44 minutes ago
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - Barbaro looked better Tuesday morning than he did a day earlier, a strong sign the Kentucky Derby winner was progressing well on a long road to recovery following a catastrophic injury to his right hind leg.
"He's actually better today than he was even yesterday and he was pretty good yesterday," Dr. Dean Richardson said. "He's walking very well on the limb, absolutely normal vital signs. He's doing very well."
Barbaro was on his feet in his stall, even scratching his left ear with his left hind leg just two days after Richardson and a team of assistants spent more than five hours pinning together the leg bones he shattered in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
The surgery was performed at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
"We've run the gamut of emotions from the euphoria of the Kentucky Derby to the devastation of the Preakness," owner Roy Jackson said. "The sad part is that in Barbaro's case, that the American public won't get a chance to see him continue his racing career. Even though he ran so well in the Kentucky Derby, we probably didn't see his greatest race. But that's water over the dam. We're just glad we jumped a hurdle here so far."
Richardson added that the Jacksons' main concern was for the health of Barbaro, not for the millions of dollars the colt could make as a stallion if he recovers completely.
"If this horse were a gelding these owners would have done everything to save this horse's life," Richardson said. "I've known the Jacksons a long time. If this horse had no reproductive value they would have saved his life."
Gretchen Jackson added: "My hope for him is that he lives a painless life. Whether that means he'll be a stallion with little Barbaros, that would be the extreme hope for him."
[15:12 EUR/USD: Hawkish Bernanke Sends USD Higher] Boston, May 23. Bernanke says upside inflation risks have been noted and that more monetary firming may be needed. The Fed will watch the economic data ahead of the June FOMC very closely. He also called his comments to the "Money Honey" at the White House Correspondents dinner a lapse of judgment. Bernanke is wise to clear the air.
EUR/USD drop to 1.2820 from 1.2845 on the headlines via Reuters.
Jamie.Coleman@Thomson.com
[15:12 US FED: Bernanke Sees Upside Inflation Risks] Boston, May 23. According to Reuters, in the Q&A portion of his congressional testimony, Fed Chairman Bernanke says there are upside risks to inflation and that more tightening may
be necessary. He says the Fed will be monitoring the incoming data very closely. The next meaningful piece of inflation data comes on Friday with the PCE deflator. See See 8090 for the calendar and estimates.
Bernanke called his gaffe with CNBC "a lapse in judgment" and vowed to restrict his comments to proper venues. Fed funds futures currently give 60% odds of a 5.25% funds rate at the June meeting, little changed from closing levels on Friday and Monday. -- Jeoff.Hall@thomson.com
Malfunction Cuts Gas Price to 29 Cents Mon May 22, 4:15 PM ET
HAMMOND, Ind. - When a pump at a gas station malfunctioned, opportunistic motorists were able to buy gas for 29 cents per gallon.
A Marathon station sold a gallon of fuel for less than the price of a first-class stamp for about 90 minutes Friday before the mistake was detected and and the price corrected to $2.79.
While still answering questions from customers about why the price had suddenly gone up, clerk Nida Tayyab said more than 50 people had crowded the store, likely thinking the mishap was a price promotion, and received the bargain. Normally, the station serves about 10 people per hour.
"I was really confused," she said. "It was so messed up. I can't explain here how it was."
When Tayyab figured out what was going on, she called her father, who works at another store, for help fixing the situation.
"It's fine now. It's all working," Tayyab added.
'Stargazer' Says He Fell Down Chimney Mon May 22, 4:21 PM ET
BRAWLEY, Calif. - A man faces a burglary charge after police found him stuck in a chimney. Matthew Allen, 27, told police he fell down the chimney after going on to the roof of the house to look at the stars.
When he got stuck near the bottom of the chimney, he took his pants off and began waving them around to set off the home's motion detectors. Brawley police officers were dispatched to the house twice Saturday morning but saw no signs of an intruder.
Neighbors eventually heard a commotion coming from the house and called the police.
"I've read and heard of things like that before," Brawley Fire Capt. Manuel Sevilla said, "but I've never seen it. The situation, it was more funny than anything." Fire workers lowered a chain ladder to Allen, who was able to climb out from the chimney.
