Wade and Lebron Dominated Second Half....But if They Have to Perform Like This Every Night,They're in Deep Sh_t!

Lebron played a spectacular all-around game today against the Pacers ! Wade finished with 30 , most coming in an uncanny second half scoring exhibition , and the Heat barely survived. Don't get me wrong . It was a huge, gutsy win and the victory allowed Miami to regain home court advantage. Now that's the good news.
The bad is that Lebron and Wade scored about 40 points in a row for the Heat, finished with 67 or so between them and scored almost 70% percent of the team's points. Not to mention, that the Spurs and OKC, both possible finals opponents are both much, much better teams than the Pacers . Even with nightly Herculean efforts from the "big 2", and /or a healthy return from Bosh , in my opinion the Heat are "one true big man away" from winning it all.
Just can't see Haslem, Anthony, Chalmers , Battier and Miller being the consistent supporting cast needed to reach the promised land. Hey, don't count them out...But, ten(10) more playoff wins may be too high a mountain to climb.
I can tell you one thing. Tonight's flight back to South Beach was definitely a joyous one!

NBA analyst, "Skitch Goldman reporting.

Edwards Case in The Hands Of The Jury....We Know He's a Sleezebag...But Did He Violate Federal Law?

So the testimony wrapped up. Closing arguments were given and the Judge instructed the jury on the applicable Law . Yes, that's right. The Judge instructed the jury on the law . In this case, almost one of first impression, the verdict will certainly hinge on the jurors determining what the billionaire heiresses intent was when she gave about $725,000 to Edwards.
If the jury finds beyond a reasonable doubt that one of her purposes in giving the money was to influence an election, then that would be sufficent to convict . Of significance, is that Ms. Mellon declared the payment to be a gift, and actually paid a gift tax on it. Was she helping Edwards cause she was enamored with him or was she trying to "influence" an election,whether it be the primary or the General Election down the road.
Going to be very difficult for the jury to creep into the mind of the donor , decide her intent and render a sustainable verdict. In my opinion, there is not enough evidence in front of the jury regarding Ms. Mellon's intent. Without these proofs, it would appear to be next to impossible to meet that "beyond a reasonable doubt" burden.
My prediction, Edwards is acquitted or if convicted by the Jury, the verdict is tossed on post-trial motion.

Your thoughts.

Legal crackerjack S.F. Goldman reporting.

Don't Look Now, Dow Jones Down 800 Points In The Last Couple of Weeks!

The one thing about investing in the market is that you can never get too complacement . Things may be looking good, positive news and indicators galore....Then boom! The bottom falls out and panic overwhelms you.
That is exactly what has happened here . The Dow peaked at just over 13,300 and as of 15 minutes ago it had plummeted to 12,500. Ouch! 800 points in such a short time is not insignificant. How much is attributable to European debt issues? The economy? Jobs, manufacturing ? Tough to tell.
Has the fallout from the JP Morgan trading debacle contributed adversely? I believe so. Investor's psyches'(as we know) are very sensitive and any minute sign, trend or indicator can set things off .
One thing is for certain. There is never any "certainty " in the market . So give yourself a break. Hit Atlantic City, Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun .....Lay back, de-stress.
This has been Wall Street analyst Steve " DJI" Goldman reporting.

Clemens Trial; As The Beat Goes On.........

Can you believe it? Week five already in the Clemens retrial? Only two jurors dismissed for sleeping so far .....How much longer will the case last? (Snore!)
This is a tense, unhappy Courtroom . Clemens is miserable, Judge Walton hates the case! The Prosecution Team is on edge . The jurors can't stay awake. Only the national news media and the bloggers are enjoying things . The cross-examination of Brian McNamee should be one of the highlights of the trial . Sparks will be flying . As well as syringes!
Other than that , many are wondering why we are here in the first place . And the saddest thing of all, the seven time Cy Young award winner's life , reputation and legacy continue to spiral downward.
Roger, unfortunately you don't have have a lot of sympathizers. But Prosecution, then again, neither do you .
Steve "HGH" Goldman reporting.

JP Morgan, Big Banks....It's Like Playing With Monopoly Money...Really!

The fallout from JP Morgan's trading loss of at least $2 billion(could be more ) has dominated the news for the past week . How could it happen? Do you really believe a loss of this magnitude could take place without the CEO knowing about it? He better implement some better "quality controls " for next time . Did anyone say "turning a blind eye"?
In today's financial world and the topsy turvy derivatives market you can(and they do ) insure against almost anything. They make sh_t up as they are going along. It wouldn't even surprise me if they bought insurance insuring themselves against this trading loss , which had effectively insured numerous hedge funds for fluctuations in values of other publicly traded stocks. Not so far-fetched, is it?
At the end of the day, Morgan will make up the loss somewhere else...Probably with each of their millions of customers absorbing a small, transparent amount in their monthly statements, ATM charges or some other innocuous place. Don't shed a tear for JP Morgan! They wouldn't for you !
And you know what ? They don't have to make good on the $2 billion plus loss until 2017 . Yes, 5 years to scheme and shift and maneuver . Spread it out over 5 years .
So let's get finished with the resignations and firings of "the sacrificial lambs ". We have other important things to get to .

Reporting, Steve "Credit Swaps " Goldman.

I Love Big Banks; Yeah, It's Only a $2 Billion Loss...No Big Deal!

Big story in the Times this morning . JP Morgan admits to a trading loss of $2 "billion ". [Billion you say? ]. You know what's great? It's always some "rogue trader in Europe " trading on risky derivatives. Or some " wildman on the "Delta Desk". Yeah, you know the same guys the bank patted on the back and gave huge bonuses last year when " things were good ".
What struck me though about the losses is the bank's "ho hum " attitude . Yes, it is true that JP Morgan made $19 billion last year.....But there goes $2 billion right out the door. "Easy come, easy go! We'll make it up somehow on our customers next year."They'll hardly notice.
So while "Morgan " is shaking off this huge trading loss , I have to stop and ask myself : Will they be so nonchalant the next time a customer has a whopping $82 overdraft on his checking account ? Or will they dunn and harass him until the cows come home?
Ah, the "rich get richerrrrrrr!
JP Goldman reporting.

Josh Hamilton a Free Agent At Year's End....So What Will He Be Worth?

Holy smolee ? Josh Hamilton exploded last night and hit 4 homers and a double in one game . Haven't seen a power performance like that since he jacked out like 27 homers in the Home Run Derby at the "Old Yankee Stadium " a few years back!
His 2012 Numbers ; 14 homers, 36 RBI's , and batting .406 . I know it's only the second week of May, but Hamilton with his amazing strength and sweet swing(Did anyone say Roy Hobbs?) may have just added a few zeros to his free-agent value .
Could you imagine him hitting in Yankee Stadium or Fenway with their respective right field porches ? Scary . Big question is, will anyone really pitch to him the rest of the year ? I don't think so!
Anyway, think about this. Hamilton finishes with 45 homers, 130 RBI's and hits .350. Now remember he's 30 years old. What type of deal would this mega-free agent get?
Maybe $210 million for seven years . More? Your thoughts?

"Skippy " Goldman reporting.