Toyota Agrees to Pay $1 Billion to Settle Class Action !

As  expected , Toyota agreed to  settle the "sudden -unintended acceleration  class action ". They'll pay about a billion. Probably , after all the objections and fairness hearings the attorneys will get around 16-20% , leaving around $800k for the " class of plaintiffs" . The amount per claim will be insubstantial . Probably will take another year or more to  have money change hands.
   So Toyota made a business decision. Were the problems resolved? Was justice served ? How will this affect the personal injury cases  resulting from  similar claimed  defects?  Still far from over.

   Your thoughts?

  Legal analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Jack Klugman Passes at Age 90; If You Didn't Love "Oscar and Felix ", Well Then What Can I Say?

 My  two  favorite TV  shows of all-time  are  "Get  Smart "  and   "The   Odd  Couple  ". Jack  Klugman who played Oscar  , the sportswriter who was a lovable  slob, gambler  and who loved  "the ladies " just died at age 90 . He was awesome!  I'm not sure  what  it was, the sports,  the poker games , the girls or  the whole  New York bachelor thing  ...but he  was the man  .
     Classic characters  on the show . Murray  the Cop .  The Pigeon Sisters  . Felix . The  players at the poker game  . My favorite  "schtick" was when Oscar's phone rang in his bedroom , and he would calmly go through all the clutter, garbage and clothes strewn about to find it  . I wanted to be  Oscar . 
  He later starred on Quincy and  appeared in dozens and dozens of other shows.
    Long live  "Oscar Madison"!

    God Bless.

Madoff Fallout Continues; Peter Madoff Gets 10 Years in the Can!

Well, it took fu__in  long enough !  Finally, probably the second most important  participant in the scam, Peter Madoff  just got sentenced . He got ten years . Between you and me , it seems  like a lot  , but my feeling is that it was  a "gift" ! Life would have been more fitting.  He might actually have " a  life "  after  he serves his time..If he can take care of himself.

  At the end of the day, was 30 years of lavish living worth ending up like this?  Your thoughts.

Merry Christmas-Happy Holidays!

Jeremy Lin, I'm Proud of You; You May Not Be Raymond Felton, But You Can Play!

Linsanity returned to the Garden last night in a Rockets uniform. Knicks go in with a 10-0 record at home and best  record in the East . Remember , one of those losses was a blowout in Houston at the hands of the Rockets.
   So what happens  last night in front of a festive holiday crowd? Lin, Harden and Company thoroughly dismantle, manhandle, toy with and humiliate the Knicks. Lin, 22 points, 8 assists, 4 bounds and  without a doubt the quickest and most energetic guy on the floor. Did Lin and Harden expose perhaps the Knicks only weakness? Trouble with lightening quick guards?
   Don't know for sure. But I do know one thing...Jeremy Lin belongs!

  NBA  analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Ready For This One; Tyson Chandler Playing Better Than Any Center in NBA Now!

 Take a deep breath everyone. Yes, keep an open mind. Well ok then . Right now , Tyson Chandler is the best center in the NBA.  " D " is second to no one. Monster on both boards. Runs the pick and roll and alleyoop to perfection  and leaves his heart out on the floor  every    night . Love to have him on my team ! Don't need flashy offense from him...Not his game .
  Look what he did against Howard last night. Who's better? Not Howard right now. Gasol  ?  Bynum? Shaq(lol). With Chandler , you know what he brings  every single fu__in  night.

  Gotta love it!

 Steve Goldman NBA beat  writer reporting.

Kevin Youkilis, He Aint Koufax, But His Familiy's Name Used To Be Weiner!

So  the Yanks got their  third base fix. Kevin Youkilis(Youk) , formerly  of the despised Red Sox is coming to NY  to  keep third base warm until A-Rod returns . Youk is a 3 time all-star and a Gold Glove winner. I've always respected his grittiness and hard-nosed play. Bet he's a great teammate!
   And you know what? He's not Greek. He's Jewish from Cincinati.
     Happy Hannukah Yanks!

