Wow, Andy Roddick at Ancient Age of 30 Retiring!

Tennis is a crazy sport. You start practicing 3 hours a day from age 3. You eat, sleep and dream tennis. Coaches, camps, academies...Practice, practice , practice!
And those precious few who are fortunate enough to turn pro and be successful can make a ton of money . Get sponsored, endorsements , prize money and travel the globe . If you're even better you can win tournaments and maybe a "Grand Slam Event". Can be quite a ride.
So when one hits 30 (Exception Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer) your career, while not over is usually on the decline . So why is Roddick hanging it up and leaving millions of dollars on the table. First off, I gather he's financially secure. Secondly he won the Open in 2003, Davis Cup, a lot of tournaments and lost some historic Grand Slam matches. Did someone say Federer at Wimbledon? Not to mention his family of course. Plus He's been hitting tennis balls his whole life..Might be burned out, might need a rest . He's done it all!
So while this "Open " could be his last(The crowd will be nuts tonight!), my gut feeling is that after spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family ,.. and after missing the Australian Open, you might very well see a comeback. Who knows ?
For now, hats off to the best American men's player of this past generation!
Steve 'Bud" Goldman reporting.

I'm Sure Brooklyn Is Proud To Have Vito Lopez as It's Assemblyman!

Never a dull day in New York politics. A corruption scandal here, fraud, illegal use of public funds , ethics , conflict of interest and of course our favorite , "a sex scandal"! By the way what is Anthony Weiner doing now? Thank God we don't have Vito Lopez posing in his underwear!
So our latest politician to get caught up in a scandal is Vito Lopez. Yes the 71 year old politician. Allegations are that he sexually harassed , both verbally and via unwanted touching, two female staffers of his. And then to make things more interesting, Sheldon Silver authorized a " hush payment " of about $100,000 from "Assembly money" to these woman . Easy come(Don't be a pig) ,easy go.
And you know what? Our laws are so archaic that Lopez was simply stripped of a Chair position and ordered to attend a sexual harassment awareness course.(Not inter-, you ninny!) I wonder what aide(I mean accomplice ) will he send to sit in for him. Probably will be authorized by Sheldon Silver. The whole thing is a joke.
I can only hope that a "pit bull plaintiff's lawyer" gets retained , and we'll really have a fiasco on our hands. Could be very interesting.
For now, enjoy your Labor Day. The fun is only beginning!

Political correspondent Steve Goldman reporting.

Wall Street ; Big Banks Key to Success , Make Sure You Have a Profitable "Money Laundering Division"!

Money Laundering , one of the World's oldest professions, apparently is alive , well and thriving. Standard Chartered, the big British bank just paid a $340 million fine for allegedly laundering billions of dollars . HSBC , is next on the hit list . HSBC has put aside $700 million for possible penalties , fines and sanctions. Remember, if you get caught, just pay the "Piper".
Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank of Germany, BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole of France and the Royal Bank of Scotland are now the focus of a "money laundering investigation" . Well, for God's sake, who isn't the focus of an investigation? And these are presumably just the foreign banks who got caught.
The scope of what really goes on would be mind boggling to anyone who is not an insider in the business.
How do you stop it? You don't! How do curtail it ? Indict high-level bank executives and
" pull their authorization " to do business in the United States . Get tough!
Will that work? I don't know... Your thoughts?

SF Goldman reporting.

Hey, Don't Feel Sorry For Facebook Shareholders, With a Billion People Using Facebook ,The Stock Will See Better Days!

So when does upper management and it's shareholders at Facebook start to panic ? Hey, the stock "hit the Street " at $38 in May, peaked at $45 and closed today at $19 and change . Yikes!
"It's a fine mess you got me into O'llie"!
But seriously, it blows my mind to think that a company like Facebook, with nearly a "billion users" is not the darling of Wall Street. Why not? Was the stock overvalued at the time of the IPO? Is there a lack of trust in Zuckerberg? Are revenue expectations too high? Will they be able to maximize advertising income? Is there a perception of being stagnant? The questions go on and on .
I can tell you one thing , there are some pretty brilliant people running the company with top-notch consultants.
Here's my advice to Zuckerberg and company. Start running Facebook like a fu__in business. You're no longer in your dorm room at Harvard. Start making $ already. Push for the allmighty advertising dollar and batton down the hatches. Wall Street and "John Doe investor" want cash flow, growth and low debt .Give it to them.
If you want to be a publicly traded company, start acting like one . If not, buy up the stock and go private! Good luck.
Wall Street analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Roger Clemens to Pitch in Minor Leagues on Saturday...But Roger, Why?

