“Hey! Eyes up here, mister!”
Author: John Paulsen (Page 620 of 937)
The SEC – that’s The Security and Exchanges Commission, not the Southeastern Conference – has filed insider trading charges against Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
The SEC alleges in a civil action that Mr. Cuban sold his entire 6% ownership stake on June 28, 2004, after learning that Mamma.com was raising money through a private investment in a public entity, or PIPE. The next day, on June 29, the company announced the PIPE financing and shares of the company dropped by more than 10%. By selling his stake, the SEC alleges, Mr. Cuban avoided more than $750,000 in losses.
In a PIPE transaction new shares are issued at a discount to the current trading price. An announcement of a PIPE transaction is often followed by a drop in the stock price as shareholders anticipate their stake will be diluted.
On one hand, I sort of admire all the time and money that Cuban puts into the Dallas Mavericks. I don’t think he actually knows all that much about basketball, but most owners don’t commit that much of themselves to the teams they own. Cuban is out there just about every night, cheering his team on. He’s also not afraid to make bold (but dumb) trades like the one that brought Jason Kidd to Dallas.
Then I think about how Cuban made his fortune. He started a company called Broadcast.com during the “internet boom” and he eventually sold the company to Yahoo for $5.9 billion in stock.
Most investors lost their proverbial asses during the internet bubble, but Cuban somehow walked away with almost $6 billion. Either Cuban was really smart to get out when he did or he was lucky enough to have the perfect timing.
Now there’s the news that this billionaire is willing to risk criminal prosecution just to save $750,000 on some stock. What’s the point? So you learn the company you own stock in is about to dilute your shares – is it worth the risk to save $750 K on the deal? Even if he doesn’t go to jail, he’s given himself a black eye as far as the public is concerned.
That doesn’t seem all that smart to me.
Jon Gruden says that Earnest Graham probably won’t play again this season.
Graham sustained an ankle injury against Minnesota on Sunday when a defender fell on his ankle. Gruden said he does not expect Graham to play again this season.
“Earnest Graham’s ankle looks to be a serious injury and his status for the rest of the season is very much in question,” Gruden said. “Geno Hayes [linebacker] hurt his knee and we’re obviously real concerned about that as well. Both of those guy’s season could be in jeopardy right now.”
“I don’t know the medical terms, but right now it doesn’t look like he [Graham] will play anytime soon.” Gruden said. “We’ll get the final results in the next couple of hours.”
This is obviously a big blow to the Bucs’ offense. The team did just get Cadillac Williams back, but there’s no telling how much gas he has left in the tank. (Pun totally intended.) I’d expect Warrick Dunn to get most of the work as they try to work Williams back into the offense.
I’m looking at the front page of NFL.com and there is not a single mention of the debacle controversial call that ended the Pittsburgh/San Diego game.
That’s proof positive that NFL.com, which I believe is still owned by the NFL owners, is not a thorough and objective source of football news. Sure, they’ll provide info that show the league in a good light, but they aren’t even mentioning the biggest news to come out of Sunday’s NFL action.
Everything you need to know (and a lot that you don’t) about the fantasy impact of Sunday’s NFL action…
QUARTERBACKS
Frankly, it was a disappointing day from both QBs in the ATL/DEN game. Cutler finished with just 216 yards and a TD, while Matt Ryan threw for 250 yards, but failed to throw for a score against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. However, if not for a Roddy White dropped pass in the endzone, he would have finished with 290 yards (or so) and a TD…Jake Delhomme’s performance (98 yards, TD) against the Lions is pretty worrisome. I wouldn’t feel too good about starting him down the stretch. If you can’t rack up stats against the Lions, something is wrong…Tyler Thigpen (235 yards, 2 TD, INT) continues to play good fantasy ball and he has a pretty nice schedule coming up…Kyle Orton (133 yards) didn’t have a very good first game back, but the Green Bay corners are tough. He has better matchups in Week 12 (STL), Week 14 (JAX) and Week 15 (NO)…Matt Hasselbeck (170 yards, TD, 3 INT) had a rough first game back, but two of his three interceptions came in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks were trying to come back from a big deficit…It’s safe to say that Ben Roethlisberger (308 yards) has been a disappointment this season. He failed to pass for a TD for the third straight game, and with touch matchups in Week 13 (NE) and Week 16 (TEN), he should be benched if you have a better option…Phillip Rivers’ miserable day (159 yards, 2 INT) broke a regular season 16-game streak of at least one pass TD per game. To think, I actually had Matt Cassel in the starting lineup in one of my leagues, but started Rivers instead. Grr…Tony Romo (198 yards, TD, 2 INT) wasn’t spectacular in his first game back, but he should have better luck against the 49ers and Seahawks the next two weeks.