  Steve Goldman reporting.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, The Mulberry Bush....HSBC Pays $1.9 Billion Fine to U.S.!

Here we go again!  HSBC  caught red-handed laundering  money (a lot of it) for nations/entities under United States  Sanctions. This reminds me of the movie,"Catch Me If You Can ". Big banks are the worst of the worst. Rate rigging, money laundering, toxic mortgage backed-securities, betting against their customers' positions and plenty more.
   So  what do our  Regulatory Agencies do?  Pull their license  ?  Shut them down? Restrict their business ? Of course not. They simply  hit em with what appears to be a huge fine or penalty to "John Q Public" , and business(I mean monkey business) goes on as usual.
   It's simply a license to break the law. Laughable!    Your thoughts.

   Wall Street analyst, S.F. Goldman the 3rd reporting.

Kobe Playing at The Highest Level of Any 34 Year Old Ever?

  Say what you may?  Michael hads 6 rings.  LeBron is superhuman. Let's look at Kobe. Just hit 30,000 points. Fifth player to accomplish that.Can he pass Kareem? I  believe so. Although the youngest, it took  Kobe the most games of the 5 all-time leading scorers to get there. He has 5 rings...One more and he and MJ are in a dead heat!
    But here's the thing I see night in and night out, and I truly  believe; Kobe is playing at the highest level of any player in NBA history at age 34...Incredibly after 16 seasons. Last time I checked he was either leading the league in scoring or was right near the top. Outworks and  out-prepares  all competition.Competitive edge is second to "no-one". This is a guy who is driven around all day in a custom-built van so he can religiously ice his feet and knees 3 times daily.Hey, whatever works!
  While Kobe is 34 , age is really not the sole factor here. How many more years does Kobe really want to play? Two, three, five? Let's put it this way. When he gets his 6th ring and passes Kareem on the the all-time scoring list, even Kobe may seriously consider retirement.  Your thoughts ?

   NBA  beat reporter Steve  "Wilt" Goldman reporting.

Let's Never Forget "Pearl Harbor Day"!

December 6th  1941 , Japanese fighter planes ambush Pearl Habor . Devastation, surprise, shock ! Untold lives lost.. A day that will live in infamy. The two saddest days in American history. Pearl Harbor Day and "9-11". Changed our lives forever.
   So while "9-11" is still fresh in our minds....Let's  remember and respect Pearl Harbor Day every December 6th!  God Bless.

What Can You Say? They Call him J.R.!

  The Knicks had  their hands full with Charlotte last night. MJ  looking on. Kemba Walker racing around like a water bug! Melo in a second half funk. So a  couple of timely 3 pointers and some Bobcat turnovers, (simply the result of  inexperience) and they were   back in it.
   This all set the tone for the Knicks with 3 seconds left to take the last shot. To their credit, they never gave up.  So what does JR do? Only makes an impossible fall away 20 footer to win it!  The ride continues.


Steve Goldman reporting.

A-Rod Having Hip Surgery; How Many More Surgeries Can That 37 Year Old Body Take?

 Reports came  out yesterday that A-Rod will need yet, another surgery . How will he   respond? Can he ever be a .280 , 30 homerun , 90 RBI   guy again?  Been  through a lot. A-Rod has played a lot of games, taken a lot of at bats. One thing in his favor...No  one works harder  than him. That's a known fact!
   My take. What, he's got 640 homers or so ? Needs another 60 to get to 700. Another 130 to be the all-time leader. Personally, I'd like to see him get 700 .Would be fun! Jeter possibly gunning for  4000 hits.
   So for now, A-Rod takes it one day at a time with his guaranteed $30  million annual stipend. 
Yankees need to think about a 3rd base fix!
   My prediction. A-Rod back in   May !  Let's see!

Sports reporter Steve Goldman reporting.