NBey6's Blog

As of 10:31pm EDT, the Charlotte Bobcats are in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and I am so excited. I don't care if they have one of the toughest opponents in the first round, who will probably cream us, I am happy for the City of Charlotte, North Carolina tonight!!!!!!!!

 

"If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!"

- unknown -

Tuesday 4-6-10 Tuesday

903, 813, 013, 071, 106, 176, 859, 208, 753

579, 987, 573, 257, 072, 498, 492, 530, 719

189, 519, 476, 146, 643, 181, 449, 553, 737

333, 444, 555, 999, 4569, 3948, 2305, 0380

7864, 4567, 1206, 2749, 0653, 8650, 4466

Midday 4-6-10 Evening

** until 4-9-10 **

308, 813, 382, 338, 438, 583, 683, 738, 388, 893

201, 211, 212, 123, 421, 251, 621, 721, 812, 219

071, 095, 440, 000, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777, 888

 

"Envy comes from people's ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts."

- Jean Vanier -

Toyota faces legal dilemma as well as record fine

By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer

Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer

41 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Already flooded with hundreds of private lawsuits, Toyota now faces a dilemma stemming from safety problems on several popular models: whether to accept a record $16.4 million fine that could be cast as an admission of wrongdoing, or fight the government at the cost of more bad publicity.

The Japanese automaker was weighing its options after the Transportation Department charged Monday that Toyota had hidden a "dangerous defect" and had failed to quickly alert regulators to the safety problems in such models as the best-selling Camry and Corolla. The company has an April 19 deadline to accept or contest the penalty.

The proposed fine is the most the government could levy, but further penalties are possible under continuing federal investigations.

Toyota Motor Corp. has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the U.S., and more than 8 million worldwide, because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius hybrid.

In announcing the proposed fine, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said documents obtained from the automaker show that Toyota knew of the problem with the sticking gas pedals in late September but did not issue a recall until late January. The sticking pedals involved 2.3 million vehicles.

"We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations," LaHood said in a statement. "Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families."

For those reasons, LaHood said, the government is seeking a fine of $16.375 million, the maximum penalty possible. That dwarfs the previous record: In 2004, General Motors paid a $1 million fine for responding too slowly on a recall of nearly 600,000 vehicles over windshield wiper failure.

Toyota has been named in 138 potential class-action lawsuits over falling vehicle values and nearly 100 personal injury and wrongful death cases in federal courts nationwide.

"It may be easier to pay it than to let this keep dragging on and drawing more attention to themselves," said Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst with auto research site Edmunds.com.

The company said in a statement Monday that it had not yet received written notice from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration regarding the recall issue.

"We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance," the statement said.

The company noted that it has appointed a new chief quality officer for North America and has given its North American office a greater role in making safety-related decisions.

Under federal law, automakers must notify NHTSA within five days of determining that a safety defect exists and promptly conduct a recall.

The Transportation Department said the fine it is seeking is specifically tied to the sticking pedal defect and Toyota could face additional penalties if warranted by investigations.

The government has linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems in Toyotas. The recalls have led to congressional hearings, a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors, dozens of lawsuits and an intense review by the Transportation Department.

Toyota has attributed the problem to sticking gas pedals and accelerators that can become jammed in floor mats. Dealers have fixed 1.7 million vehicles under recall so far. The sticky accelerator pedal recall involves the 2007-10 Camry, 2009-10 Corolla, 2009-10 Matrix, 2005-10 Avalon, 2010 Highlander and 2007-10 Tundra.

Consumer groups have suggested electronics could be the culprit, and dozens of Toyota owners who had their cars fixed in the recall have complained of more problems with their vehicles surging forward unexpectedly. Toyota says it has found no evidence of an electrical problem.

Reviews of some recent high-profile crashes in San Diego and suburban New York have failed to find either mechanical or electronic problems. In the New York case, a police investigation found that the driver, not the car, was to blame.

Following the recalls, the Transportation Department demanded in February that Toyota turn over documents detailing when and how it learned of the problems with sticking accelerators and with floor mats trapping gas pedals.

NHTSA said documents provided by Toyota showed the automaker had known about the sticky pedal defect since at least Sept. 29, 2009, when it issued repair procedures to distributors in 31 European countries and Canada to address complaints of sticking pedals, sudden increases in engine RPM and sudden vehicle acceleration.

The government said the documents also show that Toyota knew that owners in the United States had experienced the same problems. Toyota has provided NHTSA with more than 70,000 pages of documents during the investigation.

Nicollette Sheridan sues producer of 'Housewives'

45 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Nicollette Sheridan, the actress who played a divorced real estate agent in ABC's "Desperate Housewives," filed suit against the show's creator and producer alleging assault and wrongful termination.

In the lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Sheridan claims producer Marc Cherry hit her in the face on the Wisteria Lane set in September 2008.

