PNC

Just wanting to share what I have learned.

Business Overview
PNC offers a wide range of services for all our customers, from individuals and small businesses, to corporations and government entities. No matter how simple or complicated your needs, we're sure to have the products, knowledge and resources necessary for financial success.
Our businesses are broken up into the following categories:


Retail Banking

We provide deposit, lending, cash, management and investment services to more than 2.9 million consumer and small business customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and the District of Columbia. No matter how you choose to bank with us -- by visiting one of our over 1,000 branches, using one of our 3,900 ATM machines, or by visiting our online banking site -- we make it easy to bank with us.

Our wealth management group offers a broad range of tailored investment, trust and private banking products and services to affluent individuals and families, including the ultra-affluent through our Hawthorn unit. Full service brokerage is provided through PNC Investments, LLC. We can also serve as investment manager and trustee for employee benefit plans and charitable and endowment assets for organizations across the country. With approximately $65 billion in assets under management, PNC is one of America's largest wealth managers.


Corporate & Institutional Banking

Our corporate & institutional banking business is a dominant player with middle market companies in our eight-state primary region. In recent years, PNC has built one of the nation's top 10 asset-based lending practices. Our real estate lending group, serves owners, operators, and developers across the United States. Reflecting our success in these segments, PNC is now the number two syndicator of middle market transactions across the country.

Underpinning our success is our outstanding set of credit, treasury management and capital markets products and services, many of which have been scaled to middle market sized entities and all of which are delivered by highly experienced relationship managers. PNC has also significantly expanded our value proposition to middle market-sized companies with the acquisition of Harris Williams, one of the nation's largest mergers and acquisitions advisory firms for that segment.


PFPC

With more than $2.6 trillion in total fund assets serviced and 76 million shareholder accounts, PFPC is a leading provider of processing, technology and business solutions to the global investment industry. We support an international client base from offices in the U.S. and Europe, offering fund accounting and administration services, transfer agency and shareholder services, global custody and securities lending services, subaccounting services, managed account services, alternative investment services, banking transaction services, marketing and distribution services and advanced output solutions.

The recent acquisitions of Albridge Solutions Inc., a provider of portfolio accounting and enterprise wealth management services, and Coates Analytics Group LP, a provider of Web-based analytics tools, continued the transformation of PFPC's business model. In addition to our processing capabilities, PFPC is increasingly a provider of information services to the global investment industry.


Asset Management

PNC owns 34 percent of BlackRock, one of the largest publicly traded investment management firms in the country, with more than $1.3 trillion in managed assets. BlackRock works on behalf of institutional and individual investors worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, liquidity and alternative investment products. In addition, it provides risk management, investment system outsourcing, and financial advisory services to a growing number of institutional investors.


With roots in commercial banking that date back to the 1800s, PNC has grown to be one of the leading financial services organizations in the country. And we're working constantly to find opportunities to better serve our customers, our shareholders and the communities in which we work.
The many institutions that have come together to form PNC date back to the very beginnings of commercial banking:

Pittsburgh National Corporation was established as the Pittsburgh Trust and Savings Company in 1852, making it the oldest bank in Pittsburgh. Within months, the company moved its offices to Wood Street, one door from the corner of Fifth Avenue, and in 1858 it acquired the corner lot. The company has been doing business at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street ever since.

The bank was the first to apply for a charter under the National Banking Act of 1863, and soon became the First National Bank of Pittsburgh.
In 1946, the bank joined with Peoples-Pittsburgh Trust Company to form Peoples First National Bank and Trust Company.
And in 1959, Fidelity Trust Company merged with Peoples First, which, in turn, merged with First National. A new bank was born - Pittsburgh National Bank - with a new symbol that expressed the industrial and commercial strength of Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle.

Provident National Corporation dates back to the mid-19th century. One of its predecessors, Provident Life and Trust Company, was established in 1865 by Quakers as an insurance company and became known informally as "the Quaker bank."

In 1922, the Provident Life and Trust Company split into two independent entities: Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company and Provident Trust Company.
In 1957, Provident Trust Company of Philadelphia and Provident Tradesmens Bank and Trust Company merged, creating Provident National Bank.

New Opportunities

In 1982, Pennsylvania changed its laws to allow statewide banking. Pittsburgh National and Provident National were the first two banks to act on the new legislation, and came together in what was at the time the largest bank merger in U.S. history. Taking the shared initials of their holding companies, they created a new entity called PNC Financial Corp.

A series of mergers with local banks followed and, in 1986, PNC took the major step of merging with an out-of-state bank, Citizens Fidelity Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky.
Shortly after, PNC acquired The Central Bancorporation of Cincinnati and the Bank of Delaware Corporation, which traces its roots back to 1795.
Consolidation and Growth

In 1990, PNC made the strategic decision to move from separate technology platforms, operated by each individual bank, to a single common platform. That allowed us to offer customers a common set of products and services, wherever they were located. And we shifted our organizational focus from geography to lines of business.

