Newssift

We are about to open our beta to the public. The team is looking forward to gathering more user feedback and insight on how to improve the tool. More to follow.

Newssift

Region 1 – Soccer Rankings

I have never quite understood the ranking system. I know it’s about entering tournaments. However, it appears I have company. One of my favorite lines from the boys’ coach, “it’s great to be the best second baseman in Italy, but so what.”

Region I

1.Lehigh Valley United 96 (Bethlehem, PA)
2.Match Fit Academy Speed (Edison, NJ)
3.Livingston Lions (Livingston, NJ)
4.PDA Keane (Zarephath, NJ)
5.FC Blazers (Boston, MA)
6.MSC Magic Green (Gaithersburg, MD)
7.Beachside SC 96 (Wilton, CT)
8.Casa Mia Bays 97 (Baltimore, MD)
9.PSC Coppa Arsenal (Philadelphia, PA)
10.Seacoast United Blue (Hampton, NH)
11.SPF Blue Knights (Scotch Plain Fanwood, NJ)
12.FC Puma (Boston, MA)
13. Hershey Pride (Hershey, PA)
14.SOCA Express (Charlottesville, VA)
15.Clarkstown 97 White (Clarkstown, NY)

Top 10 Football Grad Rates: Division I-A

Top 10 Football Grad Rates: Division I-A

Top 10 Football Grad Rates: Division I-A
Navy 95%
Notre Dame 94%
Stanford 93%
Boston College 92%
Duke 92%
Northwestern 92%
Vanderbilt 91%
Air Force 90%
Army 87%
Wake Forest 83%
Miami (Ohio) 83%

Note: For those wondering, USC came in at 54% while Florida graduated 68% of its student athletes.

BCS Championship

For those interested in more than the score, these off field statistics highlight the myth of the student-athlete. Unfortunately, we will ever hear this story from the talking heads at ESPN.

2008 Football Graduation Success Rates for both teams:

Florida — 68%
Oklahoma — 46%

Florida Gator “Quote of the Day”

“We’ve been running since we were young,” Rainey said. “From animals or cops. It could be anything. We do so much stuff like tag in the parks and football from when we were babies.” Chris Rainey, RB, Florida Gators

Irish Dominate

Clausen, and Tate highlight 49-21 victory over Hawai’i. Thank you ESPN for reminding me every 60 seconds that ND had lost their last nine bowl games. I realize that the E stands for entertainment, but at least try to be objective.

Christmas Eve

As a child, my parents would always allow my brother and I to open one gift after Midnight Mass. My Christmas Eve gift this year: Weis delivers and Notre Dame plays Notre Dame football; nasty, hard nose, and to the finish. ND 42 – Hawaii 14.

Duck and Cover

Where’s the accountability? The WSJ pulls the covers off Rubin and his role within Citi.

Rubin, Under Fire, Defends His Role at Citi

Under fire for his role in the near-collapse of Citigroup Inc., Robert Rubin said its problems were due to the buckling financial system, not its own mistakes, and that his role was peripheral to the bank’s main operations even though he was one of its highest-paid officials.

Charles Ponzi lives on!

The following article within today’s WSJ is certainly worth reading, Before the Bust, These CEOs Took Money Off the Table

Don’t get me wrong. I am very much a capitalist and believe people should be rewarded for building value. However, with investors losses now totaling $ 9 trillion, it’s hard to fathom that these modern day con artists were rewarded with over $100 MM apiece.

By the way, I have a Nigerian friend looking to cash in on some old oil contracts.

Bankruptcies Loom Large

For all those that think the economy has hit bottom, you better hang on for 2009. So far in 2008, corporate default rates have been in low single digits, near historical averages. The people in the know, including my neighbor, expect default rates to increase threefold and “real” unemployment (not the number the gov’t reports) to hit double digits (12%). Let’s hope everyone is wrong.