Sheridan had asked Cherry about a line in the script, and he "took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head," the suit said. After she stormed off to her trailer, he came to "beg forgiveness."

When she reported the incident to ABC, Cherry retaliated by killing off her character, Edie Britt, in the popular series, Sheridan claims.

The lawsuit seeks $20 million in sustained damages. The suit, which also names ABC, accuses Cherry of creating a hostile work environment on the set and behaving aggressively and abusively toward the cast and the writers.

ABC Studios said in a statement Tuesday, "While we have yet to see the actual complaint, we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit."

A call to Cherry's company, Cherry Alley Productions, wasn't immediately returned Monday night.

When Teri Hatcher, who plays Susan Meyer on the show, spoke to ABC executives about Cherry's behavior, Cherry told Sheridan, "I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies."

Sheridan argued that her character was one of the lead characters of the show, and was getting more airtime that season. Edie Britt is not featured in the show's opening credits.

Cherry and ABC retaliated against her by killing off her character in a car accident, the court document said.

"It is exceptionally unusual for a popular character to be killed off or written out of a television series unless the actor has requested to be released from his or her contract," is how Sheridan's lawyer sees it.

Heyward homers in first at-bat as Braves crush Cubs, Zambrano

 

Photo Wire

 

 

ATLANTA -- His face and head covered in shaving cream and his first home run ball stashed safely away, Jason Heyward stood in front of his locker and beamed.

 

"I had a blast," he said.

 

He stole the show on Opening Day.

 

 

 

Minutes after catching the ceremonial first pitch from Hank Aaron, Heyward hit a three-run homer in his first major league at-bat to spark the Braves to a 16-5 opening win Monday over Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs.

 

Heyward, who also had a run-scoring single in the eighth, was 2 for 5 with four RBIs.

 

"It was the first of many career highlights for him," said Atlanta's Chipper Jones. "That was impressive, that was very impressive."

 

Braves fans in the sellout crowd eagerly embraced Heyward, from Henry County, about 30 minutes south of Atlanta.

 

Fans chanted "Let's go, Heyward!" as he confidently took two pitches in his first-inning at-bat, then sent a fastball from Zambrano into the Braves' bullpen behind the right-field wall on his first swing, sending the crowd over the top.

 

 

"I don't know that I've ever heard this stadium that loud," Jones said.

 

Added Heyward when asked how he felt as he ran around the bases: "I felt my legs but I couldn't hear myself think, it was so loud."

 

After the game, Braves reliever Peter Moylan crept behind a crowd of reporters and hit the rookie with a towel full of shaving cream.

 

"I guess shaving cream is a good thing," Heyward said with a smile.

 

Yunel Escobar drove in a career-high five runs as Zambrano gave up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings, matching the shortest of 239 career starts.

 

Marlon Byrd, playing his first game with the Cubs, hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Aramis Ramirez added a two-run drive in the third.

 

Derek Lowe (1-0) gave up five runs, five hits and three walks in six innings before a sellout crowd of 53,081, a record for a day game in Atlanta and was the fourth-largest overall in Atlanta history.

 

 

Brian McCann hit a homer in the second, when the Braves knocked out Zambrano (0-1), but Opening Day belonged to Heyward.

 

"He's good," Zambrano said. "Anybody can be good with two balls and no strikes, but you have to give him credit."

 

The 20-year-old Heyward became the sixth Braves player to homer in his debut, the fourth to do so in his first plate appearance. Jordan Schafer also did it last season.

 

Heyward answered cheers from the fans by tipping his cap at the edge of the dugout.

 

Heyward (6-foot-5, 240) won the starting job in right field despite playing only 50 games above Class A in his quick rise through the minor leagues. He was selected baseball's top prospect by Baseball America after hitting .323 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs at three minor league stops in 2009, and was put on the major league roster by the Braves just last Saturday.

 

"Jason had a spectacular day, really," said Braves manager Bobby Cox. "He'll have his struggles, probably, like any other 20-year-old in the big leagues, but he's a very talented kid. And when he's not hitting, he's going to help us in the outfield. He's a very gifted athlete."

 

Atlanta sent 10 batters to the plate in both the first and seventh innings.

 

"It was something of an embarrassing loss," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella. "Never did I anticipate we'd give up 16 runs on opening day, not in my wildest dreams."

 

In the first, Chipper Jones drove in Melky Cabrera when his shallow fly ball fell between shortstop Ryan Theriot and Byrd in center for a single. Escobar added a two-run single before Heyward's line-drive homer.

 

Making his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Cubs, Zambrano gave up six hits and two walks with one strikeout.

 

"I left some pitches over the middle," Zambrano said. "When you do that at this level, you're going to get crushed."

 

Braves center fielder Nate McLouth made running catches of drives hit by Ramirez in the first and Derrek Lee in the fifth. McLouth was credited with a diving catch of a ball hit by Byrd in the left-center gap in the sixth, though a replay showed the ball popped out of McLouth's glove when he hit the ground.

 

As umpires called out Byrd, McLouth threw the ball back to Escobar, whose throw to first base forced out Ramirez.

 

Piniella argued the ruling that McLouth made the catch. The umpires huddled but did not overturn the original call.

 

Escobar had a three-run double, and pinch-hitter Eric Hinske added a run-scoring triple off Jeff Samardzija in the seventh. Samardzija walked three batters in the six-run inning.

 

Six Chicago pitchers combined for eight walks.

 

"The thing that was so upsetting was we didn't walk people in spring training," Piniella said. "I complimented our pitchers on that."

 

Right-hander Takashi Saito and left-handed closer Billy Wagner pitched perfect innings in their Atlanta debuts to end the game.

---

 

• 2 c. Bisquick
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix ingredients until well blended. Drop scant teaspoonfuls of dough into hot fat. When browned, roll in sugar.

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!

As of March 5, 2010

1    Federer, Roger (SUI) 10,765 0 19

2    Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 7,630 0 21

3    Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 6,980 1 18

4    Murray, Andy (GBR) 5,845 -1 17

5    Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 5,735 0 19

6    Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) 5,335 0 27

7    Roddick, Andy (USA) 4,780 1 20

8    Soderling, Robin (SWE) 4,595 -1 26

9    Cilic, Marin (CRO) 2,980 0 23

10  Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 2,915 0 23

As of March 5, 2010

1	1	Williams, Serena     26/09/81	USA	7946	17
2	2	Wozniacki, Caroline     11/07/90	DEN	6375	24
3	3	Safina, Dinara     27/04/86	RUS	6150	18
4	5	Williams, Venus     17/06/80	USA	5876	17
5	4	Kuznetsova, Svetlana     27/06/85	RUS	5620	19
6	6	Dementieva, Elena     15/10/81	RUS	4965	20
7	8	Jankovic, Jelena     28/02/85	SRB	4900	21
8	9	Radwanska, Agnieszka     06/03/89	POL	4190	22
9	7	Azarenka, Victoria     31/07/89	BLR	4070	17
10	16	Clijsters, Kim     08/06/83	BEL	3860	8

Sunday, April 4, 2010
Updated: April 5, 10:36 AM ET
McNabb headed to Washington

---

ESPN.com news services

PHILADELPHIA -- Donovan McNabb is changing uniforms and staying in the NFC East.

 

The Philadelphia Eagles traded McNabb to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks on Sunday night. The Eagles will receive a second-round pick (37th overall) in this month's NFL draft and either a third- or fourth-round pick next year.

 

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was the first to report that McNabb had been dealt to Washington.

 

"I'm really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins," McNabb said in a statement Sunday night. "I'm eager to work with Coach [Mike] Shanahan. He's been a very successful coach with a couple of Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it has been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years, and know we shared a lot more good times than bad."

 

 

Shortly after news of the trade broke, former Redskins running back Brian Mitchell spoke with McNabb on the phone, according to Comcast SportsNet. Mitchell, who played several years in Philadelphia, told Comcast SportsNet his former teammate seemed energetic about his new destination.

 

"In his voice I heard a lot of enthusiasm," Mitchell reported on Comcast SportsNet. "And you know, he may not be exactly like me, but I could hear he had a little revenge in that voice, too. And he wants to go to the Eagles and show them that they made a mistake."

 

League sources told Schefter that McNabb wanted to play for the Redskins and not the Raiders or the Bills, which is why the trade happened.

 

"Donovan McNabb was more than a franchise quarterback for this team," Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said. "He truly embodied all of the attributes of a great quarterback and of a great person. He has been an excellent representative of this organization and the entire National Football League both on and off the field. I look forward to honoring him as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time and hopefully see him enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton one day."

 

The trade is the boldest move to date for new Redskins coach Shanahan and could spell the end in Washington for Jason Campbell, the starter for 3½ seasons. McNabb and Campbell spoke on the phone Sunday night about their experiences with each team, league sources told Schefter.

 

Shanahan already has signed free agent Rex Grossman as a backup and has been actively scouting the top quarterbacks available in next month's draft, when the Redskins will have the No. 4 overall pick.

 

The Redskins still have Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford scheduled to visit on Tuesday, league sources told Schefter.

 

"Welcome to our newest teammate to DC!" cornerback DeAngelo Hall posted on Twitter. "Really excited about what Coach Shanahan and [general manager] Bruce Allen are doing to help us compete for a championship!"

 

Sources tell ESPN the Redskins offered defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in one of their first attempts to land McNabb, but that the Eagles were not interested. As a free agent in 2009, Haynesworth signed a $100 million contract with the Redskins, including $41 million in guaranteed money. Haynesworth will earn a guaranteed $3.6 million in 2010 and $5.4 million in 2011.