Another series of acquisitions began in 1991, when PNC purchased First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Pittsburgh. The addition of First Federal made PNC both the largest bank and the largest bank holding company in Pittsburgh.
Between 1991 and 1996, PNC acquired nine financial institutions that broadened its customer base to include northern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Pittsburgh.
In 1995, PNC achieved its longtime goal of entering New Jersey by merging with Midlantic Corporation in a $3 billion deal that instantly gave it a major presence in the southern New Jersey/Philadelphia market.

A National Presence

PNC's growing wealth management business was bolstered by two bank acquisitions in the '90s: The Massachusetts Company, Boston, which was the oldest trust company in the country, dating from 1818, and which counted John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow among its clients; and Indian River Federal Savings Bank of Vero Beach, Fla., which added private banking capabilities to PNC's existing Florida trust business.

PNC's wealth management group became known as PNC Advisors in 1999, and now consists of the former PNC Private Bank; Hilliard Lyons, a full-service brokerage company; PNC's Institutional Trust and Investment Group; and Hawthorn, a wealth management firm serving particularly affluent clients.
BlackRock became a part of PNC's asset management business during the mid-1990s, and is currently one of the largest investment managers in the U.S.
In 1993, PNC acquired Sears Mortgage Company. PNC added the capabilities of Sears Mortgage to its existing PNC Mortgage operation to create one of the nation's largest mortgage originators and service providers at the time. Due to heavy consolidation in the industry, PNC made a strategic decision to exit the consumer mortgage business in 2000, selling PNC Mortgage to Washington Mutual Home Loans, Inc.
In 1999, PNC's steady transformation into a diversified company with national reach was further strengthened with the acquisition of First Data Investor Services Group (ISG), a leading provider of services to mutual funds and other investment vehicles. The addition of ISG solidified PNC's PFPC entity as a premier provider of processing, technology and business solutions to the global investment industry.
In 2003, PNC acquired United National Bancorp. This acquisition strategically expanded our banking business in the growing and appealing markets of central New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania.
In 2005, PNC made a number of strategic acquisitions in growth areas, which included:
PNC acquired Riggs National Corporation. PNC gained entry into the Greater Washington area that includes Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia - one the nation's most appealing financial services markets and the fifth-most affluent metropolitan regions in the U.S.
Harris Williams & Co., a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor to middle market companies and private equity firms, became part of the PNC Corporate & Institutional Banking business.
BlackRock acquired SSRM Holdings Inc., the holding company of State Street Research Management Company & SSR Realty Advisors Inc., from MetLife. This transaction expanded the scale and scope of BlackRock's mutual fund products and distribution capabilities as well as strengthened them as a global leader in fixed income assets.


In 2006, BlackRock Financial Management acquired Merrill Lynch's investment management business creating one of the top 10 investment management companies in the world with assets under management more than $1 trillion. PNC will continue to own 44.5 million shares representing an ownership interest of approximately 35 percent and Merrill Lynch will now have a 49 percent ownership interest. The transaction closed on October 2, 2006.

PNC continues its expansion into growth areas through strategic business acquisitions, which include:
Completing the acquisition of Mercantile Bankshares Corporation on March 2, 2007. This transaction significantly expanded PNC's presence in the Mid-Atlantic region, adding an additional 240 offices in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. Conversion is expected to occur on September 15, 2007.

Acquiring ARCS Commercial Mortgage, the largest independent multifamily lender in the country and the leading Fannie Mae DUS lender. This transaction closed on July 2, 2007.

On June 7, 2007, PNC announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Hamilton, N.J.-based Yardville National Bancorp, a commerical and consumer bank with $3 billion in assets, $2 billion in deposits and 33 branches in central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. This transaction is expected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2007.
On July 19, 2007, PNC announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Lancaster, Pa.-based Sterling Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company with $3.3 billion in assets and 67 branches in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. This transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.
On Nov. 16, 2007, PNC announced it signed a definitive agreement to sell J.J.B. Hilliard Lyons, Inc., a full-service brokerage and financial services provider headquartered in Louisville, Ky., to Bowling Green, Ky.-based Houchens Industries, Inc.



A World-class Leader

From its local banking roots, PNC has developed into one of the leading providers of financial services in the country, with international reach. PNC has been recognized nationally and regionally for its accomplishments and success, including:

Ranked among the "Most Admired Companies", Fortune Magazine
100 Best Companies For Working Mothers, Working Mother magazine
Corporate Stewardship Award Finalist, US Chamber of Commerce
Woodrow Wilson "Corporate Citizenship" Award for Jim Rohr and PNC
Technology Innovator in Financial Services, Information Week

OUR SONG

I like Taylor Swift's sound. Our Song is quite catchy.

WISE DECISION

Watermelontinis are officially retired.

FIRST DAY AT THE GIG

Well it's the first day of orientation and needless to say i left extra early this morning since i'm insane and i had never been here before so I left at 6:45am for the 30 mile ride to Somerset and I had to be there at 8:30.

Well, it was pouring, and there was a ton of traffic. Good thing I left myself enough time, as I got there at 8:20am, however, I was the only one on time, so I had to wait anyway.