When transported to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley for treatment Allen tried to flee but was detained by hospital staff.
Allen, who had a warrant for his arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, faces a count of residential burglary.
Panel: Legislators Shouldn't Work Drunk 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
SALEM, Ore. - Oregon legislators and staff members should not be drunk while performing their official duties, a citizen panel says.
The Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature adopted that recommendation Monday, although the panel decided to leave it to House and Senate leaders to draft rules against intoxication and possible penalties.
"We were uncomfortable acting as a nanny," said Kerry Tymchuk, a commission member and state director for U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (news, bio, voting record), R-Ore.
The new policy was suggested by Steve Doell, president of Crime Victims United, who said he and another member of the group noticed alcohol on the breath of at least one legislator at the end of the 2005 session while they were advocating tougher drunken-driving penalties.
Doell declined to identify the legislator.
Neither Senate nor House rules deal with possession or consumption of alcohol by legislators and staff members. Alcohol is barred from most state buildings, but it can be served at Capitol functions with written approval of the legislative administrator and under certain conditions.
Mix-up brands innocent citizens as criminals Mon May 22, 10:11 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government, already under pressure over a series of blunders in its immigration and prison services, has confirmed it wrongly branded around 1,500 innocent people as criminals due to a computer mix-up.
It said the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which carries out checks on people who have applied for jobs working with children or vulnerable adults, had confused the innocent people with convicted criminals because they had similar or identical names.
The names were stored on a police database.
The case is the latest in a series of embarrassments for British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his beleaguered Home Office (interior ministry), which oversees the CRB.
"We make no apology for erring on the side of caution. We are talking about the protection of children and vulnerable adults," a Home Office spokesman said.
Last month, the Home Office admitted it had allowed more than 1,000 foreign prisoners to walk free from British jails when they should have been considered for deportation.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke was sacked in a reshuffle shortly after the fiasco and has been replaced by John Reid.
The ministry is also looking into allegations a handful of illegal immigrants worked for several years as cleaners at the offices of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, also overseen by the Home Office.
And Saturday the ministry said it had suspended an immigration officer from his job after a newspaper alleged he offered to help an 18-year-old Zimbabwean woman with her asylum application in exchange for sex.
Blair, coming under increasing pressure to name a date for his departure after nine years in office, has vowed to sort the problems out.
The Home Office described the CRB incidents as "mismatches" rather than mistakes, and defended the bureau's actions.
"These cases are clearly regrettable, but represent a tiny proportion of cases -- 0.03 percent of the nine million disclosures issued by the CRB since it began operating in March 2002," the spokesman said.
[17:23 USD/JPY: BOJ Fukui Still Eyes Gradual Rate Hikes - Nikkei] San Francisco,May 22. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun for Tuesday is carrying an article from BOJ Fukui who is still hawkish on rates, stating that the BOJ will gradually adjust
interest rates, warning against continued zero interest rate policy in the face of mounting inflation pressures. He clearly is countering recent efforts from LDP Abe on Friday and from Vice Fin Hosokowa overnight, calling on the BOJ to maintain the zero interest rate policy. The hawkish tone by Fukui is seen weighing on USD/JPY along with the apparent repatriation flows that have been seen in reaction to the emerging market sell-off.
USD/JPY is at 111.68/70 currently and near session lows with stops eyed under 111.50.
Rhonda.Staskow@Thomson.com
That looks like an interesting blog. I bookmarked it.
A monkey is seen among brightly colored traditional necklaces during the 'Carnival de la Ceiba' to the north of Tegucigalpa, Saturday, May 20, 2006. The Carnival de la Ceiba is very important in Central America and it has been celebrated for 36 years in honor of San Isidro. (AP Photo/Edgard Garrido)
[01:08 Fed Facing Dilemma As Economic Signals Are Mixed - Greg Ip, WSJ] Sydney, May 22: Greg Ip writes in the WSJ on Sunday that new Fed Chairman Bernanke is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to continue increasing official rates and risk a recession or pausing while inflation remains on the rise. Ip states that the economy is starting to soften after a string of Fed rate hikes, but inflation is edging higher.
