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NBC Sports officially announced this morning that effective immediately they are dumping Notre Dame Football. They will now become the official network of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish Women's Soccer. Dick Ebersol, President of NBC Sports, said at least now our viewers will get to see a #1 team in action.

You Go Girl!

A New Sponsor for GM

GM has announced that it's dropping its long-term sponsor-relationship with Tiger Woods. They'll save $8m. But wait. There's a better way.

How about giving the money to someone who can actually use it? And actually drives a GM car? And might, if he gets the gig, go golfing with me?

Here he is, GM. And a bargain, too. He'll be happy to do the job for, oh let's say, less than $8m.

Start the negotiations. I'll bet a sleeve of golf balls will get things rolling.

The Bailout's Contribution to our lexicon

Like many crises before, The Bailout has spawned it's own crisis-related term: "too-big-to-fail." Like "hanging chads" and "Watergate", a new phrase has entered the lexicon. It may become overused, like "the perfect storm", now used to describe almost any and every confluence of circumstances. Or it may be truncated to fit other situations such as, "-gate". For example, this fall Sarah Palin was involved in a potential issue dubbed 'troopergate'. I can only imagine how 'too-big-to-fail' will be used in the future to excuse all kinds of excessive behavior.

Too Big to Fail - $7,000,000,000,000

The bailout of Citi is the latest attempt to prevent the economy from collapsing. Citi will be loaned $20b, not because it has a great business plan, but because it's too-big-to-fail.

And now an analysis on Bloomberg.com makes the assertion that the Citi bailout is a tiny number in comparison with the total amount the US is throwing at the economy. It appears that the total government commitment exceeds $7 trillion. I actually don't know what that number looks like, but I think it's this: $7,000,000,000,000.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, our GDP is $14,429.2 billion. So the equivalent of half our GDP has been pumped back into the economy in the form of loans, bad-debt buy-backs and loan guarantees. To a large extent, all this government action seems to be occurring because certain companies are too-big-to-fail.

Assuming that certain companies are truly too big to fail, are there other companies, possibly in other industries that are also too big to fail? Right now the bailout is focussed on financial companies and other companies - like GM, Ford and Chrysler - that rely on consumer purchasing to survive. But there must be companies elsewhere in the economy that are too big to fail. What happens if GE falters? Or Google? Or Microsoft? Have we discovered - at the point of an economic gun - that we should not allow companies to grow too large?

This would end house and senate financing abuses

We've talked about this before. But more than ever, I think it would work.

One day after each election, we randomly select 10% of the congress - 10 Senators and 43.5 Representatives (think anyone will notice that half a Rep is missing? Really?) - and tell them, thanks but you're services are no longer needed. We then go to local phone books and ask hard-working Americans if they'd like a two or six year job in Washington, all expenses paid.

I can't think of a downside, can you?

Bailouts for the Big 3

Detroit, GM, Ford, Chrysler

No Way!!

The only way I'd give you one dime is when you shut down every one of your unions...period. Have a nice winter.

The Fleecing Starts Today

The annual baseball free agent buying spree officially kicks off today. Teams are now free to overwhelm players with cash and considerations.

As a fan and let me state I'm a huge baseball fan, because I hate the NFL and can't stand the NBA, I hope all the owners choke on the money they toss around. You'd think some of these teams and I have to include my beloved Yankees as being in on the government bailout plan (TARP). Has anyone told these morons what it's really like out on the streets. Rich and poor alike are getting slammed. Who's going to think about laying down hundreds of hard earned dollars to catch a game next year? How many beers and hot dogs do they think they'll sell?

Let me answer that. No one. We are in a recession bordering on a depression and the Yankees are thinking of making a $140 Million offer to C.C. Sabathia. It's insanity and it had better stop quick or we'll have teams heading the way of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Gone.

Our President

Our President.

Anything is possible.

Now the Fun Begins

College basketball is here. No grousing about the fact that only 3 non-BCS schools are mentioned in the pre-season polls. Which is three too many for UConn Coach Jim Calhoun who's still upset by the fact that Emeka Okafor did not win the National Player of the Year Award four years ago.

And let's face it, Davidson is going to struggle to be a top 25 school by the end of the year.

So here's a two-parter:

• Who are the first three teams in the ESPN pre-season poll to fall out of the top 25? (my guesses: Davidson, Miami and USC)
  

• Who are the first three teams that enter the top 25? (my guesses: Xavier, Syracuse and UNLV)
  

It's Over: The End of the Beginning

Barring some last minute, radical development like Osama bin Laden turning state's evidence against Whitey Bulger, Barack Obama will be the President-elect by nightfall on the Left Coast.

Truth be told, I voted for him. It wasn't a hold-your-nose vote either. I really think he's the better choice. I just wish I had confidence in his ability to control other members of his party. Or for that matter, the other party, too.

Obama's election could mean that meaningful, constructive changes could occur. Change is critically needed. President Reagan declared, "Morning in America" when he was elected. I hope Obama triggers a similar re-awakening.

We've just come through almost two decades of decadence. No matter how times Bill Clinton said that he "feels our pain", his self-absorption was his lasting legacy. His behavior either mirrored or kick-started a divisive, acquisitive, me-absorbed era. Dot-coms anyone? It continued with eight years of lurching from crisis to crisis, including a mistaken war (still looking for WMDs), horrible criminality (911), ridiculous crisis management ("Heckofa job, Brownie").

We've been through periods of societal frustration / stagnation before. Almost immediately after Richard Nixon's election in '72, the country became aware of the Watergate scandal and we began a slide ("malaise") that lasted through the Jimmy Carter presidency. We didn't really emerge - despite Ford's earlier assurances that our "long national nightmare is over" - until Ronald Reagan figured out a way to re-awaken the "silent majority" that Carter had dismissed as esssentially unreachable.

I fully expect that Barack Obama will bring hope to the country. In turn, my hope is that he rides his popularity to make lasting, fundamental changes.

Be afraid ...

... be very afraid ...

Forget Palin (if you can) and remember this face when you enter the polling booth.

Even the Dems have to be afraid. Think corruption ... special interests ... higher taxes.

What's wrong with this picture?

I'm not entirely sure for whom I'm voting - thanks for the boost drag you've given to the McCain ticket, Sarah - but I'm certainly concerned about the drift to the left in this country and around the world.

I'm particularly concerned that the current financial crisis will simply shift more power to government, with even less accountability. Congress is quick to blame 'greedy Wall Street types' for our current problems. And I don't entirely disagree. But at least there's been some accountability in the private sector.

It's hard to believe not one government official has stepped up to take responsibility for this mess. As Sen. Obama says in the video below, "What's wrong with this picture?"