I'll be at this site for the next couple of weeks, so my entire schedule will have to be revamped, and I'm heading north for the first time in years, plus my ezpass isn't working. Yea, I know, in the scheme of things not such a big deal...well I'm just venting, it certainly could be alot worse.

Not sure how often I'll be able to update, since this site is blocked at PNC, but we'll do what we can.

GARY CARTER WANTS THE JOB

Well I'll give the Kid credit for giving an honest answer (that would be pretty refreshing to hear honesty come out of a Met manager's mouth) but I'm stunned at how he pulled no punches and didn't give the standard "I don't want to talk about someone else's job line" you always get.

Personally I'd much rather see Keith Hernandez get the offer, but I don't know if Keith has the commitment to a 162 game grind any more, but at this point, other than Rich Kotite or Issah Thomas I'm happy with anyone other than Willie in there.

Carter, when asked if he is interested in managing the Mets, should they fire Willie Randolph, said:

“Boy, I’ll tell you what, I would love that, guys. When I saw that on ESPN today, Mike & Mike, they were talking about it and immediately I got on the phone and I called Jay Horowitz and I asked, ‘Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?’ If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I’m only a phone call away because my contract allows me to leave the ball club. I could be in New York tomorrow, if necessary, because if there’s anything at the major league level I can leave this job…The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there’s no spark, there’s no fire, if anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys. I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm, and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around. There’s way too much talent there for them to be a game under .500 and to lose four in a row to the Braves. That’s just kind of uncalled for and I think that they’ve just become complacent in some ways and ever since their demise of last year. And if you look at Willie’s record it is right around .500 since June of last year. And when you have that much talent there are a lot more expectations than where they’re at right now.”

HOPEFULLY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

"Don't worry, Willie. There'll always be a spot for you on my bench."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

What better way to spend Memorial Day weekend than thinking Football

Icelandic Phallological Museum

(FOUND ON WIKIPEDIA)

The Icelandic Phallological Museum in Húsavík, Iceland is a museum devoted to phallology. As of July 2006, the museum houses 245 specimens displayed like hunting trophies, embalmed in formaldehyde, or dried in display cases. The museum attempts to collect penis specimens from every mammal in Iceland, including several species that are endangered or currently extinct in Icelandic waters.


Sigurður Hjartarson, a former teacher of history at an institute in Reykjavík, is the founder (since 1974, when he was 63 years old) and current director of the museum, which also exhibits a few specimens from mammals not living in Iceland, as well as folkloric specimens (alleged elves, trolls, sea monsters, etc.) and penis-themed art.

Although the museum does not yet have a Homo sapiens specimen, in the interest of advancing phallological knowledge, a patron (Páll Arason, born in 1915 and currently 92 years old) has donated, presumably posthumously, an affidavit for his penis.

SEE YOU IN COOPERSTOWN AUGUST 2013

The news that Mike Piazza is retiring comes 1 day of short of the 10 year anniversary of the trade that brought Mike Piazza to Shea. I will have nothing but good memories of Mike Piazza as a met, and he will go down as one of the best players we ever had.

Not only did he hit, and drive in runs, and make the Mets lineup stronger, he came to this town when the Yankees were the KINGS and made us matter again.

Piazza hit 40 home runs in a season with a whole franchise on his back. He would go on Howard Stern, he was on page 6, and of course he was on the back pages and the talk of sports radio.

"Within the eight years I spent in New York, I was able to take a different look at the game of baseball," he said in a statement yesterday. "I wasn't just a young kid that was wet behind the ears anymore. I was learning from other veteran guys like Johnny Franco, who taught me how to deal with the pressures of playing in New York, and Al Leiter who knew what it took to win a world championship."

Unfortunately the Mets never did win a world championship with Piazza, mostly because in the 2000 World Series they faced a baseball dynasty and Armando Benitez couldn’t strike out Paul O’Neil in game 1.

There was all the Piazza-Clemens stuff, and while I wish Piazza would have gone after Clemens and shoved that bat up his steroid inflamed ass, Mike had to much class to stoop to the level of the time and time again proven classless Roger Clemens.

Unless somebody digs up a boatload of dirt on Piazza in the next 5 years, guess which one of the two is going directly to the Hall of Fame and which one is going to spend all his time in the courts and disappearing ala Mark McGwire.

"He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and certainly the best hitting catcher of our era and arguably the best hitting catcher of all time," Tom Glavine said.

David Wright said, "He was The Man in New York. He helped mold me into the baseball player I want to be and helped mold me into being a leader on the team."

Piazza was just what Mets fans needed, and he produced one of the epic New York moments with that home run against the Braves in the first game in New York after Sept 11.

The Mets didn’t always handle Piazza like the superstar he was, they screwed up the move to first base, they really didn't defend him when Clemens threw at him and they never surrounded him with the type of talent to put them over the top.

"Mike electrified New York City," Fred Wilpon said in a statement. "We wish Mike, his wife, Alicia, and daughter Nicoletta all health and happiness as he begins a new chapter in his life."