Ip write: "It is a situation similar to what Mr. Bernanke"s predecessor, Alan Greenspan, faced three times in his 18 years as chairman -- in 1989-90, 1994-95 and 1999-2000. In each case, he stopped raising rates before inflation peaked. Two of those episodes resulted in recession and one in a growth slowdown; in each, inflation ultimately ended lower than it began."
The futures market has priced in around a 60% chance that the Fed will hike anoter 25 bps when they meet on June 28/29, but some prominent economists feel
that the Fed should put more weight on the slowing economy and allow the previous rate hikes filter through the economy. The article notes that the Fed has the "luxury" of waiting to assess more data before the late June meeting. In
the meantime expect to see Fed expectations continue to shift with each bit of data between now and then. --john.noonan@thomson.com
I've read one book by Peter Robinson Wednesday's Child (1992 mystery) I enjoyed reading it. Hope you like Aftermath.
Just finished this morning The Attraction (2006 horror) by Douglas Clegg. It was a real page turner, reminded me of those old 70's horror shows I used to like.
Duncan recalled; Reyes optioned
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals recalled outfielder-first baseman Chris Duncan from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.
Duncan, the son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, was hitting .260 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 36 games with Memphis. Manager Tony La Russa started Duncan as the designated hitter Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
To make room for Duncan, the Cardinals optioned right-hander Anthony Reyes to Memphis. Reyes threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday in a victory over the Royals.
President's Radio Address
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Earlier this week, I spoke to you from the Oval Office to lay out my vision for reforming our Nation's immigration system. And on Thursday, I went to Arizona to visit with the men and women of the Border Patrol. I wanted to get an update on their efforts because a secure America depends on a secure border.
I believe America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time. We must enforce our laws while honoring our proud immigrant heritage. So I support comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish five clear objectives.
First, America must secure its borders. Since I became President, we've increased funding for border security by 66 percent, hired thousands more Border Patrol agents, and caught and sent home about 6 million illegal immigrants. Yet, we have much more work to do.
So this week I asked Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. We'll hire thousands more Border Patrol agents. And to help these agents do their jobs, we will deploy advanced technologies such as high-tech fences in urban areas, infrared cameras, and unmanned aerial vehicles. We'll also draw on the expertise of state and local law enforcement in our border communities and give them new resources and training so they can help secure our border.
Putting these new resources in place will take time. To help during this transition, up to 6,000 National Guard members will be deployed to our southern border. They will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance and communication systems, installing fences and vehicle barriers, building patrol roads, and analyzing intelligence. The support of Guard personnel will allow Border Patrol agents to use their skills to focus on securing the border.
Second, to secure our border we must create a temporary worker program that provides foreign workers a legal and orderly way to enter our country for a limited period of time. This program would reduce pressure on the border, meet the needs of our economy, and allow honest immigrants to provide for their families while respecting the law. And it will help us make certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.
Third, we need to hold employers to account for the workers they hire by creating a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility. The system should include a new tamper-proof identification card for every legal foreign worker. This card would help us enforce the law and leave employers with no excuse for breaking it. And by making it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.
Fourth, we must resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants who are already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration.
Some people think any proposal short of mass deportation is amnesty. I disagree. There's a rational middle ground between automatic citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation. Illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty, pay their taxes, learn English, and work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship -- but approval will not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law.
Fifth, we must honor the great American tradition of the melting pot by helping newcomers assimilate into our society. Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation of our history, respect for our flag, and the ability to speak and write in English.
We will work to ensure that every new citizen fully embraces our common culture. When immigrants assimilate, they will advance in our society, realize their dreams, renew our spirit, and add to the unity of America.
Congress is now considering legislation on immigration reform. That legislation must be comprehensive. All elements of this problem must be addressed together or none of them will be solved at all. The House started the debate by passing an immigration bill, now the Senate should act by the end of this month, so we can work out the differences between the two bills, and Congress can pass a bill for me to sign into law.