Roger, man o man get a life . You were acquitted by a D.C. jury. You have a great family. You're young ,healthy, have 7 Cy Youngs, some "rings" and presumably are worth a boatload($$). So what are you trying to prove? That a 50 year old former stud pitcher, who is "roid-free " can throw 87 mph and win in the minor leagues. Or do you just have too much time on your hands ?
God bless the minor league team who will put a lot of fannys in the stands. It will be a shortlived media frenzy..And who knows, maybe he'll be the oldest pitcher(Did someone say Satchel Paige?) to win a game in a long time. But this reminds me of Hearns, Leonard, Duran, Hagler, Frazier et al who just couldn't quit. It became sad, ugly and downright disgraceful after a while . Roger, don't do it.
Look, at the end of the day, who really knows Clemens' reasons for this stunt. I can tell you one thing , if you think it will increase your chances to make the "Hall of Fame", think again.
Just go ask Pete Rose who has wasted the last 25 years of his life.
Steve Goldman reporting.

Phyllis Diller, What Can You Say? She Was One of The Greatest of All-Time!

Phyllis Diller just passed away at the ripe old age of 95. She lived a good life and worked well into her late 80's . She was a classic , and in my opinion was the greatest female standup artist of the last 50 years. She did it all.
I have particular great memories of her while growing up. In high school, college and Law School I did some standup comedy at local restaurants and bars. I used material from Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett, George Carlin, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby , Johnathan Winters and yes, Phyllis Diller . I remember watching them religiously on the Dean Martin Roasts on TV . Great stuff!
There was one great Phyllis Diller line that "I stole verbatim" and incorporated into my act . Still remember it today.
I "knew a girl who was so flat , that when she layed down she had to have a sign saying this side up"! Funny stuff .
Perhaps her funniest schtick was her bit about her fictitious husband "Fang". Classic. She was far and away the Queen of self-deprecating humor. She made millions laugh for generations and will always be remembered.
God Bless.

Just Because You Make the "Hall of Fame"(Hall of Shame in Some Cases ), Doesn't Necessarily Mean You're Honest!

Couldn't believe it . First reported on Friday, "Hall of Fame " College coach Jim Donnan is accused of being of being part of a "Ponzi Scheme " which allegedly bilked investors out of $80 million . Then yesterday, Hall of Fame Baseball player Eddie Murray(You know 500 homers and 3000 hits) agreed to settle S.E.C. charges of trading(buying stock) on inside information he allegedly received from a former Oriole teammate . Murray, reportedly will pay a fine of $385,000.
Look, obviously if proven, Donnan's actions are worse. But Murray apparently broke the law too. Both are misdeeds of greed. An argument can be made that Murray's actions had "no real victims", while Donnan might very well be no better than Madoff.
I can tell you this. Murray didn't need the money. Did Donnan ? I don't know. When it's all said and done, Donnan could be "going away" for quite some time. His possible "saving grace " might be" turning " on the Ohio businessman who may have been the mastermind of the scheme.
Can someone be kicked out of the Hall of Fame ? Pete Rose is 71 and could use the slot.

Sports reporter Steve "Skip " Goldman reporting.

Standard Chartered, Oh Well , We Got Caught...Let's Contribute $340 Million to New York State and All Is Well!

Yes, it happened again! Amazingly so. Another big international bank, Standard Chartered out of London was accused of laundering money through their US Branch over a 10 year period , and of course "disguising the transactions " to avoid detection. Some reported accounts estimate the amount at issue to be as high as $250 BILLION. Yes, billion I SAY! Not easy to disguise that amount of volume and go undetected.
Well give NY State some credit. They didn't wait for the Feds, and aggressively pursued the "Bank". At the end of the day everyone(almost everyone) got what they wanted. The bank pays a fine , keeps it's New York branch operating and lives to see another day. The Great State of New York gets a nice "mid-summer " infusion of cash . It would be easier if the banks, traders and hedge funds just paid a couple of hundred million " up-front",good for 25 violations of the law. Would seem to be simpler!
Wall street snoop, Steve "Dirty Laundry " Goldman reporting.

Don't Look Now,Hiroki Kuroda 10-8 With a 3.24 ERA!

With all the Yankees injuries and starting pitching problems, one steady , reliable starting pitcher has stood out. Yes, believe it or not Hiroki Kuroda . Acquired by the Yanks in the off-season , Yank fans were cautiously optimistic about the move. After a slow start, NY fans were not happy campers.
Well, after injuries to Andy, Sabathia and uncertainty with Phil Hughes, Kuroda has become a "reliable starter", with what seems like a string of quality starts! Pitches tonight against Texas, and with a strong finish this season he could notch 15 wins with a low 3 ERA. Wow. More than even Brian Cashman could have expected.
So we're in mid-August and somehow the "Bronx Bombers " keep on trucking along . Nothing spectacular, but just about everyone they throw out there on the field seems to produce .