We wish there was somebody who got the whole experience here enough to say, as Piazza once did, "New York without Johnny Franco is like a pastrami sandwich without rye."

Well Wally Matthews put it even better, when he said the Mets without Piazza were like a pastrami sandwich without the pastrami.

HIGHLIGHTS OF PIAZZA'S FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAME CAREER


1993: Wins NL Rookie of the Year award as member of Dodgers.

1997: Comes in second in MVP voting.
1999: Hits in 24 straight games, tying Mets' franchise record.

Oct. 19, 1999: Hits home run to tie score at 7 in losing effort against Braves in Game 6 of NLCS.

2000: Has 15-game RBI streak, second-longest in MLB history.

Sept. 21, 2001: Hits two-run home run against Braves in first New York sporting event since 9/11.
May 4, 2004: Sets record for most home runs by a catcher.

April 26, 2006: Hits 400th career home run, while with Padres.

FLYING PENIS

Is that a flying (helicopter) penis?

What is Triola doing in Russia.

I would tell you more but I don't know what this says:

не имею никаких симпатий ни к прокремлевским холуям румоловцам, ни к каспаровско-лимоновским несогласным, однако сей случай повеселил... в общем, как я понял, румоловцы запустили на каспарова сию аццкую боеголовку

WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE (randolph) WATCH

I’m not interested in talking about Willie’s non-sense about his race, or about how SNY portrays him or about the fans being mad that he doesn’t get ejected, or that he doesn’t have any fire. Willie needs to understand that the only reason Willie is on the hot seat, the only reason we, as Met fans, are screaming that we need a change, and that Willie is at fault here is simply because of the last 17 games of 2007.

Willie was the captain of the largest collapse in baseball history and he didn’t know how to stop the bleeding. I don’t care if he yelled, I don’t care if he hit Castillo 2nd or brought Sosa in the 9th inning, all I care about is as far as I’m concerned, in 2007, Willie failed. Willie let us all down.

Willie got the credit for taking an Art Howe team that was awful to the play-offs, and one hit away from the World Series in 2006. I was all about Willie, I was defending him for turning us into winners. Well since the 2nd half of last year he has turned us into a .500 team, and when you have this much talent, and this type of payroll, that won’t fly.

I want Willie to do one of two things. Either shut up, stop making excuses, manage and win, or yell and fight with the media, show them you are in charge, and manage and win. None of this wishy washy, I was misheard crap, I don’t want to hear the backtracking and all the excuses, nothing is worse than these guys who say one thing to the media then do a total flip the next day and say they didn’t say it…tell the media to go to hell, I’m fine with that, but you better figure out a way to win 20 of the next 30 or nothing else will matter.

I have absolutely no faith that Willie can turn this around, I believe Willie is to passive and he is to sensitive. He is focused on the wrong things and appears to be overmatchined here. Like I said a few days ago the time is up, Willie has to go, and until this team is 10 games over .500 there is only one score I can give Willie.

Willie current score - 0

NBA DRAFT LOTTERY TONIGHT

I have a feeling tonight the Knicks turn that 7.6% chance (2 outer to you and me) into the #1 pick in the draft.

Tune into ESPN tonight at 8pm to see if we were right.

DECISION MAKING

I'm the first to admit, I make a ton of mistakes, and a ton of bad decisions. No one is perfect, and I'm far from it, but finally, I have decided to share with you, my faithful readers, the secret to my decision making.

Behold my chart:

CRAZY MET FAN

When did I become that annoying, stupid Met fan that is doom and gloom every other day and lives and dies on every little event rather than look at the big picture and know that the baseball season is 162 games and not one at bat?

The Mets lose two winnable games to the Nationals and I’m one of those stupid callers to Mike and the Mad Dog, all out of my mind, screaming for the manager’s head and looking to offer trades of Luis Castillo, Marlon Anderson and Angel Pagan for Chase Utley.

I’ve been religiously following this team for 35 years, and we have won 1 time. So that’s 34 seasons of disappointments and failures, but never have I been taking these losses and these games as hard as I did last week. Was it the fact that last year they may have been the most talented team in the NL, and had the largest collapse in history? Is it because we went out and got the best pitcher in baseball this year and we are floundering at .500?

I see a lot of talent on this team, and at any minute they can reel off 6 or 7 wins or a 12 out of 16 couple of weeks and all will be well. They are tied for 1st in the loss column, and we still have 75% of the season left. There really is no need for me to go nuts after losing a listless 1-0 game on a Thursday afternoon. I apologize to my faithful reader(s) for the brief level of insanity.

Never can I remember the core Met fans being so quick to pull the trigger, so unhappy with every move, every decision. I think Omar has done a terrific job building this team, I think he has given Wille everything he needs, and I think this is the best team in the NL. Let’s get through this next 4 game series against Atlanta not losing 3 out of 4, lets keep giving Johan and Maine a couple of runs, and watch Big Pelf continue to blossom, get Pedro back in a few weeks, and see Ollie continue to pitch well against the good teams and there is no reason to expect anything less than a trip to the NLCS.