We should approach this debate with confidence. America has shown before that we can enforce our laws and uphold our values, and we will do it again. Our Nation honors the heritage of all who've come here because we trust in our country's genius for making us all Americans, one Nation under God.
Thank you for listening.
END
Hey SKI, put the $10 on Brother Derek to win. Thanks.
Preakness
8)$10 to win #3
9)$10 to win #1
10)$10 to win #1
12)$60 to win #6 & $10 to win #5
Chris Carpenter (4-2) did not pitch well tonight but he got the win. He went 6 allowing 6 runs on 9 hits, he had 8 K's. 1B Albert Pujols hit his 20th homer and got his 50th RBI going 2 for 5 with 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored. DH Scott Spiezio went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and 1 rbi. Adam Wainwright went 2.2 innings in relief allowing no runs or hits to get his first major league save. The Cardinals won 9-6.
note: The Cardinals plan to recall RHP Anthony Reyes from Triple-A Memphis tomorrow and give him his second major league start.
here's one for excel
Fishy omen for Japan's World Cup squad Thu May 18, 5:52 AM ET
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) - If the forecasts are to be believed, Japan's players in next month's World Cup are small fish in a big pond.
An aquarium in Yokohama is organising a piscine World Cup, in which fish the colors of national teams fight for a ball packed with bait in a tank holding two goalposts.
It's not the best showing for the home team.
Japan -- whose blue jerseys on the football field are represented in the tank by Blue Palette Surgeonfish -- seem to have less fighting spirit than Brazil, played by Yellow Tang.
"The Blue Palette Surgeon tend to stay at a corner of the fish tank while Yellow Tang is more active," said Osamu Masubuchi, a spokesman for the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.
Asian champions Japan have been drawn in a tough group at the World Cup including five-time champions Brazil, Croatia and Australia.
The match is held twice a day at feeding time at the aquarium's aqua museum. The aquarium will later feature fish bearing the colors of other teams.
"As it is the time of the season for excursions by schoolchildren, they are cheering for the fish," Masubuchi said.
One loss too many, and sports fan puts self up for sale 2 hours, 34 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The old joke about a man who would try to sell his own granny for a profit has already come true on eBay.
The Internet auction site has also seen one wit try to flog an invisible man and someone else launch a Faustian bid to sell his soul.
Now, comes a tale that will draw knowing nods from sports fans everywhere.
A North American ice hockey fan, crushed by years of failure, has put his loyalty to his once-beloved team up for sale.
"My Suffering Must End," said the "Free Agent Fan" who put his lifelong loyalty to the Toronto Maple Leafs up for grabs on eBay after the storied franchise missed the National Hockey League playoffs.
Crushed at his heroes' failure to capture the sport's holy grail, The Stanley Cup, since 1967, the Ontario-based fan said he has concluded his lifelong fandom has been "nothing short of a disaster."
"I have been inflicted with a little known and potentially life threatening disease called needacupitis," he wrote.
"I'm looking to become a fan of a team who not only makes the playoffs and builds a winning team, but one who actually will contend for a Stanley Cup at least once before I die."
The going rate for a Leafs fan's loyalty? A cool 16.5 dollars -- though the bad news is some other Toronto hockey fan topped the bidding by late Friday.
Catherine England, a spokeswoman for San Jose, California-based eBay, said that while this fan's angst was a first, there have been a host of people trying to sell intanglibles on the site.
"In August last year, we had a man list an invisible man -- a naked invisible man," she said.
Enterprising eBayers have also tried to sell water from a cup that Elvis supposedly drank from, a firm handshake and a UFO Drivers License, she said.
"One woman listed the ghost of her father. Her son was afraid of his grandfather's cane, so they listed the cane on the site," she said.
Another man decided it was time to offload his granny, while a jilted husband-to-be was so angry, he modelled his fiancee's wedding dress on the site, and sold it off.
Other bizarre listings have involved a piece of gum chewed by pop idol Britney Spears to a 40-tonne Vulcan bomber. An Alabama artist in 2004 who dumped her cheating boyfriend, decided to offload her conscience by auctioning it on eBay, wrapped in "a handcrafted purple bag."
