Hilton Head Golf;Yankees Plaster Blue Jays

Three Americans share the lead of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head,South Carolina.The second round was plagued by windy conditions,but they didn't seem to bother co-leader Kevin Streelman,34,who was a first time winner on the PGA Tour at the Tampa Bay Championship earlier this year.Streelman is 15th so far on the 2013 money list.
Kevin Streelman(USA) -6
Charley Hoffman(USA) -6
Steve LeBrun (USA) -6
Luke Donald(ENG) -5
Bill Haas(USA) -5
Rory Sabbatini(SA) -4
Johnson Wagner(USA) -4
Graeme McDowell(NIR) -4
D.H. Lee(SK) -4
Pat Perez(USA) -4
The New York Yankees outslugged the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 at Rogers Centre in Toronto Friday night.
Home runs by Travis Hafner,Vernon Wells,Brett Gardner and Lyle Overbay powered the Yanks to a 9-7 record.Andy Pettitte kept his pitching record perfect with his third straight win.
JP Arencibia and Jose Bautista homered for the Jays,but Brandon Morrow was the losing pitcher before the crowd of 40,028.
Frosty mornings may occur in the Mid-Atlantic region this weekend as cooler than normal temperatures set in.

Mickelson's Great Start;Lakers End Road Woes

Phil Mickelson continued his dominance at the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Friday,pretty much coasting to a 17 under par 65.His superlative performance was only marred when he botched the 18th hole,where he double-bogeyed,derailed by a water hazard.Nonetheless,Mickelson,42,had a magnificent day overall,and felt that he was playing really well.
Also playing well before the huge,raucous Arizona crowd of more than 100,000 golf fans at Scottsdale were Bill Haas,with his 13 under par 64;and Keegan Bradley,who shot a 12 under par 63.
The atmosphere was more like that of an NFL football game than a typically polite golf tournament.TPC Scottsdale is singularly boisterous among PGA Tour venues.Weekend attendance will surely top that of the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
In NBA action Friday night,the Los Angeles Lakers ended an eight game road slump by besting the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis 111-100.The crowd of 18,547 saw the Lakers nearly drop another away game when the Timberwolves drew within 4 points of the Lakers in the fourth period.A strong showing by Pau Gasol,however,helped save the night for Los Angeles,as he refurbished their lead with several baskets.
Gasol led the Lakers with 22 points,12 rebounds,2 assists and 3 blocks.Koby Bryant added 17 points,7 rebounds and 8 assists;and Steve Nash contributed 17 points,7 rebounds and 7 assists.Bryant said we're playing pretty well.All in all,we're pretty pleased with the performance,playing for each other.I like where we're at right now.
For the Timberwolves,Alexey Shved led with 18 points,4 rebounds and 6 assists;followed by Derrick Williams with 15 points and 9 rebounds;and Nikola Pekovic with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
It was 3 degrees F outside Target Center,while much further south the Mid-Atlantic region felt their own bitter winds and low wind chills on Friday as the seesaw temperature regimen of this winter continued.

Golf's Two Woods:Tiger Woods and Chris Wood On Top

Men with sylvan surnames topped the leader boards of their respective tournaments Friday and Saturday as professional golf was fully underway in the warmer areas of the planet.Full slates of name players were in the early stages of their quest for glory at either ends of the globe.
At Torrey Pines Golf Course along the Pacific Ocean in San Diego,California,Tiger Woods shot an eleven under par 65 at the Farmers Insurance Open.Fellow American Billy Horschel was in second place with his nine under par 69.Canada's Brad Fritsch held third at -8 with several others.
Woods has won seven times at Torrey Pines and wants to bring the US Open back to the public golf course.
The course is named after the torrey pine tree(Pinus torreyana).It is one of only two sites in the world where the endangered species grows naturally.The other site is Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara,California.The broad,open-crowned trees have an IUCN status of VU,or Vulnerable.There are about 3,000 of them left in the wild.
Across the globe,the European Tour's Commercial Bank Qatar Masters was led by England's Chris Wood with his third round 15 under par 64 at the Doha Golf Course.Second place was shared by fellow Englishman Simon Khan,Sweden's Alexander Noren and Michael Campbell of New Zealand at twelve under par.
Chris Wood has three career second place finishes on the European Tour.
Parts of the Mid-Atlantic region were coated with a light amount of powder snow on Friday,delighting the local ski resorts.

Giants Blank Cards;Autumn Mist Abounds

The San Francisco Giants pinned the St.Louis Cardinals down at Busch Stadium in St.Louis Friday night.A strong pitching performance by Barry Zito ensured that Frisco will live another day as the National League Championship Series returns to their Bay Area for its conclusion.
Zito pitched 7 and 2/3rds shutout innings and Sergio Romo closed the contest out,at least delaying a second straight league crown to the World Champion Cardinals.
I had all my pitches working tonight,Zito said.The most important thing is getting it back to San Francisco so our fans can be a factor.For me,the most important thing is getting everything done for San Francisco.
The next game of the series will be played at 7 pm Eastern,4 pm Pacific on Sunday.Fox Television will broadcast it.
The iconic autumn mist obscured some parts of the Mid-Atlantic region Friday night,making road travel more hazardous.Jupiter has remained a brilliant feature in the eastern sky over recent nights.At times,Jupiter can reach a magnitude of up to -2.6.

Frosty Starlit Night;Yankees Pitcher Dominates Orioles

Clear skies made for excellent stargazing and the promise of frost in nearly the entire Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Friday night.Looking into the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy in which we live was eminently possible in the conditions.The Milky Way looks like a faint cloud extending across the sky and encompassing many individual stars.
It will be the first frost of the season in many areas,and record lows may be occurring with temperatures dipping as far as the upper twenties F.Those wishing to preserve sensitive plants such as houseplants on their decks covered them or brought them in for the night.
The New York Yankees extended their season Friday night by capturing the American League East crown as they overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.Yankees star pitcher CC Sabathia calmly went the whole nine innings of the game-a rarity in these times-and centerfielder Curtis Granderson hit an impressive seventh inning home run into the second deck to solidify the New Yorkers' victory over the younger Baltimore team.
The Yankees move on to meet the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series.The San Francisco Giants will play the St.Louis Cardinals for the National League Crown.

Rare October Snowfall Developing

Winter Storm Warnings are posted for the interior Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as a rare October nor'easter threatens the regions.Widespread power outages may occur as heavy snow coats leafy trees,bringing limbs down on power lines.Baltimore,Maryland has not had October snow since 1903.Upwards of a foot of snow could blanket the Appalachian Mountains,aggravating residents who are looking forward to Halloween on Monday.
Wall Street was not aggravated this week,hailing European leaders for devising a broad outline for handling the Euro debt crisis.Gains were muted on Friday,however,as traders soberly contemplated the U.S. deficit and the prospects for the Europeans now agreeing on details.
For the week,the broadly based S&P added 46.83 points,bringing it up 2.18% on the year.Large cap stocks are leading the way,with the Dow thirty up 5.65% on the year.
Scores were high at the Andalucia Masters at the Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande,Spain on Friday.Scotsman Richie Ramsay topped the leader board with a five under par 72.France's Gregory Havret and Spaniard Sergio Garcia shot a 71 and a 70,respectively,on the very hilly course.
Next week will be back loaded by the employment report on Friday.The Institute for Supply Management will also release important manufacturing data.The S&P futures were basically flat in response on Friday evening,barely declining at -0.13,while bond index futures rose.

Lee Leaves Off;Market Craters

The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have left off torturing the Mid-Atlantic region after nearly a week,the sun and then the moon making a belated appearance,saving the sanity of the region's harried residents.At least 12 deaths resulted from T.S. Lee's effects,with the Susquehanna basin being seriously shaken by flooding.The storm was blocked from exiting the area for some time by Hurricane Katia,which is moving northward well off the east coast.
There were still some flash flood advisories from thunderstorms in Pennsylvania until 3am,however.
The stock market was not so fortunate on Friday,with Euro debt anxiety still in the forefront of traders' thinking,as well as concern that the Federal Reserve may not be offering supportive measures anytime soon.For the week,the Dow and S&P slid 2.7%,while the NASDAQ retreated 0.5%.The CBOE VIX volatility index rose 4.20 to 38.52.
Next week will see the release of inflation data,as well as the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys,plus industrial production and retail sales figures.
The S&P futures fell a further 27.70 Friday evening,and bond index futures continued to strengthen.Oil was down 1.81 to 87.24 a barrel,while gold rose 1.90 to 1857.10 an ounce.
The Baltimore Orioles downed the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto Friday night.It was the first of the three final games of the season between the divisional rivals and bird-themed ballclubs of the American League East.

Market Steamrolls Forward

The incredible Teflon market powered on this week,impervious to all events,both internal and external.A near meltdown in Japan,terrible housing data in the U.S. and low consumer confidence were all brushed aside as the market posted gains for the week.The Dow rose 3.1,while the NASDAQ added 3.8 and the S&P 2.7.The cash has to flow somewhere,and bonds are out of favor because of inflation fears,so it's pouring into risk assets.Light volume today shows that there wasn't great conviction behind this,however.
At the Bay Hill Club&Lodge in Orlando,Scotsman Martin Laird did play with conviction,shooting a second round 65 for a nine under par and the lead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.South Korean K.J. Choi and American Spencer Levin shared second place at eight under.
The Mid-Atlantic region should be under a bit of snow Sunday morning,just when it was thinking spring was fully awake.Mostly it will be a covering for the grassy areas,with the roads having had a chance to rise above freezing in recent afternoons.
Next week will be focused on the March employment report issued on Friday,as well as the beginning of earnings season just around the bend.The S&P futures were modestly higher Friday evening,up 4.80,and Treasury bond and note prices declined.

Market Still Strong,Tiger's Good Round

The stock market logged another good week,with the S&P notching its highest close since June 2008 on Friday,up 1.4 for the week and 0.55 for the day.Relief at the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak helped ensure the bull market's continuation.Next week the market will have a raft of data to respond to,from manufacturing figures to retail sales,but the current momentum trade may be strong enough to overcome even a disappointing set.
In the United Arab Emirates,Tiger Woods shot an excellent 66 at the second round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic,putting him in a tie for fifth place with four others.Northern Ireland's young star Rory McIlroy led with a -11 for the two rounds.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their record 26-game losing streak with a 126-119 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Following a bitterly cold few mornings,the Mid-Atlantic region will enter a stretch of springlike conditions,with temperatures expected to reach above 50 Fahrenheit.
The S&P futures signaled more smooth sailing for equities on Monday,rising 8.50 Friday evening,and the ten year Treasury futures prices also rose.

Cairo Chaos,Torrey Pines Brilliance

While a day of rage gripped the streets of Cairo,Egypt,flattening Wall Street,the PGA Tour was serenely underway Friday on the sunlit bluffs of Torrey Pines near La Jolla,California.American Bill Haas,winner of last year's Bob Hope Classic,topped the leaderboard with his -11,and Anthony Kim was second with a -9.Seven players shared the third spot at -8,including Phil Mickelson,who lives 20 minutes from the course,the longest on the tour.Tiger Woods was tied for twelfth with four others at -6.
The Mid-Atlantic region was far from that sunshine,still recovering from Wednesday's heavy rush hour snowfall,with many residents still without power under more gray skies and snow showers.A wintry mix is in the forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday.
The news from Egypt,together with disappointing earnings from Amazon,Microsoft and Ford,and generally overbought conditions,clipped the market's wings.They were slightly down on the week,with the S&P losing 0.6%.The Commodity Research Bureau Index was up 4.05,however.Next week will feature reports on employment,factory orders and auto sales.
The S&P futures were flat Friday evening,and bond futures prices rose.
Ford(F),Microsoft(MSFT),Amazon(AMZN)

Big GE Week,Knicks Cuffed

It was a big week for GE as the manufacturing titan reported a great Q4.GE had a big jump in orders and its first revenue increase in two years.It's a sign of rising capital expenditure and a recovering industrial base as companies purchase GE's broad range of big products.
The New York Knicks had a small Friday night in San Antonio as the Spurs dealt them a 101-92 loss at AT&T Center.The Spurs have the best record in the NBA at 37-6.Tony Parker shot 21 points with 13 assists for the victors on a pleasant Texas night.It was the Spurs' eighth straight win.For the Knicks,Danielo Gallinari shot 16 points,while Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and Raymond Felton 18,respectively.
The Mid-Atlantic region was partly cloudy and chilled into the teens or single digits Friday night,with Saturday night expected to fall likewise.
For the week,the Dow rose 84.46,while the S&P dropped 9.89 and the NASDAQ stumbled 65.76,or 2.4%.The S&P futures pointed up 3.50 Friday evening,and the 10 year bond futures yield rose as well.Next week,Caterpillar and American Express will report their earnings.
General Electric(GE),Caterpillar(CAT),American Express(AXP)

Earnings Season Going Well,Texas Wins

Wall Street responded favorably to good earnings reports from most companies that have reported so far.Eighty percent have beaten profit estimates,while 75% have shown revenue increases as well.The market was up all round this week,with the Dow gaining 0.6;the S&P also 0.6;and the NASDAQ 0.4.Next week,a third of the largest companies will be reporting on their earnings as the quarterly ritual continues.
Wintry conditions continue their presence in pockets of the lower 48,with snow levels falling to just under 4,000 feet in mountain passes of the Pacific Northwest,snow coating Northern Maine and brushing the Adirondacks as well.A frost advisory was up in the Mid-Atlantic region,even though Saturday was expected to be mild.
The S&P futures were up 5.0 this evening as optimism about earnings season,the mid-term elections and Federal Reserve policy continued to prevail.The Dow futures rose 7.0,while the NASDAQ futures added 24.0 and bond futures also ascended.
The Texas Rangers' spirits rose as well,as they creamed the New York Yankees 6-1 for their first American League Championship in Arlington,Texas.