Only 6 weeks to Playoffs! Get healthy Andy and A-Rod soon.

Howard to Lakers, OMG...Laker Fans Should Be Kissing Kupchak's As_!

Five titles in the "Kobe Era" I gather is not enough ! The Lakers want more and may very well get more . Mitch Kupchak has been a busy fellow this summer landing "free agent point guard" , Steve Nash and the best big man in the game(far and away) Dwight Howard . Starting lineup, Gasol, Howard, "World Peace"(Artest), Kobe and Nash . That is going to be one fun team to watch! Nash could average 17-18 assists per game. Heck , I could average 10.
Seriously, Kobe, Gasol and Howard should be the beneficiaries of Nash's playmaking. Really, the first true point guard Kobe has really ever played with. Nash makes everyone better.
So watch out OKC and San Antonio, the Lakers are gunning for ring #6 in the Kobe era.

Jack Nicholson, you are in "Seventh Heaven"!

US Woman's Soccer Team...You Go Girls!

So much going on in London. Swimming , track, diving, tennis, hoops, water polo.....The events go on and on. One group of athletes with their Gold Medal yesterday truly achieved "rock star status". Yes, the Woman's Soccer team in their victory over Japan avenged the gut-wrenching defeat in the World Cup.
It was an unbelievable match, great intensity, pride and a high level of play. There are too many heroes to name. Total team effort . Great goaltending; Tremendous bench play . And take your hat off to Japan . A gutsy, talented group of ladies .
Only 3 more days left! US Mens hoops today against Argentina.


Great Olympics!

Oscar Pistorius, "The Blade Runner ", and South African 4x400 Relay Team Advance to Final!

The Blade Runner and his Countrymen are alive and well and via a ruling on their appeal, will run in the finals. What an opportunity for Oscar and South Africa to make history. Just getting there is quite noteworthy in historical perspective!
Moral of the story, "you can do anything you set your mind to" .

Go Oscar.....The world is pulling for you!


Steve"Jesse Owens" Goldman reporting.

Wall Street; Reason Banks Get Away With "Highway Robbery ", Is Because Penalties Are Too Fu__in Light!

I was thinking yesterday about what I would "blog about " today. Didn't want to do more Olympics . Most other headlines have been about sad , horrific events . Then lo and behold, staring me straight in the eye was my story. Yes, the latest 2 Wall Street Scandals ;are the fixing of interest rates by big banks(Libor Scandal) and Knight Capital's out of control trading system that caused them $440 million in losses . Throw in MF Global , Facebook and JP Morgan and you have a "scandal stew ".
But despite all stated intentions to investigate, prosecute, regulate(master__te) etc, we all know the ultimate sanction will be a monetary penalty. It's an understanding. The regulatory agency needs the money and the bank can afford the penalty a million times over . They just pass it on to their "loyal customers " . So what happens ? They are good citizens until the next scandal . Did someone say " too big to fail " .
But guess what ? The banks will continue to do as they please if all that ever happens is they apologize and pay a multi-million dollar fine.. No fear. No respect. No deterrent at all! Carte blanche . They're playing with monopoly money.
There is one thing that will make them shake in their boots, and adhere to the law. Yes,
" three strikes and you're out". Make 3 major blunders and your "banking charter is pulled " . Now, that has some bite! Believe me, you'll see "banking angels " all over Wall Street. The culture will change over night.
Call it tough love! Something meaningful has to be done.
Wall Street analyst Steve "SEC " Goldman reporting.

Grandpa ,Michael Phelps is Still King!

He did it again! He did it again! Phelps goes wire to wire in the 200 IM . Brings his all-time medal total to 20. Two Golds and two silvers so far in London, with 2 events to go ! Stay tuned...Beware of "spoiler alerts ". And he beat his arch rival Ryan Lochte . Trounced him!
So , this should be a good lesson in the future. "It aint over till the fat lady sings.

Steve Goldman reporting.

Michael Phelps, " He Is The Champion, Of The World"(Queen)!

I gotta to tell you, the Olympics is a "Blogger's" dream. One great story after another ! Missy Franklin, Womans' Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball, Basketball and of course "Sir " Michael Phelps . He made history yesterday , and without hesitation he can now be called the"greatest Olympian "ever . Amazing! Yesterday he got a Gold and Silver(2 Silvers and a Gold in London) bringing his all-time total to 19. Not bad for a washed up champion.
I think he has some more events so we shall see if he hits 20....At this point, anything more would simply be gravy . He's established a record which will stand forever !

Michael, you're the greatest ever. Don't stop now !

Reporting Steve "XXX " Goldman.