I Hope DSK Enjoyed His Little Encounter With the Hotel Maid; It Looks Like It's Gonna Cost Him $6 Million!

So it looks like the entire Civil Case could  be coming to a close before the holidays. Reports are that the "maid has it made"!  Six million to her..Probably $4 mill after attorrneys fees. Nice work attorney Ken Thompson.  I hear DSK's  rich, estranged wife is actually  lending him $ 3 mill.
   So was justice served ? You be the judge on that one.  All I can say is that was one expensive lo_d!

   Only in America ! God  Bless.

I Gotta Laugh, London Jury Convicts "UBS Rogue Trader " Over $2.3 Billion Loss!

Kweku Adoboli, the so-called "UBS Rogue Trader ", was convicted of fraud  over the huge trading loss at UBS by a London jury . Shame on you jurors . Either defense counsel didn't do its job or you just didn't get it . UBS, like all big banks is greedy. They don't care about  anything but $. They watch every nickel like it's the last coin on earth. They "eat their young" like male rabbits !
   So  for anyone on this planet (who wasn't dropped from an alien spacecraft yesterday) to believe  UBS  wasn't on-board  for the "good and bad"  resulting from Adoboli's trades is beyond  funny !  Whether his trades and positions were expressly or impliedly authorized  is of little significance. UBS was  in for the ride...This ride just happened to crash and burn. Oh well.
   Since  he's convicted, then you might as well  convict all his bosses at UBS, plus the Executive Board. Show some cojones! But no, easier to  have a single  trader  as a scapegoat, taking the ultimate fall.  Hey, the moral of the story. "If you play with fire, sometimes you do get burned".

  Good luck on the appeal.

You Got To Give The Nets Credit; They've Arrived Quickly!

  First things first. I'm a  Knicks fan!  Been a Knicks  fan since I'm 10 years old.  I  do  root half-heartedly for the Nets . Follow them and will watch them once in a while.  Being perfectly  candid with you, just last  year I felt they were  one of the sorriest franchises in the NBA. Remember this is the same team,  that  it felt like every visiting  teams'  fans  were louder than the home Nets fans. Was pretty gloomy indeed!
   Then lo and behold, Deron Williams is signed. Joe Johnson comes to Broooklyn. Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans. Humphies signs . Lopez is asserting himself every night. The Barclay Center opens. Large, vocal crowds. The Nets are over 500. Believing in themselves. JayZ   is the face of the franchise.
  But last night it got better, much , much better! Overnight like circa 1957, a New York -Brooklyn professional sports rivalry  was born!  Sellout crowd. Playoff atmoshere. National TV . High intensity. Knicks in first , Nets in second . Great efforts by both teams. Melo, 35, Lopez is terrific and the BROOKLYN  Nets  prevail in OT. A  win , win for both franchises, the fans and the City ! Hopefully , many more like this to come.
  Hey, and give the Nets credit. It's only November 27th, and they've arrived!

 City beat reporter Steve Goldman reporting.

Larry Hagman, "Macho Camacho " Pass Away..Have Clear Recollection of Each One!

 Over the holiday weekend , Larry Hagman(81) and  Hector "Macho " Camacho (age 50)  both passed. Larry  died of  cancer complications while  "Macho "  was declared " brain dead" from a gun shot wound he received to the face . Fifty, way too young!
    I  have lasting memories of each  for different reasons. Let me start with Hagman. While  he earned his international  acclaim starring  in Dallas,  my first memories were  from "I  Dream  of  Jeannie ". Hagman starred with the  beautiful Barbara Eden and Bill  Daly  in a sitcom that ran from 1965-1970. I was young, but loved the show  . I  remember  it was on at 4:00 , in reruns , weekday afternoons..(Right before Lost in Space).I would rush home from school, grab Ring Dings, Yodels, Twinkies or whatever and watch  TV from like 4-6 during the cold weather. Still have pretty vivid  memories even today.
   Now Camacho  was a different story. I  didn't necessarily love him, thought he danced too much  and didn't throw enough power punches, but he was entertaining, flamboyant and was skilled enough  to win titles in three separate weight divisions. Fought Leonard, Duran twice and  Chavez. Always broke, always in trouble . When I practiced law in the City I even had occasion to sue him in a crazy litigation involving Mike Marley. Camacho  was a product of the projects in Spanish Harlem!  His reckless lifestyle unfortunately caught up with him. He did give  a lot of people a lot of thrills!
   So having said all that; Larry, Hector may you rest in peace!

Obama In Bangkok, I Bet The Secret Service "Advance Team " Is Having Fun!