So in a way I feel a little silly that we win 2 games easily this weekend against a last place team and my whole out look has changed and everything is fixed, but in reality I know it’s not. But I do know they need to continue doing what they were doing, which means Reyes has to hit, Wright has to hit, and the starters have to give us a solid 7 innings each night.

I’m going to try and hold back my overreactions, both negative and positive, and remember there are a ton of baseball left to play. It was a good weekend, lets build on this against Atlanta tomorrow, and please, please…lets knock the crap out of Tommy Glavine.

Hmmm…I wonder if the Phills would take Castillo AND Heilman for Utley???

JOE MORGAN IS A PRETTY BAD ANNOUNCER

Besides getting just a boat load of facts wrong and adding little if no insight into the game, he has nothing of value to tell me.

Last night in the Met win, after the 8th inning Jose Reyes home run, we got this little jewel from Joe:

"You know what I like about that, he ran around the bases."

Not to point out the obvious, but um...what exactly were Jose's options there? Isn't that the rule?


How about this one from little Joe on the David Wright tag up from 3rd on a sack fly:

Alou flies out to right, Wright tags and scores, Joe suggests he might have left the base early, he says it a good 4 or 5 times then finally the replay shows that Wright did not leave early, and Joe gives us:

"His top half left quickly, but his foot stayed on the bag."

Is that possible?

Man dies in spitting contest

A SWISS man died when he fell from a hotel balcony during a spitting match with a friend, a Swiss newspaper has reported.

The daily Blick said the 29-year-old man took a run-up from inside the room so he could spit further, but lost his balance and plummeted 6.4m to the street below.

He died in hospital.

The man had suggested the contest when he and two friends returned from a disco to their hotel in Cadempino in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino canton in the early hours.

One of the men went to sleep, but the two others decided to see who could spit furthest from the balcony of their room.

Joe Klecko will have honorary degrees conferred by Caldwell College

CALDWELL – Graduation Weekend at Caldwell College will culminate with the commencement speech by former New York Jets player Joe Klecko at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 18, at the Newman Center on the College Campus.

Caldwell College President Sister Patrice Werner, Order of Preachers (O.P.), will present honorary degrees to Klecko and Thomas Ferguson, former chairman and chief executive officer of CommonHealth USA, a leading healthcare communications firm.

Klecko is one of the most popular Jets of all time. He was selected by the team in the sixth round of the 1977 National Football League (NFL) draft and led the league’s rookies that season with eight sacks.

He was the first member of what would become one of the most feared defensive front fours in the history of the NFL, the “New York Sack Exchange.”

He was the first NFL player to be named to the Pro Bowl at three different positions and he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

On Dec. 26, 2005, the Jets honored Klecko by retiring his jersey, No. 73. He became only the third Jet to have his number retired, joining Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath and Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Maynard.

Today, Klecko is a member of Catholic Athletes for Christ, an organization with a mission to serve Catholic athletes and share the Gospel of Christ in and through athletics. He speaks at events and rallies about manhood and faith in today’s culture.

Klecko’s son, Dan, is an All American football fullback and defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

IDOLNEWS
David Archuletta's voice coach accuses Idol producers of playing games and favoring David Cook

NO MAS!!!

1-0 loss to the Nats and losing 3 out of 4 is unacceptable.

Yes, the Mets didn't hit.
Yes, their base running was awful.
Yes, the bullpen (Heilman) has been awful.

But at this point, I have to blame the manager, and I am unable to sit back and watch a very talented bunch of players night in and night out not perform, and not be put in the right positions to succeed.

WE JUST WENT 3-4 AGAINST THE TWO WORST TEAMS IN THE NL AT HOME!!!

The guys don't hustle, there were at least 2 plays today where guys just were not running full speed all out. What will Willie say? "I know my players, I talk to my players" Guess what..IT'S NOT WORKING WILLIE. People need to be punished, players need to be held accountable, and if the players are not going to be held accountable, then there is only one more other option.

Sooner or later someone has to be held accountable, and this is not just 40 games this year, it's the whole 2nd half of 2007, and while I was a huge supporter of Willie the last 2 years it's time to get off the sinking ship.

Willie must go down. The captain goes down with the ship. Willie must go.

Do I have a replacement? Sure, call Frank Robinson, Buck Showalter, Lee Mazzilli, call Bobby V., call Wally Backman. We have Ken Oberkfell and Tim Tuefel down in the minors, at this point see if Richie Kotite is free (OK, I was only kidding there). I'm done waiting, things are not getting better, it's time.

SOMETHING ABOUT WINE

New research suggests that the type of music one listens to while drinking wine can dramatically affect the taste.

Heriot Watt University psychology professor Adrian North tested 250 students and found that the taste changed by up to 60 percent depending on the vibe of the tune. In an earlier study, North determined that people were five times more inclined to purchase a French bottle instead of a German one if accordion music was being played. From the BBC News:

(In the latest study,) four types of music were played - Carmina Burana by Orff ("powerful and heavy"), Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky ("subtle and refined"), Just Can't Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague ("zingy and refreshing") and Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook ("mellow and soft")

The white wine was rated 40% more zingy and refreshing when that music was played, but only 26% more mellow and soft when music in that category was heard.

