Facebook went public today with its initial public offering (IPO) at $38 a share. It closed at $38.23 with the highest trading volume of any company’s first day since GM. That’s a lot of volume for such small gains. The NASDAQ also fell a bit today. Overall, for such a potentially risky stock, Facebook did end up in positive territory on its first day. Unlike other social networking sites, I’ve always felt that Facebook managed to do something different — it attracted ancient people. Once your parents or even grandparents got on to see pictures of their kids and grandkids, the marketing potential became something much different than your typical trendy “next-huge-thing” website. Ancient people will stick with it. But, just because people are on it, doesn’t mean it will make money for investors. Facebook sells ad space, but it’s not a Google or an Amazon in the way it’s tied to commerce. Are Farmville bucks really going to “save” Western capitalism? Maybe for Zynga . Nonetheless, It will be fascinating to see where this goes in the months ahead.
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Facebook Goes Public
Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood will apparently announce his retirement later today . The announcement may come following this afternoon's game at Wrigley Field against the crosstown rival White Sox as interleague play starts. Wood, who turns 35 next month,?has struggled this season. In nine appearances out of the bullpen, Wood has gone 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA surrendering eight runs in eight and a third innings pitched and has walked more than twice as many batters as he has struck out (11:5). In a classy go by the Cubs, it looks like Wood will get to pitch one more time in front of Cubs fans before he hangs it up. Wood was the Cubs first round pick in the 1995 MLB draft and would make his?MLB debut in 1998. In his fifth huge league appearance, on May 6, 1998, Wood set a National League record and tied a major league record held by Roger Clemens (and later Randy Johnson) by striking out 20 Houston Astros ?on a one-hit complete game shutout . Wood won 13 games that season and was named NL Rookie of the Year as the Cubs won the NL Wild Card. But, injuries would soon become Wood's constant companion. He missed the entire 1999 season due to Tommy John surgery. In all, Wood would be placed on the Disabled List 16 times including earlier this season due to a sore shoulder . His best season came in 2003 when Wood won a career high 14 games and led the NL in strikeouts with 266 as he and Mark Prior led the team to the NL Central Division title. Of course, the Cubs were five outs away from going to the World Series in Game 6 of the NLCS until Luis Castillo hit that ball down the leftfield line. What is forgotten is that there was a Game 7 which Wood started. He even hit a two-run homerun in the second inning to tie the game at 3-3. Unfortunately, the Marlins took the lead in the fifth and Wood was removed in the sixth having given up seven runs. There would be no joy in Wrigleyville and Steve Bartman had nothing to do with it. The Cubs converted Wood into a reliever late in the 2007 season and in 2008 would record 34 saves for the Cubs who won another NL Central title before being dispatched by the Dodgers in the NLDS. After more than a decade in a Cubs uniform, Wood signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2009 season. But, Wood would be traded to the New York Yankees in mid-2010 where he pitched effectively as an eighth inning set up man for Mariano Rivera. But after the Yankees declined to sign him in 2011, Wood returned to Wrigley. If not for injuries, Wood could have been amongst the all-time greats. But he certainly had flashes of greatness and never made excuses when things weren't so fantastic which?made him one of the most well loved players in Cubs history.
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A couple of days ago, I wrote about Oakland A's thirdbaseman Brandon Inge having the best week of his 12-year huge league career. Well, this week hasn't been so excellent. The A's have placed Inge on the 15-Day Disabled List due to a strained right groin.
Visit link: Inge by IngeThe International Olympic Committee has rejected a proposal by Israel for a moment of silence at the 2012 Olympic Games in London in honor of the eleven Israeli athletes and coaches?murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Summer Games in Munich. I cannot say this comes as a fantastic shock. The IOC is probably no different than the UN. If the IOC were to have honored the fallen Israelis in this way then the Arab/Muslim bloc would have either threatened to boycott the ceremony or the Olympic Games altogether. The truth of the matter is that most of the Arab/Muslim bloc is delighted the Israelis were murdered?forty years ago?and would probably celebrate?if the entire Israeli delegation were to be slaughtered again this summer.
See the article here: No Moment of Silence for Murdered Israeli Athletes at London Olympics