Will greed kill the XM-Sirius merger???
I saw this article in the New York Post (written by Peter Lauria) yesterday on the proposed XM-Sirius merger about all the hurdles this deal faces, chief among them being Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin's salary disclosed in a proxy filing last week. While Karmazin's salary won't be a deciding factor in the final outcome of the proposed merger, $31 million just might indicate that this is an attempt to make the rich richer and who could argue???
A lukewarm earnings report from XM whose stock closed + .20 at $11.98 Friday won't help either. Tomorrow Sirius will issue its earning report. Sirius stock closed + .08 Friday at $3.04. Wall Street analysts now give the deal a less than 35% chance of succeeding...
Look for the NAB to jump all over this. In the words of NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton, "The notion that consumers or small shareholders would benefit from a government-sanctioned monopoly is pure fiction."
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Will Mel Karmazin get lucky this time??? Don't bet against it. Stand by...
Video links to hits by Bobby Vee who turns 64 today and Johnny Farina (Santo & Johnny), 66, are contained in "Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Timeline Memories...
Father Figure: 1789] George Washington takes office as our 1st President of these United States on Wall Street...1931] The George Washington Bridge, linking Manhattan to New Jersey opens...
Sweet for Caroline and Sox fans everywhere: 1901] Cy Young beats the A's 8-6 in Philadelphia in the Red Sox 1st game...
The curtain comes down: 1939] Lou Gehrig plays his last game with the Yankees. In that game Gehrig goes 0 for 4 against the Washington Senators in a game played at Yankee Stadium...
Say Hey: 1961] Using utility player Joey Amalfitano's bat, Willie Mays of the S.F. Giants becomes the 9th player in history to hit 4 home runs in a game as the Giants beat up on Milwaukee 14-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium...
That's Fair: 1939] The New York World's Fair, billed as a look at 'The World of Tomorrow' opens in Flushing Meadow...
Recorded on this date: 1957] "Jailhouse Rock" - Elvis Presley...
Mother Nature strikes: 1991] An estimated 125,000 die as a cyclone hits Bangladesh...
Stabbed in the back: 1993] Top-ranked women's tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed in the back during a match in Hamburg, Germany by a 38-year old Steffi Graf fan. Seles will never be the same player after the stabbing. The wound was 1/2" deep...
Coming out: 1997] ABC-TV airs the "coming out" episode of "Ellen" in which the title character played by Ellen DeGeneres admits she's a lesbian. Are you trying to tell us something Ellen???
Chandra sighting: 2001] Washington intern Chandra Levy is seen for the last time at a health club near her apartment. Her remains are found more than a year later in a D.C. park. California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy...
Navy pullout: 2003] The U.S. Navy withdraws from its disputed Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico...
It's not over yet: 2004] Former New Jersey Net star Jayson Williams is acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun slaying of his limo driver at his New Jersey mansion. This case will be retried. The date is pending...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Josh Hancock, the 29 year old Cardinal reliever who was tragically killed when his SUV slammed into the back of a tow truck was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1998 out of Auburn University. He pitched one game for Boston in 2002 before being traded to the Phillies. This is the second death of a St. Louis pitcher in the last 5 years. Pitcher Darryl Kile (coronary disease) died in June 2002...Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki was in the right place at the right time when he caught a line drive, stepped on second base and tagged a runner coming in from first base to complete the 13th unassisted triple play in major league history. It last happened in 2003 (the Braves' Rafael Furcal)...and proving that patience pays off, Alabama defensive back Ramzee Robinson was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the final pick of the longest NFL draft ever -- 18 hours 5 minutes. And Brady Quinn (22nd pick) thought he had a long wait...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Kirsten Dunst (25), Isiah Thomas (46), Jill Clayburgh (63), Bobby Vee (64) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJp_EO2C220&mode=related&search= , Johnny Farina (Santo & Johnny) (66) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAk_0N85wNk , Burt Young (67), Willie Nelson (74) and Cloris Leachman (81)...
Timeline Countdown: 5 days until the Kentucky Derby and 28 days until Memorial Day...
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