The red was altered 25% by mellow and fresh music, yet 60% by powerful and heavy music.

The results were put down to "cognitive priming theory", where the music sets up the brain to respond to the wine in a certain way.

WILLIE??????

Today's Met line-up

Reyes (ss)
Castillo (2b)
Wright (3b)
Beltran (cf)
Church (rf)
Delgado (1b)
Castro (c)
Anderson (lf)
Pelfrey (rhp)



This makes me nuts...why is Marlon Anderson on the field? Unless he's 5-5 life time against Bergman (let me go look it up...nope, Marlon is 0-0 against him). You have Chavez and Alou, now I know Willie wants to give Moises a day game off after a night game, but Moises got ejected early and hardly played, and Chavez is so much better than Anderson and needs the At Bats to get on track.

I'm shocked he didn't give Wright or Beltran the day off too, and play hands of stone Easley at third. Last night I was flipping out when he brought in Heilman, I wanted to see Vargas (who hadn't even thrown 100 pitches) stay in there, so I am making sure I get this on the blog as a first guess rather than a second guess after Anderson hits into 2 DPs and misplays a ball in the outfield.

ANDERSON SHOULD NOT BE STARTING TODAY (or ever)!

Son of Steinbrenner knows best

"We've got to forget about all the injuries and start playing our butts off," Steinbrenner told The Post. The Yankees were buried by the Rays on Monday. These are difficult days for Joe Girardi's club.

"The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of playing, these players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for themselves to earn that money."

"We have good professional hitters and I have a lot of faith in them, I'm not saying they are not giving the effort, but they need to be playing harder."

He then paid the much-improved Rays a compliment, saying, the Yankees have "got to start playing the way the Rays are playing. (The Yankees) need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they're in (Triple-A) and trying to make the majors. That's the kind of attitude and fire the players have to have."

WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE (randolph) WATCH

The Mets are 17–0 when leading after the seventh inning, they are just 1–16 when trailing after the seventh inning.

hmm...does this tell us that once the Mets are down and out they are done and they don't have much fight left in them, or is that the norm around baseball? Sure they are years where a team will have one of those seasons and have 40 come from behind wins (this year the Mets have 5)but this team is not one of those teams so far this year. Is that the manager's fault? Or do we give Willie credit that he has managed the bullpen and the team so well in the 17 games we are ahead and hasn't blown any of those games?

I don't have the answer, I do know Brian Schneider said yesterday on Mike and the Mad Dog with regards to the clubhouse;

“I’ve been in a few and this is a great one. Everyone is loose. We had a great road trip, faced some top teams. Everyone enjoys each other. This is one of the best clubhouses I’ve been a part of.”

Now I know alot of what these guys say on the radio has to be taken with a grain of salt and I am sure Schneider isn't giving us all the facts, but in truth the one thing over the years we have not heard about Willie's clubhouse is any back stabbing or bickering. While he may not be the best in game manager in the league, and again we've said it 1,000 times, he gives his vets way to much rope, he seems to have a good control over the guys.

Still, this teams needs to win, they need to fight and they need to battle. That's Willie's job, to put the best players he has in situations that yield positive results.

Alot has been said about Castillo and Delgado, and while Castillo is banged up all the time he really is the best option at 2B. Easley can hit, but he is an awful, awful fielder. Castillo is fine as a number 8 hitter giving us solid defense, and Delgado has started to come around and I think will be fine in the number 6 hole.

I fully understand that Willie likes to give all his players some ABs, but I really don't want to see Marlon Anderson in LF, there is no reason to give both Church and Alou the same game off (game 2 on Saturday). But again these are nit picks and after a respectable west coast trip (3-3 vs. Ariz and LA) and a 2-1 series win over Cincy they are only 2 games out and showing some life.

He's finally moved Heilman out of the 8th inning role, but Heilman has always been a strong 2nd half pitcher


Pre-All Star 202.2 4.66 1.28 .252
Post-All Star 193.0 3.45 1.29 .232

so I believe he will have an important role with this team. Barring any total collapse by this team over the next month, Willie's job is safe and the evaluations will continue.

Courtesy of Matthew Cerrone:

Last season at this time, the Mets had nine come-from-behind wins and were 17–1 when leading after the seventh inning, and 3–11 when trailing after seven.

In 2006, at this time of the season, the Mets had eight come-from-behind wins and were 18–1 when leading after seven, and 1–10 when trailing after the seventh.


WILLIES WEEKLY SCORE - 61

50 GREATEST LINES IN MOVIE HISTORY

Yes I know there are 51, that's hoW great this movie is!!!


51 She'll never divorce him. She'll kill him, but she'll never divorce him.

50 Whenever we needed money, we robbed the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank.

49 My birth certificate and my arrest sheet -- that's all you'd ever have to know that I was alive.

48 Awwwwww, you broke your cherry!

47 When I was broke, I'd go out and rob some more. We ran everything. We paid off cops. We paid off lawyers. We paid off judges. Everybody had their hands out. Everything was for the taking. And now it's all over. That's the hardest part.

46 Why don't you go (bleep) yourself, Tommy?

45 Where's the strong box you fu**in' varmint, you?

44 Sure, mom, I settle down with a nice girl every night, then I'm free the next morning.

43 Don't make a jerk out of me, just don't do it. Don't do it.

42 People all looked at me differently, they knew I was with somebody. I didn't have to wait on line at the bakery on Sunday mornings anymore for fresh bread.

41 You might know who we are, but we KNOW who you are.

40 It's gonna be a good summer.

39 It was revenge for Billy Batts, and a lot of other things. And there was nothing that we could do about it. Batts was a made man, and Tommy wasn't. And we had to sit still and take it. It was among the Italians. It was real greaseball shit. They even shot Tommy in the face so his mother couldn't give him an open coffin at the funeral.

38 When they found Carbone in the meat truck, he was frozen so stiff it took them two days to thaw him out for the autopsy.

37 You're just funny, you know, the way you tell the story and everything, uh...

36 Hey, you wanna laugh, last week this prick asked me to christen his kid.

35 If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice, they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.

34 Keep him here, keep him here!

33 By the way, I took care of that thing for ya

32 Now the guy's got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week no matter what. Business bad? fu** you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? fu** you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning huh? fu** you, pay me.

31 You know Spider, you're a fu**in' mumbling stuttering little fu**. You know that?

30 I just want to make sure I don't end up kissing fu**ing Nat King Cole over here.

29 Today everything is different. There's no action. I have to wait around like everyone else. Can't even get decent food. Right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I'm an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.

28 Every once in awhile, I'd have to take a beating, but by then I didn't care. The way I saw it, everybody takes a beating sometimes.

27 You're a real jerk -- you wasted eight fu**ing aprons on this guy.

26 Whooooooa. I don't believe what I just heard. Hey Spider, this is for you. Thattaboy. He's got a lotta balls, this kid.

25 I'll fu** him in his ass. I fu**ed kids like him in the can in the ass. fu**in' trying to break up my party.

24 What am I? A schmuck on wheels?

23 You're gonna let him get away with that? You're gonna let this punk get away with that? What's the matter, what's this world coming to?

22 When there's nothing left... you light a match.

21 Tommy's a bad kid, he's a bad seed, what am I supposed to do, shoot him? Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

20 I said Bing, what are you doing here, I thought I told you to go f**k your mother?

19 What, do you got me on a fu**in' pay-no-mind list kid?

18 Paulie may have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn't have to move for anybody.

17 I want my money! I want my money!

16 I'm (bleeping) kidding with you, you fu**ing shoot the guy?
He's dead.
You stupid bastard, I can't fu**ing believe you. You're gonna dig the hole.
Fine, I'll dig the fu**ing hole. I don't give a fu**, what's that the first hole I dug?

15 We had a problem. You know what I mean. He's gone. And we couldn't do nothing about it.

14 One day some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.

13 What did I tell you? What did I tell you? You don't buy anything! What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you? What the (bleep's) the matter with you?

12 He knows everything about it. I mean he's in the joint 24 hours a day. I mean another fu**ing few minutes he could be a stool that's how often he's in there.

11 I mean, here I am this little kid, I can't even see over the steering wheel, and I'm parking Cadillacs!

10 And then there was Jimmy Two Times, who got that nickname because he said everything twice, like: 'I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers.'

9 Relax, would ya, what's gotten into you? I haven't seen you in a long time, and I'm breaking your balls a little bit, I'm only kidding with ya.

8 But I'm worried, I mean, I'm hearin' all kinds a fu**in' bad things. I mean he's treating me like I'm a fu**in' half-a-fag or somethin'. I'm gonna wind up a lammist, I gotta go on the fu**in' lam in order to get away from this guy? This ain't right, Paulie.

7 Saturday night was for wives, but Friday night at the Copa was always for the girlfriends.

6 As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.

5 But, I'm funny how? I mean, funny like a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to fu**ing amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How the fu** am I funny, tell me what's so fu**ing funny about me?

4 You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two greatest things in life -- never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.

3 No-no-no-no ... you insulted him a little bit. You insulted him a little bit.

2 In this day and age, what the fu** is this world coming to? I can't believe this, prejudice against - a Jew broad - prejudice against Italians.

1 Now go home and get your fu**ing shine box.

IDOLNEWS
Simon says David Cook won the night with his emotional edgy performances.

THE GREAT BOBBY V ON ESPN 2 TONIGHT

This ESPN produced documentary follows Bobby Valentine during his 2007 season as manager of the Japanese ball club the Marines, and were able to show how much of a baseball, and pop icon he has become. He is recognizable everywhere, and is often mobbed by fans.

Tonight at 9pm on ESPN a much watch - The Zen of Bobby V



The film highlights Valentine’s determination to keep quality players in Japan since many are leaving for the potential riches of MLB. He likens Japanese baseball to the Negro leagues in regards to how they were once very popular, but eventually forced into extinction when the best players left for more money.

Valentine gives great insight to his perspective on life, and baseball and it is a must-see for any Bobby V. fan.

According to the directors of this documentary;

“There is no one you can compare him to here in the states in terms of popularity…he is more popular there than any major league player, or manager is here by alot.”

WEB SITE OF THE DAY

MANBABIES - http://manbabies.com

Man Babies is a bizarre blog that has nothing but photos of dads whose heads have been swapped with their kids'

IDOLNEWS
Lindsay Lohan will debut new album on Ryan Seacrest s radio show.

FLAVOR FLAAAAAAAAAAV AND T.O.!!!!!!!

T.O. will make his sitcom acting debut on the MyNetworkTV show ''Under One Roof'' as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav. Owens tries convincing Flav and sitcom sibling Kelly Perine that they're all brothers in hopes of getting them to invest in his Web site. ''I see dollar signs,'' Owens said in an interview with The Associated Press. ''I'm trying to kind of smooth my way into the family, but Flav is not buying it. It's a lot of funny dialogue. It was a good time.'' It might also be a first step toward a second career.

IDOLNEWS

Backstage meddling gets David Archuleta s dad banned from Idol rehearsals.

BABY MAMA

Baby Mama is nothing short of brilliant. .

BIG PELF NEEDS SCHNEIDER

Pelfrey is 2-0 with a 1.50 era with Brian Schneider behind the plate and 0-2 with a 8.34 era without Schneider

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK (7)

“58,008, right? On a 1970s calculator. Upside down.”

- Tina Fey when asked what is the funniest number.

LETS GO METS!!!

The Mets just finished up 3–3 on a West Coast road trip against the two hottest teams in the National League; they are three games over .500 and one game out in the loss column with over three-quarters of the season left.

Why does it feel like we are 12-24?

Even though I know there is plenty of baseball left to be played, I can’t help but feel frustrated and I’m living and dying on every pitch and every stranded base runner.

I want to blame someone, and Willie is the easy target, but I don’t feel right blaming anyone. Somehow when you look at the standings, it’s not that bad. Sure I’d like to be 5 games up all year, but where did that get us last year?

Today is an off day, and I’ve been out of the loop the last week so maybe I just haven’t felt the pain in a few days of bad baseball.

Cincy and Washington come into Shea this weekend so lets sit back, and actually enjoy some baseball rather than obsess over every walk, and every Luis Castillo 2 hopper to the pitcher. 130 games left, let’s try to have fun, and enjoy the little 3 hour distraction from reality each evening and just be happy to have a decent little ball club to root for.

Cumon guys, LETS GO METS!!!!

BRITNEY'S BACK ON HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Britney Spears might yet become the mom of Ted's kids on How I Met Your Mother.

Spears will make her second appearance as receptionist Abby on May 12th. However, for the time being, she's going to be Barney's squeeze. In fact, her dislike for Ted will drive the plot for her encore appearance.

IDOLNEWS

Clay Aiken s new album is out today. Tells interviewer I m not trying to be cool.

JOLTER MEMORIES - Guest post

Thirty years ago a bespectacled and husky lad was spotted on 70th street visiting his grandparents with a legendary man named Paulie Brucato.
We were short a player and thought the kid could use a break.

Little did we know then that Tommy B would smash all Spongeball records with over 800 homers, a dozen no-hitters, 4 MVP awards, including one as a member of the 1980 St A's Indians where he was a member of Murderers Row.

An Eric Tommasi foul in basketball cut short his pitching career, but his stellar glove patrolling center field in Softball and his soft hands as a tight-end on the 70th Street Broncos in the Gravesend Park League were the stuff of legends.

All this athletic prowess got him fame and with that came the ladies. His revolving door included(in no particular order): Liz, Carol, Rose, Christie Love, Cooper and Stella.

At forty , he would be retirement and waiting for the Hall of Fame to call had that terrible injury not occurred, nevertheless his career left us all with lasting images.

In 1980, Bru single handedly blocked Appio and Munoz to pave the way for a D Nerl 90 yard run from scrimmage. His stellar fielding and clutch hitting launched the Bombers and Chargers into the playoffs in the late '80s.

In his professional career he also left his mark:
The driving force behind the Money Store's success as well as launching their 4 hour daily golf ritual(surprise why they aren't around any longer).
-At Chuck E Cheese's in Ceasar Bay and in Levittown, Bru's managment style led to "great eats and a good time for the entire family". He also got to work with Amet and Tony Alonso at this terrific institution.
-

Volumes could be filled about Tommy's career at Faces in Bay Ridge, his famous 1971 Green Valiant, his tight hand drawn fruit of the loom #25 tee shirt/jersey, the Choo Choo Disney World Houston Astro's cap, and the 65th street Christmas tree incident. His friendships are also legendary. He has teamed up with some famous folks through years such as:
Anthony Serrano and Paul Eng back in the 70's and 80's, the Willie Prip, Robert and Eddie Scola, Chuckie Habib, George Sosa, Dr. Weiner and Joel Katz years.






Thank You Bus, ....... for everything.