Perhaps the most famous sale was that of a half-eaten, 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich that the owner, a woman from Florida, claimed bore the image of the Virgin Mary.
The item was eventually purchased for 28,000 dollars by an Internet gaming company, GoldenPalace.com,
Such bizarre listings have prompted eBay to introduce a rule that a tangible object must be handed over between bidder and seller, after a sale, England said.
Man Takes Police Station Gumball Machine Fri May 19, 4:16 PM ET
ROTTERDAM, N.Y. - While waiting for his friend to be processed on a drunken driving charge Friday morning at the Rotterdam Police Department, 21-year-old Adam Jewett picked up the gumball machine in the lobby and walked out the door with it, authorities say.
Jewett was riding in Zachary Peek's vehicle when it was stopped by an officer about 3 a.m. in Rotterdam, police said. A dispatcher watching the surveillance system saw Jewett carry away the gumball machine. He told the officer processing Peek on the driving while intoxicated charge. Patrolman Stephen Dixon found Jewett in the parking lot with the gumball machine.
Jewett, who lives in Rotterdam, was charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, police said. He and Peek, 21, from nearby Schenectady, were issued appearance tickets for Rotterdam Town Court.
Christie's to hold 'Star Trek' garage sale By Chris Michaud
Fri May 19, 10:29 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trekkies will be setting their phasers to "bid" this fall when Christie's holds the first official studio auction of memorabilia from all five "Star Trek" television series and 10 movie spinoffs.
CBS Paramount Television Studios is cleaning out its vaults for the sale, comprising more than 1,000 lots totaling some 4,000 items, to be held from October 5 to 7 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the original "Star Trek" series, Christie's announced on Thursday.
Fans and collectors will have a chance to acquire "Star Trek" artifacts ranging from models of the "Starship" USS Enterprise to Capt. James Kirk's uniform or Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's jumpsuit in an auction where Christie's expects to raise more than $3 million.
Other items to hit the block include props, weapons, prosthetics and set dressings unearthed from five Paramount warehouses.
Among the highlights are a miniature of the Starship Enterprise used in visual effects for the film "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country," expected to sell for $15,000 to $25,000, and a replica of Kirk's chair from the original TV series that was recreated for the 1996 "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," which is estimated at $10,000 to
$15,000.
Fans with more modest budgets can train their sights on a host of Trekkie ephemera like the 10-inch Resikkan nonplaying prop brass flute used by Patrick Stewart as Picard in the episode "The Inner Light" in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which carries a low estimate of just $300.
Cathy Elkies, director of special collections at Christie's, said the value of the objects was difficult to gauge because "we don't factor in that emotional fury generated around this kind of material."
Past estimates for auctions associated with the likes of Marilyn Monroe or Jacqueline Kennedy, who enjoyed dedicated followings, have been far off the mark as actual sale prices soared to five, 10 and even 100 times presale projections. "Star Trek" fans, with their Web sites, conventions and clubs, have proven among the most wildly devoted in all of pop culture.
'CULTURAL ICON'
"To several generations of people, 'Star Trek' was a cultural icon that represented our dreams, our hopes and our aspirations -- what we can become as a species, what we aspire to," said Mike Okuda, a graphic designer on four of the TV series and seven of the motion pictures as well as co-author of "The Star Trek Encyclopedia." "And to have a tangible piece of that is to have a tangible piece of a dream."
With the original captain's chair from the first "Star Trek" series in the Museum of Science Fiction in Seattle and the original Enterprise miniature at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in Washington, other items from the 1960s show could be the most sought-after at auction.
Okuda said many of the first "Star Trek" props were reused, destroyed or disappeared. But the auction will feature a mustard-colored mini-dress from the first series as well as costumes worn by guest stars, such as a gown worn by famed attorney Melvin Belli who played an evil alien entity.
"Star Trek" fans will get a peek at the collection when the memorabilia goes on tour this week in Germany.
Conceived by author Gene Roddenberry in the mid-1960s, the original "Star Trek" series debuted in 1966.
The last TV series, "Enterprise," set in the early 22nd century, about 100 years before the adventures of Kirk's five-year mission, ended its run on the UPN network in 2005.
