Saturday Afternoon

Is there a more suspenseful sporting event to watch than than individual qualifying for a NASCAR race? Daytona 500 qualifying today on FOX. Budweiser Shootout tonight. Twin 125's on Thursday. The Great American Race on Valentine's Day. Hello 2010!

And just so that you know, the peloton opens the European season tomorrow (sometime tonight, our time) in the Tour of Qatar with a team time trial in the desert.

And for the traditionalists, pitchers and catchers are due to report in less than two weeks. Now that is a true sign of Spring.

I'm sitting on my couch with Winnie catching all the Saturday TV sports action. 2 is picking up a friend at ORD and I'm the designated sitter. We're doing a three mile run a little later.

An item of news from the office came across my email yesterday about a money manager firm that I have used in the past. Turns out that the owner of the firm bit on an elaborate tax shelter scheme beginning in the mid '90's, was investigated by the IRS, found wanting (to the tune of eight figures of tax and penalties), and recently lost the battle in Tax Court. He's now resigned from his company, I'm sure in hopes of saving it, and has had to come public with the details. The case report is 75 pages long and has him well-filet'd.

I did some clean-up work for some clients of a tax attorney in Phoenix in the '80's. They had bought into an off-shore scam that supposedly allowed income from a US operation to be laundered through a foreign corporation or trust, and escape US taxation. This new case is not a lot different. Kind of funny/odd when otherwise bright and successful people allow themselves to be taken in by scheisters selling something that seems too good to be true. If it smells bad, looks like too good of a result, and has more twists than a python, chances are the best advice is to not walk, but run, the other way.

A random factoid from the golf telecast: the PGA event this week, The Northern Trust Open from Riviera CC in the LA area, has hired former NBA great (and the league's logo-boy), Jerry West, as it's Executive Director. Interesting. He's got history there with the Lakers as a player and in the front office. But his last NBA job was in Memphis, and his home is West Virginia. But he brings credibility into the room and his involvement will be good for the tournament. Now, if he can just re-hab Tiger, get him to play there, and keep him inside the ropes. No small task there.

Had to get on the Illinois I-Pass website this morning to change the license plate for the Buick's Illinois toll road electronic signal. If the Italians can track me down seven time zones away, I'm guessing that Illinois would eventually catch on to the inconsistency. Technology is an amazing thing.

OK. It's a little late, but here's my Top Ten Goals for 2010; not necessarily in order of importance:

1. Tahoe. I'm not yet committed on riding Mt. Rose.
2. 15-25% growth in business gross income. Not easy, but doable.
3. 53 minutes in the Turkey Trot.
4. Read more. Let's say 25 books.
5. Chicago or St. Louis for a FFF baseball weekend.
6. College World Series in Omaha for a weekend.
7. Write a short story. 25-30 pages.
8. Modified two days of TOMRV. With last year's friends.
9. Additional upgrades at my house.
10. Improve core strength with consistent exercise.

So I need to hit the road with Winnie for my run. Maybe more here later.

BCOT