 

The Redskins and McNabb have not had any contract talks yet, league sources told Schefter. McNabb's contract runs through the end of the 2010 season.

 

Washington and Philadelphia are rivals in all the major pro sports, and the idea of Redskins fans finding a way to welcome McNabb in their hearts will be nearly as interesting of a dynamic as the prospect of McNabb facing his old team twice this upcoming season.

 

Shanahan can only hope the 33-year-old McNabb works out as well as the last big-time Washington-Philadelphia quarterback deal. The Eagles in 1964 sent Sonny Jurgensen to the Redskins, where he played 11 seasons until he was 40 and became a Hall of Famer.

 

Keeping The Ball

Donovan McNabb doesn't turn the ball over via the interception. Over the last four seasons, the only QB with at least 1,000 attempts and a lower interception percentage is Aaron Rodgers. McNabb has thrown 683 more passes than Rodgers in that time period.

Player	INT pct.	Total attempts
Aaron Rodgers	1.78	1,120
Donovan McNabb	1.89	1,803
Tom Brady	1.98	1,670
David Garrard	2.16	1,617
Peyton Manning	2.32	2,198
Jason Campbell	2.32	1,637

 

"These people never learn," Jurgensen told the Redskins' Web site when informed of the trade Sunday night.

 

McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback, led the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl in 11 seasons in Philadelphia. His failure to lead the team to its first NFL championship since 1960 plus the emergence of Kevin Kolb made him expendable.

 

McNabb, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft, leaves as the franchise leader in yards passing (32,873), completions (2,801), attempts (4,746), completion percentage (59.0) and touchdown passes (216). He also rushed for 3,249 yards and 28 TDs.

 

Kolb, who has started two games in three seasons, becomes the starter. Michael Vick is the backup.

 

"This was a very tough decision," coach Andy Reid said. "Donovan McNabb represented everything a football player could be during his 11 seasons in Philadelphia. He carried this organization to new heights and set a high standard of excellence both on and off the field. We thank him for everything he did for this football team and for this city."

 

With three quarterbacks on the roster in McNabb, Kolb and Vick, the Eagles faced a decision on which QB to keep and which to trade. Monday, on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in The Morning," Reid said McNabb was not the only quarterback he considered moving.

 

"I can't deny there wasn't a choice to be made. There were things offered for Kevin," Reid said. "I thought this was the best deal here."

 

"I did not go into it saying Donovan was the guy [who would be traded] -- this happened to be the best deal for everybody," Reid said.

 

McNabb threw for 3,553 yards and 22 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 14 games last season, leading the Eagles to the playoffs. His passer rating of 92.9 was the third-highest in his career.

 

But McNabb played poorly in a loss to Dallas in Week 17 that cost Philadelphia a division title and a first-round bye. He also struggled in a loss to the Cowboys the following week in the wild-card game.

 

Reid said immediately after the season that McNabb would return in 2010. Reid repeated that several times throughout the offseason until acknowledging last month the team was listening to offers for all three of its QBs.

 

McNabb then issued a statement saying he wished to remain with the Eagles, but understood the situation and hoped for a quick resolution.

 

It was not easy telling McNabb that he had been traded, Reid said on "Mike & Mike in the Morning."

 

"Listen -- we are friends and will remain friends and we had 11 great years together," Reid said of McNabb. "Unfortunately, this game moves fast -- it's a terrible, terrible thing to deal with as a player and as a coach."

 

But change is part of the game, Reid added.

 

"It doesn't last forever -- that's the problem. We all face it, we all know it's coming sometime, someplace," he said. "And then you kind of move on and the game moves on."

 

The Eagles were 92-49-1 in regular-season games that McNabb started and 9-7 in the playoffs.

 

"Donovan is the ultimate professional," Eagles president Joe Banner said. "He has an incredible work ethic and has been an integral part of our success. Over the years, Donovan has always carried himself with a great deal of dignity. He's an excellent role model for young men and women from across the region. In my mind, he'll always be remembered as one of the greatest Eagles of all time."

 

The Redskins waited until late in the evening to announce the trade and did not make Shanahan available for comment.

 

"Donovan is an accomplished quarterback who has been a proven winner in the National Football League," Shanahan said in a statement released by the team. "I have long admired his competitiveness and feel he will be an outstanding addition to the Redskins and our community. He knows our division and the roadmap to success in the NFC East."

 

McNabb overcame numerous injuries and controversies throughout his career, including criticism from Rush Limbaugh and a feud with former teammate Terrell Owens. He sustained injuries that ended his regular season in November in 2002, 2005 and 2006. McNabb missed a total of 24 games because of injuries. The Eagles were 14-10 in those games.