RUNNING BACKS
Michael Turner (25 carries, 81 yards, 2 TD) predictably had a great outing against a bad Denver rush defense, but this was his last good matchup until Week 17…DeAngelo Williams (14 carries, 120 yards, 2 TD) and Jonathan Stewart (15 carries, 130 yards, TD) shredded the Lions at will. Just when it looked like Williams might be pulling away in Carolina, Stewart had a big game to stake his claim on a good portion of the touches…Kevin Smith (26 touches, 138 yards) is the clear RB1 in Detroit and is a decent RB2 start on a weekly basis…Willis McGahee (11 touches, 25 yards) and Ray Rice (12 touches, 37 yards) pretty much split the touches evenly. There’s no telling what the Ravens are going to do with this RBBC going forward…Earnest Graham (1 carry, 3 yards) turned his ankle early in the game and it was Warrick Dunn (24 touches, 118 yards) that got most of the work. If Graham misses any time, look for Dunn (and possibly Cadillac Williams) to get the lion’s share of the carries…Ryan Grant (25 carries, 145 yards, TD) surprisingly had a huge day against a very good Bears defense. I think Green Bay has figured out that the team’s strength in the running game is misdirection, not lining up in the I-formation and trying to run it down the defense’s throats. They seem to be very successful on draws, traps and inside handoffs. Grant has now gained 584 yards in the last six games and is on pace for a 1232-yard season. He also has three TD in his last four games, but he’s still not involved in the passing game…Joseph Addai (26 touches, 153 yards, 2 TD) hadn’t had a decent fantasy game since Week 5, but he exploded against the Texans. He has a pretty favorable schedule down the stretch…Tim Hightower (11 carries, 35 yards) had a dismal day against a shaky Seahawks defense. That’s two straight bad starts and it makes him a very iffy start next week against the G-men…There is no RBBC in Pittsburgh if Willie Parker (25 touches, 115 yards). Mewelde Moore did catch five passes for 33 yards, however…After a couple of off weeks against very good defenses (TB, NYG), Marion Barber (30 touches, 153 yards, TD) looks like he’s back on track. He has two easy matchups in the next two weeks (SF, SEA) and then a rough road in the fantasy playoffs (PIT, NYG, BAL), but if Tony Romo can get back into the swing of things, Barber should have a productive stretch run.
WIDE RECEIVERS
My apologies to anyone that started Muhsin Muhammad (1-16) on my recommendation this week. If it’s any consolation, his crappy performance against a horrible defense is going to cost me a win…Lance Moore (8-102-1) is looking like an every week starter, even with Marques Colston (3-30) back in the lineup…Plaxico Burress (3-47) is struggling. He is averaging just 2.5-28-0.3 over the last four weeks. The good news is that he has a great matchup with a suspect Arizona defense next week…Bernard Berrian (3-46) had a quiet week, but things are looking great over the next five games (JAX, CHI, DET, ARI and ATL). Don’t be surprised if Berrian (and Frerotte) finishes strong…Ted Ginn (2 carries, 42 yards, TD, 4-51) has been pretty solid lately and he doesn’t have a tough matchup the rest of the year, so he can be used as a WR2/WR3 in PPR leagues.
TIGHT ENDS
Thanks for the goose egg, Tony Scheffler…Jeremy Shockey (6-39) was much more involved in the Saints’ offense this week. Look for Sean Payton to continue to use him in the weeks to come…Zach Miller (4-67) has gained 42+ receiving yards in six of the last seven games. The Raiders aren’t going to score much, but he’s a decent start in PPR leagues…
FREE AGENTS
And now, for a few guys that might be lingering on your league’s waiver wire…
Peyton Hillis (13 touches, 70 yards, 2 TD) appears to be RB1 in Denver, though Tatum Bell (7 carries, 34 yards) and P.J. Pope (4 carries, 35 yards) also got some work…Ryan Fitzpatrick (261 yards, TD) seems to be settling in as the starter in Cincy and can be used by desperate fantasy owners when he has a good matchup. Unfortunately, things are looking a little rough down the stretch…All signs pointed to a good game from Deuce McAllister, and while he did score a TD, Pierre Thomas got 20 touches to McAllister’s eight… Bryant Johnson (4-56-1) has caught at least three passes in each of the last three games and appears to be Shaun Hill’s favorite target…Shaun Hill (213 yards, 2 pass TD, 1 rush TD) has been more than solid since taking over as the starter in San Francisco. He has mediocre matchups the rest of the way, so he can be used in a pinch…Deion Branch (4-54) had a pretty good first game back. Now that Matt Hasselbeck is under center, Branch is a sleeper in the stretch run, if he can stay healthy…Kerry Collins (230 yards, 3 TD, INT) had his second straight great fantasy outing and has a favorable upcoming schedule with the Jets, Lions and Texans coming up in the next four weeks…Matt Spaeth (6-55) has caught six passes in each of the last two games with Heath Miller sidelined.
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