Preakness
8)$10 to win #3
9)$10 to win #1
10)$10 to win #1
11)$10 to win #4
12)$60 to win #6
All Star Challenge
Mayfield (19)
McMurray (26)
Waltrip (55)
Age no barrier as 70-year-old scales Everest Wed May 17, 1:43 PM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - A 70-year-old Japanese climber reportedly scaled Mount Everest, making him the oldest person in the world to achieve the feat, the climb organisers told local media.
A five-member team including Takao Arayama, who is aged 70 years, 7 months and 13 days, reached the summit of the 8,848-meter (29,028-foot) mountain on Wednesday morning, said the organizer, Tokyo-based Adventure Guides, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
Arayama was just three days older than the Japanese man whose record he surpassed, Yuichiro Miura, a professional skier who made it to the top of Everest in May 2003.
Arayama, a corporate management consultant from Kamakura, south of Tokyo, started climbing mountains in his 40s and has also scaled 6,194-meter Mount McKinley -- the highest peak in North America.
Raccoon survives massive electric shock Thu May 18, 8:46 AM ET
NICOSIA (Reuters) - A raccoon suffered an 11,000 volt electric shock when it scampered up a pylon in Cyprus but escaped with burns.
The nocturnal mammal triggered a two-hour power outage at the town of Aradippou in southeast Cyprus after it scaled the pylon. It was eventually captured with a net and has been impounded by vets as an illegal import.
"It suffered some burns which we treated and is now recovering ... it certainly has the will to live," Charalambos Kakoyiannis of the island's veterinary department said on Thursday.
Raccoons, a native of the Americas, were introduced to Europe last century but are alien to Cyprus and authorities said the animal, whose owner was unknown, was smuggled onto the island.
Friend left as deposit at gas station Thu May 18, 8:50 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German woman left her friend as a deposit at a gas station because she did not have enough cash to pay for her petrol, police said Wednesday.
"She didn't have enough money to pay the bill, so her friend stayed behind as a human deposit while she went to withdraw cash," said a spokesman for police in the southern town of Muenchberg. "Unfortunately, the woman did not return."
Two hours after the 20-year-old driver left, the gas station called the police, who interrogated the stranded "deposit" before releasing her. Police are investigating
That's tough losing Derrek Lee for that long. Prior and Wood are good pitchers too.
NL Central Standings
Team W L PCT GB
St. Louis 26 15 .634 -
Cincinnati 24 17 .585 2.0
Houston 22 19 .537 4.0
Milwaukee 22 19 .537 4.0
Chi Cubs 17 23 .425 8.5
Pittsburgh 13 28 .317 13.0
The Cards take a two game lead over the Reds. What happened to the Cubs?
Now you got Jarrett leaving for Toyota too. Yates is going to be looking for a new driver next year.
Preakness field
Post Horse Jockey Trainer M/L Odds
1 Like Now Garrett Gomez Kiaran McLaughlin 12-1
2 Platinum Couple Jose Espinoza Joseph Lostritto 50-1
3 Hemingway's Key Jeremy Rose Nick Zito 30-1
4 Greeley's Legacy Richard Migliore George Weaver 20-1
5 Brother Derek Alex Solis Dan Hendricks 3-1
6 Barbaro Edgar Prado Michael Matz Even
7 Sweetnorthernsaint Kent Desormeaux Michael Trombetta 4-1
8 Bernardini Javier Castellano Tom Albertrani 8-1
9 Diabolical Ramon Dominguez Steve Klesaris 30-1
Didn't he make a statement to the effect that if one of his crew chiefs got caught cheating he would fire him?
Yes he did say that. Labbe offered to resign but Yates refused to accept it. So you have a point there.
The Cardinals take the first two from the Mets. Last night Mark Mulder out lasted Steve Trachsel in a pitchers duel. The Cardinals won 1-0. 3B Scott Rolen got the game winning RBI with a double in the sixth.
This afternoon the Cardinal won 6-3. Jason Marquis (5-4) went 7.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits. 1B Scott Spiezio went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's and ss David Eckstein went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored.