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Source: http://survivalblog.com/2012/03/economics-and-investing-1101.html
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METAIRIE, La. (AP) ? The New Orleans Saints have placed the franchise tag on Drew Brees ? giving them exclusive negotiating rights with their Pro Bowl quarterback for the next year.
Brees has been involved in lengthy contract talks with the Saints and, without the tag, could have negotiated with other teams as a free agent. Team spokesman Greg Bensel said Saturday that the Saints were officially notifying the NFL of the designation.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune and ESPN.com previously reported that Brees would get the tag.
In January, Brees said he would be "beyond stunned" if he and the Saints are unable to agree on a contract extension during this offseason.
In 2011, Brees set NFL records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.
He has been with the Saints for six seasons, leading them to a win in the 2010 Super Bowl.
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at Skyline High School, Thursday, March 1, 2012 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. (AP Photo/The Idaho Post-Register, Robert Bower)
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at Skyline High School, Thursday, March 1, 2012 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. (AP Photo/The Idaho Post-Register, Robert Bower)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum visits with supporters during during a campaign rally at the New Life Assembly of God, Thursday, March 1, 2012, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The top two contenders for the Republican presidential nomination are accusing each other of benefiting from the support of crossover Democratic voters in states that allow anyone to participate in a party primary.
And both are correct. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have each worked to woo independent voters and conservative Democrats during campaign appearances. While it may be anathema to their hard-core GOP supporters, it's an acknowledgement of the kind of crossover appeal that any GOP nominee will need in November if he's to defeat President Barack Obama.
It also creates a tricky rhetorical tightrope for the candidates: making a pitch to non-Republican voters while finding fault when an opponent does the same thing.
When Santorum made the Michigan primary a squeaker this week, for example, Romney attributed his rival's strong second-place finish to help from liberals who hoped Santorum would make a weaker opponent for Obama.
"They got the news from everyone from Michael Moore to Barack Obama's team to, frankly, Rick Santorum as well, saying, 'Go play mischief in the Republican Party. Vote against Mitt Romney and try to give this to Rick Santorum.' You know, they don't want to face me in the fall. They'd rather face Rick Santorum," Romney said in a recent interview. "They came in, in large numbers, and voted for Rick."
Santorum did get a boost from Democrats; 13 percent of his votes came from them, according to exit polls, compared with 4 percent for Romney.
And when Romney cruised to a lead-off win in New Hampshire, Santorum discounted it by saying the victory came from an electorate in which only a minority was Republican.
Indeed, in exit polls in New Hampshire, 53 percent of respondents didn't identify themselves as Republicans. Overall, Romney received 62 percent of his support from Republicans, 2 percent from Democrats and 36 percent from independents.
Those numbers are virtually identical to the partisan breakdown of Santorum supporters in New Hampshire: 65 percent Republican, 2 percent Democratic and 32 percent independent. But Santorum placed a distant fifth.
In other words, each is giving the other too much credit for crossover appeal, and neither is pure on the subject.
"We want the activists of the party ? the people who make up the backbone of the Republican Party ? to have a say in who our nominee is, as opposed to a bunch of people who don't even identify themselves as Republicans picking our nominee," Santorum told Minnesota voters on a conference call on Jan. 29. "I don't like that. I believe that states should only allow Republicans to vote in Republican primaries."
He said that if voters want to participate in the GOP contest, they should switch their party identification.
Santorum changed his tune a month later in Michigan, sending automated calls to Democrats encouraging them to turn out for him.
"Michigan Democrats can vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday. ... On Tuesday, join Democrats who are going to send a loud message to Massachusetts' Mitt Romney by voting for Rick Santorum for president. This call is supported by hardworking Democratic men and women. Paid for by Rick Santorum for president," the call said.
Choosing to participate in another party's primary, while not common, can be a strategic choice for voters. Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh urged his listeners to do that in 2008 to prolong the Barack Obama-Hillary Rodham Clinton primary season in what he called "Operation Chaos."
Romney himself did the same thing in 1992, voting for Democrat Paul Tsongas in Massachusetts' Democratic primary.
"In Massachusetts, if you register as an independent, you can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary," Romney told ABC News. "When there was no real contest in the Republican primary, I'd vote in the Democrat primary, vote for the person who I thought would be the weakest opponent for the Republican."
Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho defended the practice and said "there's really no comparison at all" to Santorum, who reached out to some of those Democrats.
The rivals are unlikely to let the issue rest.
"If you're running for president to be the conservative voice, you don't seek union, liberal votes when your campaign is desperate," said Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, a Romney supporter.
Countered Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley: "We figured if we can get them in the primary, we can keep them in the general."
Saturday's GOP caucuses in Washington state are open to voters from either party, as are six of the 10 states that have contests on Super Tuesday: Alaska, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Only Romney and Ron Paul are on the Virginia ballot.
___
AP Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
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updated 1:12 p.m. ET March 1, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. - New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner says it's his goal to lower the team's payroll to $189 million over the next few years.
Under baseball's new labor contract, the luxury tax threshold will be at $189 million after the 2013 season.
"Is it a requirement with baseball that we hit 189? No, it's not a requirement, but that is going to be the luxury tax threshold and that's where I want to be," Steinbrenner said on Thursday. "I don't think it's an unrealistic goal. My goals are normally considered a requirement."
Steinbrenner said this season's payroll is around $210 million. He feels the Yankees can be successful at a lower level with a strong player-development system.
The Yankees were hit with a $13.9 million luxury tax last season. New York's final 2011 payroll was $212.7 million.
"I'm just not convinced we need to be as high as we've been in the past to field a championship-caliber team," Steinbrenner said. "We'll see who comes off (salary-wise) in the next couple years."
New York has a number of promising prospects, including pitchers Dellin Betances and Manuel Banuelos.
"We'll see how these young kids perform towards the end of this year and into next year," Steinbrenner said. "The young kids are going to play a big part of being able to lower this payroll. I am going to need some of these young pitchers to step up."
Steinbrenner again reiterated that he's not planning to work on any in-season contract extensions.
"Right now I just want to get through this season before we talk to anybody," Steinbrenner said.
Steinbrenner gave his support to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who had a difficult personal offseason.
Cashman's wife filed divorce papers last month, a day after prosecutors charged a woman with stalking him and extorting money over an extramarital affair.
"I'm not going to get into personal situations of employees," Steinbrenner said. "It's not Yankee business. I can only say that we're here to support him."
As for the upcoming season, Steinbrenner is upbeat about the defending AL East champions.
"I'm excited," he said. "I think we've got, on paper, definitely a better team than we did last year. I think our starting pitching is improved, and that was one of our goals during the offseason."
New York has added starting pitchers Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda.
The Yankees open spring training play on Friday with an exhibition against the University of South Florida.
Notes: Spring training instructor Reggie Jackson arrived at camp. The Hall of Famer, who was late arriving last year after back surgery, had shoulder surgery this offseason. ... Lou Piniella, a new addition to the spring instructors' group this year, was also at the ballpark. ... 2B Robinson Cano rejoined the team after being gone three days after the death of his grandmother. ... Non-roster RHP Manny Delcarmen will miss four or five days because of a right lat muscle injury. ... The Yankees had an abbreviated workout Thursday to allow a team function away from the ballpark that involved improv skits.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsConnor: One unique aspect of spring training is the art of the comeback. Here are 10 players bouncing back who will have big impacts on their teams.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46590798/ns/sports-baseball/
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