A Super Bowl of Controversy

Unlike past Super Bowls,this one has been dogged by the suspicion that one of the participants cheated on their way to the iconic sporting event,and also media frustration with one of the football players.We're a league of rules,said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at a Friday afternoon news conference,and if there are rules about how to inflate the football,we're going to enforce those rules.Whether an advantage was gained by breaking that rule is immaterial;it's the integrity of the game,and we're going to enforce it.Mr.Goodell didn't answer a reporter's question as to whether the deflategate scandal would cast a shadow over this Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium,however.He did say that we want the truth.If there are violations of the rules,we take them seriously.As of yet,that has not been ascertained with regard to the New England Patriots possibly tampering with footballs in their playoff game with the Indianapolis Colts.The investigation is ongoing.
Responding to British reporters,he spoke enthusiastically about the prospects for the NFL in London.London has done not only everything that we expected;but more than we expected.Every event that we have there explodes with interest.We are expanding the number of games.Their passion is obvious.We don't know where it will go,but there's great potential in London for the NFL.*
Mr.Goodell expressed no sympathy for Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch,who had repeatedly refused to answer reporters' questions,responding with the statement "I'm only here so I won't get fined."All the other players and coaches did answer questions,and the fans want to here from them.It sounds as if a fine could be in Lynch's future regardless of his showing up at media events.*
Londoners and the city of London are practically begging for their own NFL franchise.There are NFL fans in Australia and Canada as well,plus in other countries such as Mexico.*
Although this Super Bowl is plagued by the doubts of fans and media alike,there is no doubt that NFL fans will still watch the game in droves and consume a lot of snack foods in the process.The footballs used in Sunday's game between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will be intensely scrutinised,there is so much at stake.It's a big winter holiday and commercial event in the United States,and a big business like the NFL has no choice but to mean business on its most important Sunday.

Crummy Weekend Weather:Extreme Heat Grips West

Extreme heat warnings and watches have been posted in several western states for the period through at least Monday.From West Texas north to Oregon and Idaho,and east to Colorado and New Mexico.the mercury is threatening to reach near record or record levels.
Death Valley,California,which owns the world record for heat at 134 degrees Fahrenheit,is expected to reach 129.Record highs may occur in such cities as Flagstaff,Arizona;Reno,Nevada;as well as Las Vegas.
Phoenix,Arizona may near 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Isolated storms with little rain,known as dry thunderstorms,may strike the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin,threatening wildfire outbreaks in those areas already hot and tinder dry.
The heat is being caused by a stubborn dome of high pressure,preventing cloud formation and rainfall.
Meanwhile,the East has been soaked by repeated thunderstorms in recent days,which may extend well into next week.Tropical air has parked itself over the region,threatening flash flooding in many locales.
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are distinct possibilities in areas under heat warnings and watches,possibly with fatal consequences.Cooling centers are being set up in these communities.

Frost Leads Toshiba Classic;Early Wildfire Scorches Colorado

South African David Frost shot an excellent,bogey-free eight under par 63 Friday to top the leader board at the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club,California.Second in the Champions Tour event was the ever-popular Fred Couples,who has 15 career wins on the PGA Tour,with his seven under par 64.Couples appears in several TV commercials.
German Bernhard Langer,who currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup race after three events,made a strong comeback after firing off two eagles,one of them at the eighteenth hole,to bring himself within three strokes of the lead with a four under par 67.
I played well at the end of last year-solid golf,Langer said.Today was a continuation of that-plus I had a bit of luck here and there as well.I just tried to judge the distance right at the eighteenth.
Tom Watson finished the first round at one under par.
A small early season wildfire is scorching an area of difficult terrain near Fort Collins,Colorado.About 40 residents of the Buckhorn Canyon area,which is some 13 miles west of Horsetooth Reservoir,were evacuated from the 25 acre blaze in 50 mile an hour winds.No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile,another wildfire broke out near Peyton,northwest of Colorado Springs.Residents there were advised to evacuate as well,but the fire was 75% contained,the Colorado Springs Gazette said.
Arizona officials are concerned that the cold,wet winter has resulted in overgrown grasses that will ignite in the hot,dry summer ahead.There could be a bad fire season from April-June,The Weather Channel reported.
Toshiba Corp.(TOSBF)

Tiger Woods Tops Cadillac Championship;Mexico Beats Team USA

Tiger Woods shot a superb second round 13 under par 65 to take the lead of the WGC Cadillac Championship at TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Miami,Florida Friday.Woods scored eight birdies and only one bogey on the dry,rapid greens.
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell carded a very good 11 under par 67 for second place,while Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker shared third with their good 10 under par 67s.
At the World Baseball Classic in Phoenix,Arizona,Mexico beat the USA 5-2 on strong pitching and Adrian Gonzalez's third inning two run homer.Team USA was out-hit by just one hit,9-8,but couldn't put their hits together.
Winning pitcher for Mexico was Yovani Gallardo,while loser for Team USA was 2012 Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.The save went to Sergio Romo.
Team USA,0-1,must beat 2-0 Italy tomorrow night or face elimination,while 1-1 Mexico has a chance to eliminate 0-1 Canada tomorrow afternoon.
The WBC is only being televised on MLB-TV.This is limiting media coverage of the event somewhat,since relatively few Americans get the cable channel.It is the only fully international professional level baseball tournament,since baseball was scratched from the Summer Olympics.
Update:Team USA defeated Italy 5-2 in Phoenix Saturday night on a David Wright grand slam in the top of the 5th.They face Canada in an elimination game Sunday afternoon.The winner goes on to the second round in Miami.

Accenture Match Play Championship Underway at Dove Mountain,Arizona

Australian Jason Day and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell are among the leaders after two rounds at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana,Arizona.It is being played on the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course of The Golf Club at Dove Mountain.
Dove Mountain is a master planned resort community with a hotel,spa and golf club.It is located in the Tortolita Mountains just south of Tucson in the high Sonoran Desert.With more than 3,000 homes in distinctive neighbourhoods,the community was dusted with snow on Wednesday.Temperatures are running from the thirties to the fifties Fahrenheit at this time.The Golf Club is a Ritz-Carlton property.Saguaro cactus and other native vegetation surrounds the greens in the foothill which range in elevation from 2300-3000 feet.
Besides Day and McDowell,other winners of the second round included Bubba Watson(USA),Nicolas Colsaerts(Belgium),Fredrik Jacobson(Sweden),Martin Kaymer(Germany) and Ian Poulter(England).The match play one-on-one scoring is being used,not the customary system.Few Americans are familiar with this aspect of professional golf.It's the scoring system which is used at the Ryder Cup and a handful of other tournaments.
In NBA basketball,the Golden State Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-101 in overtime Friday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland,California.
Accenture(ACN)

Gladiator Fire Threatens Arizona Towns

The Gladiator Fire is frightening small communities near Prescott National Forest between Prescott and Phoenix,Arizona.The historic mountaintop mining town of Crown King,as well as Battle Flat,Pine Flats and Turkey Creek have been evacuated.Four homes were burned and there have been four injuries reported.The fire began on May 13 at 11 am,originating from a structure on private property.Fuels being consumed include chapparal and ponderosa pine.Threats are posed to Forest Service campgrounds;lookout towers;communications sites;power lines;and historic sites on Prescott National Forest.The fire is on steep and rugged terrain that is difficult of access.Some 640 wildland firefighters were engaged against the fire as of Friday from 14 states,including New Jersey,Texas and California.It has cost around 2,788,553 dollars so far.Several Forest Service roads are closed,and the Red Cross has established a Care and Reception Center at Mayer Elementary School.The five p's of immediate evacuation are people and pets;papers;prescriptions;pictures;and personal computer.The fire is 5% contained and is now believed to be more than 10,000 acres in size,according to a local TV station.It is the number one priority fire in the nation.As winds gusted more than 50 mph,air tankers were grounded for most of the day Friday,but Type 1 helicopters were used to dump water on the fire as much as possible until 7:22 pm.Joe Reinarz is incident commander. Update:By Saturday morning,the Gladiator Fire had grown to 12,898 acres.It was 10% contained.The number of wildland firefighters involved had risen to 882. Update 2:As of late Saturday night Mountain Time,1048 wildland firefighters had gotten the Gladiator Fire 12% contained.

McIlroy Dominates At Congressional

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy dominated the early going at the U.S. Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda,Maryland.Mature beyond his 22 years,McIlroy,who also had led the year's first major,The Masters,through most of the tournament,made golf history on Friday by posting the best ever 36-hole score at the U.S. Open.
Although botching the eighteenth hole along with Phil Mickelson,McIlroy ended the day with an 11 under 131 for the tournament so far.Mickelson was well back at 1 over.
News from Europe dominated the stock market this week,resulting in several poor closing bells.By week's end,however,things had calmed down in Athens,Greece and the Europeans seemed closer to resolving their debt crisis for the moment,allowing the major averages to post minute gains.The Dow and S&P closed fractionally up for the week,at 0.4 and 0.04,respectively.The NASDAQ gained a more appreciable 1.0.
The Wallow fire,worst in Arizona history,continued to burn Friday evening,being 33% contained.Gusty winds were unfortunately in the forecast,posing further danger of blazes in the drought-ridden West.
The week ahead poses more danger for portfolios as the Federal Reserve issues an interest rate decision and statement on Wednesday.Data on home sales,durable goods and Gross Domestic Product may also prove significant to investors.
The S&P futures took a positive slant,rising 2.50 Friday evening,while bond index futures headed downward.

Tiger's Good Round,Western Weather

Tiger Woods is showing consistency at The Masters,a tradition-steeped tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.Woods played intently on Friday,finishing with a strong 2nd round seven under par 66.He was tied for 3rd place with South Korean K.J. Choi.Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy was dominant at -10,while Australian Jason Day tied a tournament record for the lowest 2nd round score for a first-timer at Augusta,shooting an eight under 64.Also of note,Fred Couples,51,is in contention with his 2nd round five under 68.
Weather conditions will be hot and humid for the remainder of the tournament.To the west,storms are taking many forms,from apple-sized hail in Butler County,Kansas to a heavy snow forecast in Flagstaff,Arizona.There may be wind gusts up to 75 mph in the Southern Plains,and a 50,000 acre brush fire raged in North Texas.
Stocks did not rage this week,with the S&P down slightly for the week,pressured by soaring oil prices.Gold closed at a record high 1474.10 an ounce Friday.The S&P futures were down a modest 4.70 Friday evening,and bond interest rate futures also dropped.Shaping trading next week will be the start of earnings season as Alcoa reports on Monday,JP Morgan Chase on Wednesday,Google on Thursday and Bank of America on Friday.
Alcoa(AA),JP Morgan Chase(JPM),Google(GOOG),Bank of America(BAC)
Update:Rory McIlroy continues to decisively top the leader board with a four stroke lead heading into Sunday's final round.Tiger Woods and Fred Couples are still in contention,along with Jason Day and former Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina.Phil Mickelson is a mathematical long shot for his fourth green jacket at the tournament.

Winds and Fears Buffet East Coast

The East Coast was buffeted by a number of winds and economic fears on Friday,leaving a lot to be forgotten about for a relaxing weekend to take shape.Gusts of near 70 miles an hour-hurricane force-tore siding off a home,knocked billboards over and power lines down,and delayed flights as high wind warnings were issued and a low pressure system moved up the coastline.It's unsettled spring conditions right before the start of meteorological spring on March 1,Tuesday.
The convulsing Middle East sent a dark cloud over fretting markets on Wall Street as oil prices reached more than 98.00 a barrel in after hours trading.Friday trading was light as institutions trimmed their purchases,anxious about any weekend developments overseas while the markets are closed.Consumers are feeling the oil surge at the gas pump and struggling at the supermarket check-out as well,with commodities soaring generally.
For the week,the Dow lost 2.1%;the S&P 1.72;and the NASDAQ 1.9%.It was the S&P's biggest weekly drop since mid-November of last year.The CBOE Volatility Index,the fear index,was up 17% on the week.
Next week will see the Institute for Supply Management issue its key reports on manufacturing and service sector activity for February,as well as earnings from H.J. Heinz and the February employment report on Friday.
The S&P futures were down 1.90 on Friday evening,but the NASDAQ futures went the other direction,rising 2.25,reflecting Friday's strength in the tech sector.
German Martin Kaymer was the sole number one seed to reach the quarterfinals of the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana,Arizona,where frost can still delay play at this time of year on the oasis course.Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Ryan Moore were also still alive in the jagged desert scenery.
H.J. Heinz(HNZ)
Update:Martin Kaymer will play England's Luke Donald in the finals of the Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday.Americans Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson will play in the consolation match.Kaymer,26,became the world number one when he defeated Watson in Saturday's semifinal.

Market Disses Jobs Report,Egypt

The stock market was seemingly little concerned about a disappointing employment report,as well as an unfolding crisis of global import,as it logged modest gains for the week that was.The Dow added 2.27,while the NASDAQ gained 3.07 and the S&P 2.7 respectively.The paltry jobs growth of only 36,000 in January,when what is needed is well into six figures,and the struggle of Egyptians against authoritarian rule were set aside in favor of strong manufacturing and service sector data from the Institute for Supply Management,as well as a stable European situation.
Winter weather could not be dismissed at the Dallas Super Bowl site,where six people were injured by ice falling off the roof of Cowboys Stadium;nor in Scottsdale,where the Phoenix Open was delayed by yesterday's frost and subfreezing temperatures.Americans Tommy Gainey and Mark Wilson led the portion of the second round completed on Friday at -11,while Australian Geoff Ogilvy notched a third place with a -9.Phil Mickelson will play his second round Saturday.
The S&P futures warmed up 3.90 Friday evening,and the ten year Treasury futures tacked on more interest.Next week,Kraft Foods and Disney will be among those reporting earnings.
Kraft Foods(KFT),Disney(DIS)

Storm Has Few Clues,Light Market Week Ahead

Friday was a mixed night for Arizona basketball teams into the 2nd quarter.In Dallas,the Phoenix Suns trailed the Dallas Mavericks 48-38.Suns superstar Steve Nash was knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter when he was elbowed in the head.Nash was able to walk off the court to the locker room.Meanwhile,Arizona State nursed a slim lead over Nevada 56-52.
A storm approaching the East Coast puzzled forecasters because it originated over the Pacific Ocean,where there are few data collection points.The same obtains as it crosses the mountains.Finally,a huge blocking High off the East Coast is so rare,there are few data points to compare it with.The best guess is that the storm will stay farther out to sea,sparing the coast of anything besides snow showers.
Next week will be a quiet one for the market as the approaching Christmas holiday diminishes trading activity.New and Existing Home Sales reports will provide a little something for the light volume to react to.For the past week,the S&P nudged higher by 0.3.Looking to Monday's opening,S&P futures stepped back 0.10 Friday evening,while the 10-year Treasury futures saw a decline in yield and a gain in price.
Update:The basketball games finished as they were in the 2nd quarter,with Phoenix losing to Dallas 106-91,and Arizona State holding on to their slim lead for a 78-75 win over Nevada.