 It was not too long ago that Obama's  Secret Service  "advance  team " was involved  in "hookergate " in Colombia  . I guess they had  too much time on their hands  , We'll  I alluded  to the possibilty  of a Bangkok  trip and  how   it could really  be great   reality  TV,  "Agents  Gone Wild "!
   Well lo and behold, The President and his  entourage  are on an Asia  "swing" and  just spent a day or so in Bangkok;  arguably the Happy Ending capital of the World.  I wonder if the  Security Detail had to take a vow of celibacy . How much time off did  they have there? What is the exchange rate ? Do they take Visa? Don't you think these thoughts have crossed the minds of all  the travelling Secret Service(Not Escort Service you ninny!) Agents?
  I'm sure the security detail will be on their best behavior and will   act professionally at all times on the trip.(Professional being the key word here). I  suppose  the  Agents will not even  be  able  to  sample  the local  delicacies other than an "all you can eat" Thai buffet. Too bad.

  Oh well, there's always Cartegena again next year. Happy Thanksgiving.

   Steve Goldman reporting.

Knicks; I Now Know How Lucky Lakers, Celtics and Bulls Fans Are!

  Break up the Knicks....They're 6-0 !  Tremendous " come-from-behind"  win against the  Spurs  in San Antonio . Without Melo's offense (3 for 12) too  . Tonight they roll into Memphis against the 6-1 Grizzlies . One thing that  has surprised me is how fast J-Kidd still is dribbling the basketball  . He is so much fun to watch..We're lucky to get the future Hall of Famer while he still has  plenty left in the tank.
   So with the Knicks winning and playing entertaining ball, I find myself looking forward to their games. Can't help but  being envious of Laker, Bulls and  Celtic fans who have  had long stretches of success and winning basketball to watch every night.

   Oh by the way, only 27 more wins needed to tie Lakers streak of 33 straight!

NBA  beat writer Steve Goldman reporting.

RA Dickey Wins National League CY Young!

Another dreadful   Met  season. Madoff problems, financial woes, no outfield....Need I continue ?  In any event   R.A.  went  20-6  and was a stadout all year. You earned it! 

  Now the big question, can they keep him? Your thoughts?

Steve Goldman reporting.

Prosecutors Close Investigation Of Bernie Fine 2002 "Alleged Sexual Assault "; Was He Fallout From Penn State Scandal or Not Enough Evidence to Prosecute ?

Bernie  Fine the long-time Syracuse assistant  got some good news yesterday . Fine , who had been accused of "Sandusky-Type"  actions while an assistant  basketball coach at Syracuse will not have to defend  himself against criminal  charges from an alleged 2002 incident.  Was the decision made because he is innocent? Unreliable/sleazy witnesses?  Not enough evidence? What do you think ? 
  So  what is next for  Bernie Fine ? Will  he face other  claims? Probably not. Will Syracuse or any school hire him? Doubtful .  Will  he find  work here ? Don't know.

  My hunch; He winds up coaching overseas in Europe or Israel.  Look , if  he is a pedophile  he  deserves to  be  "banished " from interaction with kids period .  But, if  he is truly innocent of all allegations, a  life has been mistakenly ruined !  Your thoughts?

Lot of Interesting Political Stories Coming Out of This Year's Elections, But Nothing More Impressive In My Opinion Than The Fact That We Now Have 19 Female US Senators!

 Obama won convincingly ! The Democrats retained control of the Senate and did well nationwide. The Repulicans , although devastated by Romney's loss, did in fact  keep control of the "House". So what was the real story  of the 2012  Elections? Yes, you guessed it . Almost 40% of all  US Senators are now  woman.
   Pretty  amazing stuff ! Congrats  to all!   "You've come a long way baby"!

  Political analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Thank God Obama Won, I Don't Have to Move to Canada!

Well I was all  prepared to become a fanatic hockey fan, learn French,  take up " curling "  and watch "Canadian   Football " if Romney won.  Well  I'm glad to say we're staying put for 4 more years.
 
   To  Romney, back to Bain Capital  and "off-shore tax havens ". Ended up being a romp!

Someone Pinch Me, Knicks 3-0 To Start The Year!

 Usually the Knicks start 1-5, 2-7 or 0-5. By  mid-December things start looking hopeless. Too tough to watch! Well we're 3-0 to start. The first time in probably 20 years, and dominating  on both ends to boot.

  It's early I know. But hey, 3 and 0 is 3 and 0!  And don't look now, Melo is hustling and plaing "D".

Knicks Open With Very Impressive Win Against Heat!

  Look, with the devastation caused by  " Sandy " , and the  current  atmosphere of survival, it is tough to be upbeat about things like sports . For one night though , the Knicks "opening night " trouncing of the Heat  was a feel good moment. No way to explain the effort and dominance on both ends of the court.
   One could venture to say that is was the greatest  opening night win in Knick history!

  Be safe and keep the faith!

My Prayers Go Out to All Those Affected By The Storm!

 To all  those affected by the storm, my Prayers and  words of encouragement go out to you!  You shall overcome!